Minorwood

Everybody plays Blackwood. A major modern improvement is to play Roman Key Card Blackwood. I believe so called “RKCB 1430” to be nearly universal; it certainly is around here. This works well enough when the agreed suit is a major. When a minor suit is destined to be trump, there is often a real danger that the response to 4nt will get us too high if we have insufficient controls.

For the past ten years or so, whenever partner is willing, I have been playing a gadget that dramatically improves my minor suit slam bidding. I am very high on this convention. We (and others) have dubbed it Minorwood: Blackwood for the minors. In certain strong auctions, a bid of 4 of the agreed minor is RKCB. This is most useful because we need the extra space afforded us by starting our keycard asking at 4 of the agreed minor rather than 4 notrump. When should 4 of a minor be Minorwood? Here are some sample auctions that I like to play as Minorwood. The opponents are silent through all of these.

• 1♠ – 2♦ (GF); 3♦ – 4♦
• 1♠ – 2♣ (GF); 2nt – 3♦ ; 4♦
• 1♦ – 2♦ (inverted); 4♦

You and your partner may add to this list as is your preference. I believe that the following auction should NOT be minorwood: 1♠ – 1nt (F); 3♦ – 4♦; nor should 1♦ – 4♦.

The responses to Minorwood should pattern match whatever you use for RKCB 4nt, i.e. 1st step 1 or 4 keycards. 2nd step 0 or 3 keycards, etc.

The continuations are not so obvious. My way of thinking has 4nt and 5 of the agreed minor to play. If the response already confirmed or denied the Queen of trump, then the next open step should confirm that the partnership has all the keycards and the queen or trump, and be a grand slam try, ostensibly asking for specific kings up the line. If the response was ambiguous with respect to the Queen of trump, then the next open step should ask about her, and the second open step should be the grand slam try.

You may read more about Minorwood and its companion Redwood here.

 I was West when the following hand was dealt.

Dealer: East Vul: All		North
		♠	8752
		♥	73
		♦	Q87
		♣	J876
West				East
♠	9			♠	A63
♥	A			♥	QJ864
♦	K642			♦	AJ1093
♣	AKQ9543			♣	–
		South
		♠	KQJ104
		♥	K10952
		♦	5
		♣	102

 

West	North	East	South
		1♥	1♠
2♣	Pass	2♦	Pass
2♠	Pass	3♦	Pass
4♦	Pass	5♦	Pass
Pass	Pass

Partner and I were not on the same wavelength here. We had agreed to play Minorwood, but our convention card read simply “Some Minorwood.” I had hoped that partner would interpret my 4 diamonds as Minorwood; clearly he did not, and we missed a good slam. I think that it is most useful to play 4 diamonds as Minorwood in this auction. The same would apply if the auction had gone

 

West	North	East	South
		1♥	1♠
2♣	Pass	2♦	Pass
4♦	etc.

 or

 

West	North	East	South
		1♥	1♠
2♣	pass	2♦	pass
3♦	pass	4♦

 

Partner and I have since agreed to play such auctions as Minorwood,

To view the virtual traveller, click here. We were pair 24 EW.