[ralph23]

Well, the alleged virtue of the BridgeGuys school is that there is no ambiguity about the number of key cards when the RKC bidder makes the Q-ask.

We've established that the only ambiguity possible, with the K-F-BB school, is whether the partnership has 4, or 5, keycards. There is no ambiguity about 3 or 2 or whatever. So the horrible imaginings about getting to seven missing 3 keycards aren't pertinent here.....

So there are four possibilities:

1. Askee lacks Queen, Asker knows we only have 4 keycards.
2. Askee has Queen, Asker knows we only have 4 keycards.
3. Askee lacks Queen, Asker knows we have all 5 keycards.
4. Askee has Queen, Asker knows we have all 5 keycards.

Let's look at each one of these, and see how much we in the K-F-BB School are damaged by this "ambiguity" that the BridgeGuys School is anxious to avoid.

1. We will stop at the five level. Unless Asker has so many trumps that the possession of the Queen is irrelevant, but in that case, Asker should not have asked in the first place. This situation cannot occur in the BG school, because Asker is not allowed to ask. So Asker of the BG School is on a guess of whether the 5 or 6 level is correct.

2. Asker bids 6 and that ends the auction. Again, this situation cannot occur in the BG School and he's on a guess as to whether 5 or 6 is right, as in #1.

3. Asker bids 6 and that ends the auction. Same result in BG School.

4. Asker can bid seven if he's found out all he needs to know from Askee; if not, he can use further bids in the system to try to find out if the grand is correct.

Askee is NOT allowed to jump to seven, however. He is so allowed in the BG School.

Is this inability of Askee to jump to seven in the K-F-BB School, then, a big detriment to the K-F-BB School?? No.

The auction is not over yet.

After the Askee's positive response to the Q-ask, Asker will either (i) sign off in 6 of the trump suit, showing that the partnership had exactly 4 keys (i.e. it was case 2 above), or (ii) Asker will do something else. If Asker does something else (case (ii)), then it's obviously a GS Try, and Askee can jump as high as he wants if he has the hand for it, just as he could in the earlier round if the partnership subscribes to the BG School.

So to obtain the relative merits, compare #1 and #2 against #4.

Well, I'm sure it probably won't convince you to change, but that appears to be the analysis of it.

[jdonn]

My first time logging in all day and I get treated to this. Art you making me lol. As far as I can tell, one school of thought seems to be you and an article that contradicts even itself, and the other seems to be the rest of the world.

[awm]

While I agree with Justin about the non-existence of "two schools" it is worth noting that expert players will often bid a small slam holding a nine-card fit missing the queen and a keycard. The reasoning is that finding the queen is normally a bit over 50% in any case (2-2 or singleton queen) and that a good declarer can improve the odds further (based on opening lead, counting the hand, etc). Things get even better if the missing keycard is the trump king. Since the odds for small slam at IMPs are around 50%, this is a reasonable proposition. With only an eight-card fit, I'd recommend avoiding slam off a keycard plus the trump queen.

[ArtK78]

I guess it is no use arguing with any of you. You have your opinions, and you are not willing to consider any other argument.

So laugh if you like.

[Free]

6♣ is easy imo. A jump to 4NT is Blacky in the last bid suit, ♠ in this case. So 5♥ is asking for ♠Q and I'll show my ♣K while I'm at it...

Btw, a Queen ask doesn't promisse all keycards for me. It just doesn't make sense, and will make sure you miss a lot of good slams. The opportunities for responder bidding grand with extra tricks are just too rare to give up accurate small slam bidding.

[ralph23]

♣♦♥♠

I wrote Eddie Kantar to see what he thought. Here's the email exchange:

Hi Eddie,

We're big fans of yours at my house! I don't have ALL your books (sorry), but a lot of them. But .... we have an RKC question. I am hoping you'll be kind enough to answer it.

It's pretty straightforward: Does the Queen-ask guarantee the possession of all five (5) keycards (and is it therefore always a grand slam try)?

Theory A: Yes, it always guarantees all five of these.
Theory B: No, it doesn't. It only guarantees all five keycards if the Queen-asking takes the partnership above five of the trump suit. Then, it's a grand slam try; but not otherwise.

Also, do different players subscribe to both theories, i.e. some to one, some to another?

Or is one theory so much better than the other, that only one theory has any real merit?

Thanks Eddie, and I hope we can join you on a cruise sometime before too long! Keep up all the great work and the great columns in the Bridge Bulletin!!

His reply:

B is right. It's a grand slam try if the queen-ask is at or above the
five level of the agreed suit. For example, 5H is often the queen-ask
when the response to RKB is 5D, hearts agreed.

I don't know how other people play the queen-ask, sorry.

However, It seems pretty clear that if the ask is at or above the five
level of the agreed suit and the sign-off response is six of the
agreed suit WITHOUT the queen, it must be a grand slam try.

Eddie Kantar

[ArtK78]

Ralph:

Thanks for the info directly from Eddie Kantar. That certainly clarifies the situation.