IN this series, we will look at several conventions that have been embraced both by the expert community and also by aspiring players looking to develop their bidding accuracy. The first of these is a variation on the Blackwood convention, which utilises a bid of 4NT to ask partner how many aces he holds, to ensure that the partnership does not attempt to bid a slam when missing two aces. The traditional responses to the Blackwood 4NT enquiry are: 5♣ = 0 or 4 aces; 5♦ = 1 ace; 5♥ = 2 aces; 5♠ = 3 aces.
Why have variations developed?
How many times have you bid a slam that failed having found out that your partnership is only missing one ace?