Exposing Emptiness

No problem hand this time around, just a quick lesson on a standard tool for ace-asking auctions.

Partner bids 4 NT asking for aces if you are playing plain Blackwood, or key cards if you are playing some form of Key Card Blackwood. How do you respond when you have a void?

There are several methods, but what follows is by far the most common; almost every tournament player on the planet will assume the following structure unless you've agreed otherwise. If somebody says they play "Void-Showing Blackwood," this is what they mean:

• With a void in one of partner's bid suits, do not show the void. It's not a useful void.
• With an even number of aces or key cards and a useful void, bid 5 NT.
• With an odd number of aces or key cards and a useful void in a suit that is lower-ranking than trump, bid six of the void suit.
• With an odd number of aces or key cards and a useful void in a higher-ranking suit, bid six of the trump suit.

Here are a few examples, all using plain Blackwood. Note that the responses will be different if 4NT asks for key cards instead of aces.

You hold ♠ K 10 7 5 ♥ -- ♦ A 9 8 5 2 ♣ K 10 6 5
Partner opens 1 ♠, the auction goes 1 ♠ - 3 ♠  - 4 NT - ?

Bid 6 ♥, showing an odd number of aces and a void in hearts.

You hold ♠ K 10 7 5 ♥ -- ♦ A 9 8 5 2 ♣ A 10 6 5
Partner opens 1 ♠, the auction goes 1 ♠ - 3 ♠ - 4 NT - ?
Bid 5 NT, showing an even number of aces and a useful void.

You hold ♠ K 10 7 5 ♥ -- ♦ K J 9 5 2 ♣ K 10 6 5
Partner opens 1 ♠, the auction goes 1 ♠ - 3 ♠ - 4 NT - ?
Bid 5 NT, showing an even number of aces and a useful void. Yes, same as the previous example; zero is an even number.

You hold ♠ K 10 7 5 ♥ -- ♦ A J 9 5 2 ♣ K Q 10 5
Partner opens 1 ♥, the auction goes 1 ♥ - 2 ♦ - 4 NT - ?

Bid 5 ♦ showing one ace. Your heart void is not considered useful when partner has bid hearts.

You hold ♠ K 10 7 5 3 ♥ -- ♦ A J 9 ♣ K Q 10 8 5
Partner opens 1 ♦, the auction goes 1 ♦ - 1 ♠ -3 ♣ - 4 ♣ - 4 NT - ?
Bid 6 ♣ showing an odd number of aces and a useful void in a higher ranking suit. You bid spades previously, and a diamond void would not be useful, so partner can work out that your void must be in hearts.

But what about kings?
Obviously, partner can't bid 5 NT to ask for kings after you've shown a void in response to 4 NT. If partner needs to know more, the customary continuation is that partner (the asker) bids a new suit at the six level to ask about the king in that suit. Responder tells by simply returning to the trump suit to deny that king, or shows that king by cue-bidding another king (below the trump suit) or 6 NT if that is next available non-trump bid.

Why not just count the void as an ace?

For partner's king to be good, she needs you to hold the ace in that suit, not a void. Also, it's very embarrassing when partner decides at the last minute to play the slam in notrump instead of a suit contract 😔

-- Ray 
Better Bridge in 5 Minutes.  Guaranteed! (or the next one is free)