The Queen ask

[easy]

Yesterday i was talking with a friend and we were discussing various aspects of Keycard Blackwood. He told me that he always asks for the queen of trump even when he is looking at it. My immediate reaction was "why would anyone do that" but i have a lot of respect for this guy so i kept my mouth shut and my ears open. He said he began doing it to give his students some practice with responding when they had the queen and he noticed some unusual results.

 

1. Once he asked and his partner said yes she had it. Well since he was looking at the queen he immediately knew that she had 5 plus trump and was now knew pard had enough trump to rough out a long suit he held. thus he bid 7

 

2. He bid a slam after his partner said no and an opponent with a stiff trump flew with his Ace (in a side suit) and took away the guess. when his pard asked why he flew with the ace the response was. "i knew u had the queen of trump 3rd and didnt want to duck the setting trick.

 

Does anyone else have any ideas as to why asking for the queen when you have it could be beneficial.......or not.

[slamsRus]

Off the cuff, I'd say its situational.  If you have any interest in the grand slam more often than not asking for queens when you have it will take away the opportunity to ask for specific kings (does anyone play king asking for # of kings?).

[easy]

specific kings dont get lost after the queen ask.

 

i play as follows, when i have the queen that pard has asked for

 

5 of non trump suit shows king in that suit, 5n says i have queen but no kings. for example hearts trump and i have responded 5c 5d by pard asks q

 

 

5h = no queen

5s = k

6c = k and no sk

6d = k and no ck

 

 

btw for minor suit ace asking i use redwood.

[slamsRus]

So did you mean always queen-ask when it can be done below 5 of trump suit (and is that not situational?).

 

Or perhaps below trump suit and not interested in the grand slam. Because if in your auction (5c-5d queen ask-5h no queen) if my partner pulled out 5nt now I'd wonder why he asked for the queen if he didn't care. (assuming we haven't had this discussion of course) and left to work it out at the table i might conclude he's offerring 5nt as a place to play or pick-a-slam 6h/6n ... which can be important at mps

 

Asking for the queen when you have the queen, and thus know the answer, seems to just use up bidding space and give the opponents information.  And done often enough is it not a partnership understanding, which won't fool the opponents very often once they get to know you.

[keylime]

Queen asks should never be used unless absolutely needed. First of all, you give your opps a chance to give a lead directional double. Secondly, why lie to your partner when you hold the Q? Lastly, like any convention, it must have merit to be used. The queen ask does, but only in clearly defined situations.

[phantom0]

although the unneeded queen ask may fool opponents, if your partner knows you often ask for queen while looking at it, and you don't alert opponents to this, isn't that a bridge inpropriety?

[Yzerman]

Kantars book discusses RKC and Queen ask bids looking at the queen.  There are some scenarios in which you use an artificial queen ask to set up a 3rd round control ask of a side suit.

 

* After a queen ask AND the asker bids again when responder denies trump Q, this becomes a 3rd round control ask in the suit bid (asker had opportunity to ask for kings, hence this is 3rd control ask);

 

Asking Bids (Examples, trump suit is hearts):

5s=Asking for 3rd spade control

5n=Asking for specific queens (up the line)

6c=Asking for 3rd club control

6d=Asking for 3rd diamond control

6h=Asking for 3rd heart control

 

Responses:

1. A return to the cheapest possible level of the agreed suit denies the queen.

2. Bidding a new suit shows the queen plus the king of the bid suit.

3. Bidding 5NT shows the queen, denies a side suit king, but shows a significant extra.   That extra could be the queen of partner's first bid suit, the queen of your own first bid suit or possibly extra unknown trump length.

*4. Adjunct - Jumping to 7 of trump suit is doubleton.

 

* Showing side kings along with side queens is very important, this will help partner judge whether to play suit contract or NT.

 

Some examples:

 

(hearts trump AND RKC bidder has the HQ)  -

a.  4n-5c-5d-5h-6c-7h

b.  4n-5c-5d-5h-6c-6n-7h

c.  4n-5c-5d-5h-5n-6d-6h

d.  4n-5c-5d-5h-6c-6d-7h

 

Discussion(s) -

 

a.  This auction is a simple RKC auction in which the RKC bidder asks for the trump queen with 5d.  The responder obviously does not have it and retreats to 5h.  Asker the BIDS AGAIN, where 6c asks for 3rd club control and responder jump to 7H which promise doubleton club and no biddable king.

 

b. Same as (a) with the exception this promise the Queen of suit (CQ and no biddable king), but another important card.

 

c.  Specific Queen ask.  Same rules apply as king ask.  Responder has the Queen of diamonds, and no Queen of clubs.

 

d. Responder was asked for 3rd club control and promised the DK (6d).

 

* Here is good website as an introduction;

 

http://www.kantarbridge.com/RKB.htm

[luis]

I like the idea :-) but maybe because I'm crazy.

One of my favourite tricks is to bid 7 when missing the trump Q and knowing I have a guess example:

KJT9x and partner has Axxx, you bid 7 and if they lead trumps it's over, if not you finesse the leader for the trump Q :-)