“Uncle Gordon?” asked Voluptua “may I ask you about ace asking?”. “Hem, hem, dear girl, as one of the club’s leading players, you can do no better than petition me, an acknowledged expert”. Gordon was joking, of course; he was a humble man, and felt that his bridge reputation was over-valued. When this opinion on Gordon’s humility was put to the Weasel the retort had been acerbic and Churchillian “He has much to be humble about”.
But, indeed, Gordon was knowledgable and wise although certain new-fangled conventions were anathema to him. Voluptua plunged right in, like a low-cut neck-line.
“I’ve spent ages trying to understand Blackwood, Roman keycard Blackwood, Gerber (with or without Roman responses) and now Randy wants me to play something he calls minor keycard”. Voluptua was an intelligent young woman despite looking like a Playboy centrefold, but she was not averse to using her charms to ease her passage through life – and now she turned her innocent wide-eyes on Gordon.
Gordon was very fond of his niece by marriage, and knew her well enough to know that she meant no harm. Didactically, he cleared his throat and began an explanation. “Minor keycard is useful in auctions where you are exploring for slam in a minor suit. In principle, bids 4♣ and 4♦ are inquiries about your partner’s holding in the 5 “aces” associated with that suit (the four aces and the king of the suit). The responses are step responses like the responses to Roman keycard Blackwood. In other words after 4♣ then 4♦ shows 0 or 3 keycards, 4♥ shows 1 or 4, 4♠ shows two without the queen, and 4NT shows 2 with the queen; while after 4♦ then 4♥ shows 0 or 3 keycards, 4♠ shows 1 or 4, 4NT shows two without the queen, and 5♣ shows 2 with the queen”.
“But I don’t understand, Uncle Gordon” protested Voluptua “how do you know when 4♣ or 4♦ are ace- asking or when they are more like invitational or competitive bids?”
“Ah yes; a knotty question indeed” answered Gordon “the answer is quite simple; the bids are ace-asking except when they are obviously not”. Seeing Voluptua’s puzzled face he hastened on. “There will be some competitve auctions where you could not be asking for aces because both your hands have been limited in some way (for example, you pass as dealer and your partner bids 3♦; then 4♦ by you is just raising the pre-empt).”
“Oh, I just can’t see it” pouted Voluptua. “You are so obscure!” Gordon, somewhat miffed, continued hurriedly “The convention is especially useful when playing inverted minors”.
This was too much for Voluptua who drew herself up to her full height and flashed her eyes with pique. “Gordon, I am an adult not a minor and, furthermore, you must know by now that I am an extrovert not an introvert.”
Gordon apologised and hastily reassured her by explaining that ‘inverted minors’ was the convention of reversing the two ways of raising your partner’s opening 1♣ or 1♦. His obvious contrition very much mollified Voluptua and the two of them spent an hour further discussing these conventions.
As chance would have it the following deal arose at the next club night when the two of them were partners with Voluptua as West:
| ♠T973 ♥QJ94 ♦42 ♣843 | ||
| ♠KJ4 ♥AT ♦AQJT5 ♣A96 | ♠A5 ♥K85 ♦K9863 ♣Q72 | |
| ♠Q862 ♥7632 ♦7 ♣KJT5 |
With the new tools in her armoury the auction was a breeze:
| West | North | East | South |
| 1♦ | Pass | 2♦ | Pass |
| 4♦ | Pass | 4NT | Pass |
| 6♦ | Pass | Pass | Pass |
When dummy went down Voluptua was relieved to see that she and Gordon had been on the same wave length. Gordon’s 2♦ bid was a forcing bid agreeing diamonds, and 4NT had shown two keycards without the Queen. However the contract did not seem impregnable as there might be two losers in clubs. There seemed to be two chances: leading towards the ♣Q might succeed if the ♣K was well-placed; and the spade finesse, if successful, would allow a club discard.
She realised that she could combine her chance by trying clubs first (and if this was unsuccessful fall back on the spade finesse). When the second of these chances succeeded she and Gordon knew that she had mastered what he had taught her.
Bridge Romances 
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