[TheoKole]

Hello everyone.

I don't know if anyone else uses this bid but I use 3NT opener with my regular partner to ask for specific Aces.

Around 4 or 5 times a year I have a hand like

AKQJxxxx ♠
- ♥
AK ♦
xx ♣

or something similar with a void in 1 suit.

Asking for Aces doesn't really work, what do I do if partner has the wrong Ace?

also I may not even be able to get to it even if the defenders lead the wrong suit for them to set me right away.

Any hand that is almost safe at the 5 level that can envision a small or grand slam opposite a single Ace would probably open 3NT, almost always it would be with a void.

Here is how it works, after a 3NT opener, partner bids the suit of his Ace if he has one, he bids 4NT without an Ace, if there is interference by the second hand player, a double by partner promises the Ace of that suit, a bid by him promises the Ace of the suit and denies the Ace in the ops suit. A pass by him denies an Ace.

If the bidding goes 3NT - 4NT - any bid by opener is to play.

If it goes something like 3NT - P - 4 ♦ - P, then 4 NT asks what other Ace in the higher suits or King partner has in the lower suits.

Please comment on the system and any helpful suggestions would be appreciated.

Thank you in advance.

Theo

[gwnn]

4 of 5 times a year? You must play a lot of bridge (or have a faulty calendar)

[hanp]

Congratulations on your good fortune, I recommend you pick up rubber bridge.

[TheoKole]

Yes in my counting I have had hands like this 15 times in the past 4 years in normal bridge.

Also, I have not had a Gambling type 3NT in the past 5 years. I find the convention pretty useless anyways.

Obviously if you play a lot of goulash tournaments these types of hands would come up more often.

Any suggestions for use in the convention, would it be allowed in ACBL tournaments?

Thanks,

Theo

[Zelandakh]

If you are going to use this gadget then i would suggest you modify your responses to
4C = no ace
4D/H/S = that ace
4N = club ace
5C = any 2 aces

Of course you could also go with the more common 4NT specific ace ask and use 3NT for something more useful. A couple of alternative options for 3NT are a Namyats-type hand in either major, or a 'good' preempt to 4 of a minor.

Note also that your example hand is not a classical specific ace asking hand as you cannot find out about the club king easily. You might be better off with an auction like 2C - 2D - 3S and seeing if your partner can cough up a club cue bid.

[TheoKole]

Thanks for the suggestion.

I use the 2 ♣ - 2 ♦ - 3 of a major to show a 2 ♣ opener with exactly 4 of the major and 6 or more ♦. This was shown to me by a Canadian teacher which was developed by Kokish he told me.

I will look into the Ace answering suggestion that you said.

Thanks a lot,

Theo

[Free]

You might want to show 2 specific Aces as well, since you got a lot of big hands. Say you have AKQJTxxxx-void-KQ-KQ then you definitely don't want to hear 2 Aces... So use CRASH to show 2 Aces (step 1 = same color, step 2 = same rank, step 3 = ♠♦/♥♣). Oh, and if you show 1 Ace, also give the possibility to show the other 3. With my example hand responder can show ♠A or the other 3.

What do you use 2♣-2♦-3NT and 2♣-2♦-4NT for? You might want to put it over there, no big issues

I wouldn't go for it, since I never have such hands...

[TheoKole]

I use 2 ♣ - 2 ♦ - 3NT to show a balanced hand 25 - 27 points.

Although it has very rarely come up, 2 ♣ - 2 ♦ - 4NT would show the same with 28 - 29 points and the same sequence with 5 NT, 30 - 31 points I guess.

Theo

[nige1]

TheoKole, on Sep 27 2010, 07:10 AM, said:

Hello everyone. I don't know if anyone else uses this bid but I use 3NT opener with my regular partner to ask for specific Aces. Around 4 or 5 times a year I have a hand like
♠ AKQJxxxx  ♥- ♦ AK ♣ xx
or something similar with a void in 1 suit.
Asking for Aces doesn't really work, what do I do if partner has the wrong Ace? Also I may not even be able to get to it even if the defenders lead the wrong suit for them to set me right away.
Any hand that is almost safe at the 5 level that can envision a small or grand slam opposite a single Ace would probably open 3NT, almost always it would be with a void
Here is how it works, after a 3NT opener, partner bids the suit of his Ace if he has one, he bids 4NT without an Ace, if there is interference by the second hand player, a double by partner promises the Ace of that suit, a bid by him promises the Ace of the suit and denies the Ace in the ops suit. A pass by him denies an Ace.
If the bidding goes 3NT - 4NT - any bid by opener is to play.
If it goes something like 3NT - P - 4 ♦ - P, then 4 NT asks what other Ace in the higher suits or King partner has in the lower suits.
Please comment on the system and any helpful suggestions would be appreciated. Thank you in advance.

• I agree that the traditional 3N = solid minor is daft. When 3N is the right contract, the wrong hand plays it.
  
• I play 3N = solid major or semi-solid with an outside A.
  
• I like your 3N bid = ask for specific Aces, too. (Although you can cater for such hands by opening 2♣ then jumping in your suit to set it as trumps and demand cue-bids).

Anyway, suggestions using denial cue-bids...

• Keeps the bidding low enough to cater for "wrong" aces but
  
• Much harder to remember

• 3N - ??
  • 4♣ = Zero or two aces. Then 4♦ asks which?
    
  • 4♦ = minor ace. Then 4N asks which?
    
  • 4♥ = ♠A.
    
  • 4♠ = ♥A.
    
  • 4N = Four aces.
    
  • 5♣/5♦/5♥/5♠ = Three aces but not in the bid suit.
  
  
  3N - 4♣
  ??
  • 4♦ = Do you have 2 aces?
    
  • 4♥/4♠/5♦/5♣ Natural non-forcing but asking for top honours by steps.
    e.g. rebid 4♠ with ♠ JT98xxxx ♥ - ♦ AKQJ ♣ A
  
  3N - 4♦
  4N - ??
  • 5♣ = ♦A.
    
  • 5♦ = ♣A.
  
  3N - 4♣
  4♦ - ??
  • 4♥ = Sorry zero.
    
  • 4♠ = Two aces. Denies ♠ ace. Then 4N asks "other ace-less suit?"
    
  • 4N = Major aces (in case opener needs minor aces).
    
  • 5♣ = Pointy aces (in case opener needs round suit aces).
    
  • 5♦ = Black aces (in case opener needs red aces).
  
  3N - 4♣
  4♦ - 4♠
  4N - ??
  • 5♣ = Denies ♣A. (Hence shows red aces).
    
  • 5♦ = Denies ♦A. (Hence shows round aces).
    
  • 5♥ = Denies ♥A. (Hence shows minor aces).
  
  3N - 4♣
  4♠ - ??
  ??
  • _P = No ♠ honour.
    
  • 4N (1 step) = Q.
    
  • 5♣ (2 steps) = K.
    
  • 5♦ (4 steps) = A
    
  • 5♥ (5 steps) = KQ.
    
  • 5♠ (6 steps) = AQ.
    
  • 5N] (7 steps) = AK.
    
  • 6♣ (8 steps) = AKQ.

[blackshoe]

This convention is legal on the General Convention Chart in the ACBL.

[nige1]

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