Blum on Bridge Roman Keycard Blackwood
	About three years ago I wrote a shortened version of Roman Keycard Blackwood, better known as RKC, for the non-expert. Some time before that I wrote a complete series of articles on the subject. In addition, I frequently teach it in the form of a six-hour course. While at the table, I get more requests to repeat and update RKC articles than any other of my columns. So today I will begin a series describing this "must" for everyone who is still in the dark ages playing the convention know as Blackwood. Please cut out these articles and read and re-read them to get a better understanding of this marvelous slam convention. In 1933, Easley Blackwood invented the 4NT ace and king asking convention that for 30 years became the signature slam-asking bid. After the 4NT, ask partner's bid of 5 clubs states he holds no aces or all four, 5 diamonds, one ace, 5 hearts two, 5 spades three aces. Only if the partnership holds all four aces may the Blackwood bidder make the call of 5NT asking for the number of kings his partner holds. Partner's response at the six-level is 6 clubs none or four, 6 diamonds one, 6 hearts two, and 6 spades three. A huge problem with Blackwood is that often the ace asking response does not tell him what he needs to know. For example, holding a small doubleton in a side suit plus two aces, the asker may find partner responding 5 diamonds, announcing only one of the two outstanding aces. The Blackwood bidder is on a guess as to which ace the responder holds. If it's in the wrong suit, the opponents could quickly win the first two tricks setting the contract Another problem occurs if the intended slam suit is clubs and the asker has less than two aces. Woe unto him when partner responds 5 diamonds showing one ace. He aint got nowhere to go. Then along came the legendary Italian Blue team. For ten years beginning in 1956, the Italians dominated the world championships. Legends Walter Avarelli, Benito Garozzo, Giorgio Belladona, and Pietro Forquet developed the two most accurate bidding systems ever devised, Neapolitan & Roman. A part of their systems was a keycard asking slam treatment known as Roman Blackwood. It was later modified and improved upon to the convention used today by virtually all experts, Roman Keycard Blackwood (RKC). Instead of asking for aces, RKC asks for keycards. There are specifically five keycards. They are the four aces plus the king of the agreed upon trump suit. If the bidding has proceeded 1 spade-2 or 3 spades, the agreed upon trump suit is spades. If opener now bids 4NT he is asking partner to tell him how many of the five keycards that includes the four aces plus the king of spades he holds. The responses to 4NT are as follows: 5 clubs zero or three, 5 diamonds one or four, 5 hearts two without the queen of the agreed upon trump suit, and 5 spades two with the queen of the agreed upon trump suit. A minor disadvantage of this method occurs when hearts is the trump suit. If the RKC asker holds only one ace without the queen of trumps he is well advised not to use the convention, as a 5-spade response could prove most embarrassing. I teach than an easy reminder to remember the meaning of 5 clubs and 5 diamonds is to keep the numbers 30 and 41 in your head. 5 clubs three or zero keycards, 5 diamonds four or one keycard. Also notice the keycard responses of 5 hearts or 5 spades include the additional information whether or not the responder holds the trump queen. As I stated in the title we're all ready light years ahead of old Blackwood. It is important that the partnership have a clear understanding of which suit is the trump suit before embarking on a keycard auction. A popular method sets the priorities as follows: opener's suit if he opened with a strong forcing action; the agreed trump suit (as shown above); responder's suit if he jump shifts and then bids keycard; and the last bid suit. Again partnership agreement is most important. Next week our discussion will include an easy way to find specific side suit kings plus how to find whether or not partner holds the queen of trump after the responses of 5 clubs and 5 diamonds.