Books

The Understanding 1430 Slam Bidding Curriculum

by Mike Diesel

$27.95 CDN each

The most important characteristic of a Bridge Convention is memorability; the way to achieve memorability is consistency. â€‘ Larry Mori, Bridge Grand Life Master.

Our curriculum consists of six Levels, based on 1430 Roman Keycard Blackwood (RKB). Where there is a choice between some theoretical best possible result, and a slightly inferior, but consistent method, we consciously choose the more consistent, and therefore memorable, method.

Here’s what distinguishes our RKB books from all other RKB books:

Our bidding system is completely specified in a series of numbered rules, a copy of which each Partner takes with them. Once the Partnership understands the book’s rules, the rest of book (which just explains these rules and gives example auctions) is no longer needed by the Partnership; all details and exceptions are in the rules!
Rather than introducing new rules for more difficult bidding scenarios, each level builds on the rules from the previous level, presenting advanced rules that are supersets of the basic rules. The Partnership never un-learns anything, or must remember conflicting rules!
Our minor-suit RKB system, Otherwood™, has been played successfully by both novice and intermediate players.
During a minor-suit slam exploration, when we find that 2 keycards (or 1 keycard and the trump queen) are in the hands of the opponents, our Otherwood rules let us play, if we wish, in 4NT (or at worse, 5NT) avoiding a matchpoint mishap.
For consistency, and therefore memorability, we use the exact same Otherwood rules for major-suit slam exploration!