[mgoetze]

In Germany, it is relatively popular to play that, after we have established a fit and one partner shows shortness, the next step asks about aces and singleton/void. So this convention might be on in auctions such as

1♠-4♣(splinter)-4♦(ask)
1♥-2NT(jacoby)-3♦(shortness)-3♥(ask)

The responses are (if you are playing 1430 otherwise):

Step 1: Void
Step 2: Singleton and 1/4 Keycards
Step 3: Singleton and 0/3 Keycards
Step 4: Singleton, 2 Keycards, no queen of trump
Step 5: Singleton, 2 Keycards, queen of trump

and if a void is shown, the next step again asks for keycards.

Does this convention have a name in English? (In German: "Chicane-Asfrage", which sounds like "Voidwood" but according to Wikipedia that is just another name for "Exclusion KCB".)

[Quantumcat]

I've never heard of it, but it sounds neat.

[Zelandakh]

I do not know the name of it and had never heard of anyone else playing it before (even though I am living in Germany). However I use a variation on this theme (but not directly after a splinter) as part of my system and call it Turbo Keycard Blackwood. The literal translation would appear to be Void Ace-ask but I think I would just call this a relay. Out of interest, if the auction starts 1S - 4H, is 4NT this convention too?

[mgoetze]

Zelandakh, on 2011-August-22, 03:24, said:

Out of interest, if the auction starts 1S - 4H, is 4NT this convention too?

That's obviously a good one to talk about. The last time I played this the convention was on in this situation, but of course that could theoretically get you too high sometimes.

[Free]

It's more useful when you play 1-under splinters. For example, 1M-4♣ as a ♦ splinter. Then you don't lose any useful cuebids:
4♦ = the relay thingy
4♥ = cuebid/last train
4♠ = signoff
4NT = regular blacky

The highest splinter always loses most, but it doesn't matter if that's a ♥ or a ♣ splinter.

[Tomi2]

hope this tool will never get an english name because I would have to change my lost of the most useless and destructive conventions then.
this tool allows opener only to split his hand, black or white - either he signoffs or his hand is good enough so he uses this step to find out about aces...

no chance to use the few free steps to make some ambitious in between call, like a cuebid, or some sort of last train, meant as "your splinter fits ok, but I am not sure if we have enough power to make 12 tricks"

never had a problem to find out keycards starting with 4nt. after the keycards have been shown one can play a bid of 6 in partners shortnes as ask for void "bit 7 with void and 6 with singleton"

your keycards bring you maximum 5 tricks in your slam, that leaves 7 tricks comming from other high cards, extra length extra shpae etc. and you need a way to sort this out deciding if you belong in game or try for slam

[FrancesHinden]

We play something similar in our forcing raise relay auctions - step 1 is a void, step 2 is a minimum, then steps 3 onwards show extras and give the number of keycards.
Like Zelandakh I wasn't aware that anyone else played this; my partner "invented" it about 15 years ago. At the time we just thought of it as an adaptation of spiral scan.

[FrancesHinden]

Tomi2, on 2011-August-22, 12:01, said:

hope this tool will never get an english name because I would have to change my lost of the most useless and destructive conventions then.
this tool allows opener only to split his hand, black or white - either he signoffs or his hand is good enough so he uses this step to find out about aces...

no chance to use the few free steps to make some ambitious in between call, like a cuebid, or some sort of last train, meant as "your splinter fits ok, but I am not sure if we have enough power to make 12 tricks"

never had a problem to find out keycards starting with 4nt. after the keycards have been shown one can play a bid of 6 in partners shortnes as ask for void "bit 7 with void and 6 with singleton"

your keycards bring you maximum 5 tricks in your slam, that leaves 7 tricks comming from other high cards, extra length extra shpae etc. and you need a way to sort this out deciding if you belong in game or try for slam

Yes, I'm sure the people who play this are totally unaware that there is any way to bid a slam other than asking for keycards.
You seem to have not actually read the original post.

For example, after an auction starting 1S - 2NT (jacoby) - 3D (shortage), responder can bid 3H to ask as described here. But he could bid 3S, 3NT, 4C, 4D, 4H, 4S.... all of which will have different meanings.

[phil_20686]

My style on these auctions are that after shortness the next bid up shows a hand that isnt "good" and hasnt been made worse either. This gives more definition on awkward hands with some wasted values but still some good cards. I think it seems much preferable to your suggested scheme.

At any rate, pretty sure it doesnt have a name.

[Zelandakh]

phil_20686, on 2011-August-25, 13:35, said:

At any rate, pretty sure it doesnt have a name.

How about "frivolous splinter plus one", Phil?

[Tomi2]

FrancesHinden, on 2011-August-22, 14:26, said:

Yes, I'm sure the people who play this are totally unaware that there is any way to bid a slam other than asking for keycards.
You seem to have not actually read the original post.

For example, after an auction starting 1S - 2NT (jacoby) - 3D (shortage), responder can bid 3H to ask as described here. But he could bid 3S, 3NT, 4C, 4D, 4H, 4S.... all of which will have different meanings.

yes but it comes more frequent in auctions like 1♠-4♦ splinter where you have only one bid below passing game

[gordontd]

mgoetze, on 2011-August-21, 15:27, said:

In Germany, it is relatively popular to play that, after we have established a fit and one partner shows shortness, the next step asks about aces and singleton/void. So this convention might be on in auctions such as

1♠-4♣(splinter)-4♦(ask)
1♥-2NT(jacoby)-3♦(shortness)-3♥(ask)

The responses are (if you are playing 1430 otherwise):

Step 1: Void
Step 2: Singleton and 1/4 Keycards
Step 3: Singleton and 0/3 Keycards
Step 4: Singleton, 2 Keycards, no queen of trump
Step 5: Singleton, 2 Keycards, queen of trump

and if a void is shown, the next step again asks for keycards.

Does this convention have a name in English? (In German: "Chicane-Asfrage", which sounds like "Voidwood" but according to Wikipedia that is just another name for "Exclusion KCB".)

I heard of it about 15 years ago, when I was told it was called "Zoom Blackwood".

[Ant590]

Such a bid falls loosely under the type of bids we might define as a relay. So if the question is for what to put on a convention card, or how to explain to opponents, I would suggest "relay for shortage type" - the fact that the answer has runons to keycards doesn't seem necessary in the explanation.

If you were wondering if it has a convention name, I don't know.

[mgoetze]

Ant590, on 2011-August-26, 03:21, said:

how to explain to opponents

I would never try to explain this type of convention with a name alone.

[blackshoe]

mgoetze, on 2011-August-26, 03:34, said:

I would never try to explain this type of convention with a name alone.

Nor would I (anyway, it's illegal to do so in the ACBL). Yet frequently opponents, particularly less experienced ones, want to know a name. They seem to think it's necessary somehow. Possibly something about the magical principle of the Power of Names.

[han]

Tomi2, on 2011-August-25, 16:00, said:

yes but it comes more frequent in auctions like 1♠-4♦ splinter where you have only one bid below passing game

It's a terrible convention for this auction.

[Gerben42]

I think it's voidwood. Exclusion is when you show the void, so voidwood asks for the void.