Roman Key Card Blackwood (RKCB) – 1430 and 3014 Responses Explained
Roman Key Card Blackwood (RKCB) – Complete Guide To 1430 And 3014
Roman Key Card Blackwood (RKCB) is the modern upgrade to the classic Blackwood Convention.
Instead of counting only the four Aces, RKCB counts five key cards:
- The four Aces
- The King of trumps
This gives you far better precision when exploring small and grand slams, especially in strong trump fits.
If you already understand standard Blackwood and want to bid slams more accurately, this guide will show you:
- What Roman Key Card Blackwood is and when to use it
- The two main versions: 1430 and 3014
- How the convention shows the Queen of trumps
- Example auctions and common mistakes
- How to practise RKCB online on Bridge Champ
If you need a refresher first, read our full guide to the
Blackwood Bridge Convention.
1. What Is Roman Key Card Blackwood
Roman Key Card Blackwood is a slam investigation tool used after your partnership has agreed on a trump suit.
Just like classic Blackwood, the 4NT bid asks partner for high-card information – but RKCB improves it by:
- Counting five key cards (four Aces + trump King)
- Allowing responses to also show the Queen of trumps
This extra layer prevents disasters like bidding a slam while missing both the Ace and King of trumps, or missing an Ace together with the trump Queen.
2. Key Cards & The Two Main Versions: 1430 vs 3014
2.1 What Counts As A Key Card
In RKCB, partner answers how many of these five key cards they hold:
- Ace of clubs
- Ace of diamonds
- Ace of hearts
- Ace of spades
- King of the agreed trump suit
2.2 The 1430 Structure
In 1430, the responses to 4NT are:
| Response | Meaning |
|---|---|
| 5♣ | 1 or 4 key cards |
| 5♦ | 0 or 3 key cards |
| 5♥ | 2 or 5 key cards, without the trump Queen |
| 5♠ | 2 or 5 key cards, with the trump Queen |
The name “1430” comes from the order of the first two steps: 1 or 4 → 0 or 3.
Many tournament partnerships prefer 1430 because the cheapest response shows a positive value more often, giving you more bidding space to investigate the partner’s hand further.
And if you need an easy way to remember the number, 1430 is the score for bidding and making a vulnerable 6♥ or 6♠ contract.
2.3 The 3014 Structure
In 3014, the first two steps are reversed:
| Response | Meaning |
|---|---|
| 5♣ | 0 or 3 key cards |
| 5♦ | 1 or 4 key cards |
| 5♥ | 2 or 5 key cards (no trump Queen) |
| 5♠ | 2 or 5 key cards (with trump Queen) |
The system works identically – only the meaning of 5♣ and 5♦ changes.
Important:
Make sure both partners agree which version they use.
3. How The Queen Of Trumps Is Shown
The 5♥ vs 5♠ responses are essential:
- 5♥ → 2 or 5 key cards without the trump Queen
- 5♠ → 2 or 5 key cards with the trump Queen
This matters because:
- Missing the trump Queen can turn a good small slam into a poor contract
- Even if you hold all the Aces, knowing the trump Queen is missing is often a reason to stop in 6, not push for 7
- Knowing you have the Queen may justify bidding a grand slam
If trumps are a minor and the 4NT response is 5♣ or 5♦, you still do not know whether partner has the Queen of trumps.
In these cases, the first available bid becomes the Queen-ask, provided it does not force the partnership above a safe level in the agreed trump suit.
4. How to Ask for the Trump Queen After RKCB
When partner responds 5♥ or 5♠, you already know whether they hold the Queen.
The Queen is unknown only after the 5♣ and 5♦ responses.
If you still have room below the 6-level of the trump suit, you can make a Queen-ask.
How to Ask for the Trump Queen
After partner replies 5♣ or 5♦, ask for the Queen of trumps by bidding:
→ The next available step that does not go past 5 of the agreed trump suit
Examples:
- If hearts are trumps and partner responds 5♣, the Queen-ask is 5♦
- If spades are trumps and partner responds 5♣, the Queen-ask is 5♦
- If spades are trumps and partner responds 5♦, the Queen-ask is 5♥ (because 5♠ would be signing off)
If asking would push you above 5 of the trump suit, you may only do so when:
- Level 6 is safe, or
- You are exploring a grand slam
How Partner Responds to the Queen-Ask
Partner answers the Queen-ask as follows:
- Without the trump Queen → Bid five of the agreed trump suit at the lowest level
- With the trump Queen → Bid:
- The lowest side-suit King you hold, or
- Jump to six of the trump suit if no side King is available
These responses help determine whether the grand slam is excellent, marginal, or hopeless.
5. Typical RKCB Auctions
Example 1 – Reaching a Small Slam With 1430
You are playing 1430, with hearts as the agreed trump suit.
Auction
-
1♥ – 2NT*
2NT = Jacoby-style raise, showing 4+ trumps, game-forcing -
2NT – 3♣
Opener shows a side-suit feature or shortness depending on partnership style -
3♣ – 4NT
Now that the heart fit is firmly established, 4NT asks for key cards (1430) -
4NT – 5♣
5♣ = 1 (or 4) key card -
6♥ – Pass
Meaning:
Partner shows one key card. Missing only one key card is safe, so you confidently bid 6♥.
Example 2 – Discovering You Are Missing Two Key Cards
Spades are trumps. You play 3014.
Auction
-
1♠ – 2NT*
2NT = Jacoby-style raise, showing 4+ trumps and game-forcing strength -
2NT – 3♣
Opener shows a side-suit feature or shortness, depending on agreement -
3♣ – 4NT
Responder now launches RKCB since the spade fit is firmly established -
4NT – 5♣
5♣ = 0 or 3 key cards (in 3014) -
5♠ – Pass
Responder signs off because partner might have zero key cards.
Meaning:
Partner’s answer could be 0 or 3, but since zero is possible, you stop safely in 5♠.
(If partner actually held 3 key cards, they would move toward slam.)
Example 3 – Using the Trump Queen Information
You are in 1430, with hearts as trumps.
Auction
-
1♥ – 2NT*
2NT = GF raise with 4+ hearts -
2NT – 4NT
Asking for key cards -
4NT – 5♠
5♠ = 2 or 5 key cards with the Queen of hearts -
5NT – 6♦
5NT asks for side Kings; 6♦ shows one King -
7♥ – Pass
Meaning:
With the Queen of trumps confirmed and holding enough key cards and one side King, the grand slam is justified.
6. When To Use Roman Key Card Blackwood
Use RKCB when:
- A trump fit has been clearly established
- The partnership has real slam potential
- You need to ensure you’re not missing two key cards, or one key card and the trump Queen
- The decision between small slam vs grand slam depends on the Queen of trumps
Beginners should consider RKCB mainly when holding 32+ HCP combined or strong distributional values.
For help improving bidding logic, see
Bridge Bidding as Storytelling.
7. When NOT To Use RKCB
Avoid RKCB when:
1. You or partner have a void
Normal RKCB becomes unclear. Use Exclusion RKCB, which ignores the key card in the void suit.
2. You haven’t shown side-suit controls yet
Partnerships often use cuebids to show first- or second-round control in all side suits before launching 4NT.
3. No trump suit has been agreed
Without trumps, 4NT is quantitative, not RKCB.
4. A bad answer pushes you too high
Some RKCB responses force you to the 6-level.
Don’t ask unless you can survive the worst reply.
5. You do not have slam values
Never use RKCB just to “see what partner has”.
For deeper tournament insights, see
Reading the Field in Bridge Tournaments.
8. RKCB vs Classic Blackwood vs Gerber
| Convention | Ask Bid | Counts | Best Use |
|---|---|---|---|
| Blackwood | 4NT | 4 Aces | Basic suit slams |
| Roman Key Card Blackwood | 4NT | 5 key cards (Aces + trump King) | Modern standard for suit contracts |
| Gerber | 4♣ | Aces, then Kings | Over 1NT or 2NT openings |
Most experienced partnerships use RKCB as their default Ace-asking method.
To learn the fundamentals first, see
Blackwood Guide.
9. Common Partnership Agreements
Agree with partner on:
- 1430 or 3014
- What bid sets trumps
- How to ask for the trump Queen
- How to show side Kings
- What system you use after interference (DOPI, ROPI, DEPO, etc.)
Writing these into your partnership notes prevents expensive misunderstandings.
10. How To Practise RKCB On Bridge Champ
Bridge Champ gives you everything you need to practise RKCB realistically:
- Create specific slam-oriented deals in Deal Source
- Practise 1430 or 3014 responses with your partner
- Review bidding histories after each board
- Test RKCB under pressure in real tournaments
- Use camera and microphone during games for real-table partnership communication
If you’re new to conventions, start with
How to Start Playing Bridge
and return to RKCB once you understand bidding fundamentals.
11. Summary
- Roman Key Card Blackwood is the modern, accurate method for investigating slams
- It counts five key cards, not four
- Two versions exist: 1430 and 3014 – and Bridge Champ defaults to 1430
- RKCB also tells you about the Queen of trumps, essential for grand slams
- Use RKCB only with a clear fit, real slam values, and safe bidding space
- Bridge Champ is the ideal place to practise slam bidding with a partner
With RKCB in your toolkit, you’ll bid better slams and avoid disasters that happen with basic Blackwood.
