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General Guidelines for Ace-Asking Bids

Once you have determined that you have enough points for slam, you must make sure that you have enough controls. One way to do this is to use an Ace-asking bid like Blackwood or Gerber. Remember that ace-asking bids are used only when you have determined that you have enough points to make slam and want to make sure you are not off two cashing aces. Do not use Blackwood to determine if you have enough strength for slam. If you have enough points for slam, do not chicken out if you find you have only 3 aces. If you don't have enough strength to bid a slam missing only one ace, then you shouldn't be asking for aces.

Remember that Blackwood and Gerber tell you only the number of aces partner has. They don’t tell you which suits the aces are in or whether you're off a cashing Ace-King in a suit. You should only use Blackwood or Gerber when: 1. You've already found a good trump suit (or agreed on notrump). 2. You know you have the overall strength for a slam. 3. Your hand has controls in all unbid suits (aces, kings or singletons). DON'T use Blackwood or Gerber if: 1. You have a void. 2. You have a worthless doubleton (xx, Qx, Jx) in an unbid suit. 3. You need to know if partner has control of a specific suit. To get this information, use a control bidding sequence instead. Blackwood Asking for Aces It would be embarrassing to bid slam and then lose two aces off the top. If you think you and your partner have enough points for slam, you should bid Blackwood to make sure you are not missing two aces.

Here's how it works: to ask your partner how may aces she has, simply bid 4NT. Her responses are as follows: ??? — 4NT — 5♣: 0 or 4 aces 5♦: 1 ace.

5♥: 2 aces.

5♠: 3 aces. NOTE: The 5♣ response may seem ambiguous, but in practice you will always be able to tell the difference between a partner who has no aces and a partner who has all of them!

Asking for Kings After your partner reveals her number of aces, you may ask her for kings by bidding 5NT. Such a bid shows interest in a grand slam, and should only be made if you and your partner have all the aces. Your partner will respond to your 5NT bid as follows: ??? — 4NT — 5♦ — 5NT — 6♣: 0 or 4 kings. 6♦: 1 king. 6♥: 2 kings. 6♠: 3 kings. When is 4NT Blackwood? Essentially any bid of 4NT at any time is Blackwood. There is one major exception: If your partner just bid notrump, then a bid of 4NT is not Blackwood.

4NT is a quantitative raise. To ask for aces in such a situation, you should use Gerber instead.

The Gerber Convention -- 4C to ask for aces The Gerber 4♣ Convention is used to ask for aces if it is agreed that you are playing NT. A bid of 4♣ directly over partner's notrump bid is Gerber and asks for aces. Partner's response tells you how many aces she holds:  4♦ = None or all four aces  4♥ = One ace  4♠ = Two aces  4NT = Three aces If your side holds all four aces and you want to investigate a grand slam, a bid of 5♣ guarantees you have all four aces and asks for kings (just like a rebid of 5NT after Blackwood 4NT). Partner will respond at the 5-level (using the same steps as above) to show the number of kings she holds. Control Bids (Cuebidding) For hands where you can't use Blackwood, you can investigate slam by "cuebidding"--bidding new suits to show outside controls (Aces, Kings, singletons or voids). Cue bidding should be renamed. What does a “cue” have to do with showing control in a suit? Moreover, we refer to the bidding of the opponents’ suit also as cue bidding, thereby confusing the issue. There is a movement toward calling bids that show controls “control bids”. We wish to perpetuate that movement. As a result, we will refer to these bids as control bids. Once you and partner have agreed on a trump suit, a new-suit bid is not a search for a different trump suit. It shows a specific outside control, either and ace or king or singleton or void. Your control bid asks partner to cooperate by bidding the cheapest suit where she holds a control (either and ace or king or singleton or void). There is one exception, do not bid a singleton or void in partner’s suit. You must only make a control bid in partner’s suit with the A or K. If you bid with a singleton or void in partner’s suit, she will be sorely disappointed to find her suit doesn’t run opposite your singleton or void. Here's an example of control bidding: ♠AKJ874 ♥2 ♦43 ♣AKT9 You open 1♠ and partner bids 2♥ (GF). You rebid 2♠. Partner now bids 3♠ showing extra values under the principle of fast arrival, where she would have bid 4♠ with a minimum hand. You now reevaluate your hand. You have 15 HCP + 3 distribution points for a singleton for a total of 18 points. You know that opposite partner’s 15-17 points you have 33 or more points, so you want to be in 6♠. However, you are not sure whether the 7 or 8 points you are missing might be the AK of diamonds, in which case you will lose two tricks immediately. Notice that using Blackwood or 1430 won’t tell you this information. If partner shows 1 ace, you won’t know if it is in hearts or diamonds. So you still may be off the AK of diamonds. To locate first or second round control in diamonds, you must start a control bidding sequence. You would start by bidding 4♣. Since you could just bid 4♠ if you wanted to be in game, a bid of 4♣ tells partner that you have hopes for slam, you have a control in clubs, but you have a hand that can’t use Blackwood or 1430. Partner now must control bid the first suit where she has 1st or 2nd round control (an ace, king, singleton, or void). If partner now control bids 4♦, you'll know that you are not off two cashing diamonds. You can now bid Blackwood or 1430 to make sure you are not off 2 aces and to see if maybe you can make 7♠.

If partner instead control bids 4♥, it tells you she does not have 1st or 2nd round control of diamonds (since she will control bid her cheapest control). Over partner's 4♥ control bid, you can sign off in 4♠ knowing that you are off 2 cashing diamonds. The opponents should be listening to the auction and lead a diamond, but that is a small price to pay to avoid going down in a slam.