The 1430 Roman Keycard Blackwood is a variation of the Roman Keycard Blackwood with only one slight difference. The slight variations of significance given to the individual responses among the Blackwood, Roman Blackwood, Roman Keycard Blackwood, and the Roman Keycard Blackwood 1430 conventions signify only that a partnership must memorize, practice, and apply the individual interpretations of the various bids. All of these variations are geared towards reaching a possible slam contract or avoiding an impossible slam contract, knowing in advance the number of certain keycards.

Concept Demands Trump Suit Established or Implied

Note: It is of the utmost importance for the partnership to have agreed first in the bidding process upon the trump suit before initiating Roman Key Card Blackwood 1430. If the trump suit has not been established or implied in the auction, then Roman Key Card Blackwood 1430 should not be initiated.

Note: The designations key card or keycard (written as one word) are both acceptable in English. The meaning is the same.

All variations begin with the bid of 4 No Trump. In the 1430 convention, there are five keycards, all four Aces and the King of Trump. The trump suit has either been previously established or firmly implied.

Note: The concept of 1430 Roman Keycard Blackwood can only be employed if a trump suit has been established, or strongly indicated or suggested without being explicitly stated. In such non-competitive auctions as 1NT - 4NT, the immediate bid of 4 No Trump by the responder is not the 1430 Roman Keycard Blackwood convention since there is no King of trump.

The responses to the 1430 conventional method are as follows, remembering that there are five keycards, not four as in the regular Blackwood convention. These five keycards are the four Aces and the King of Trump.

Using the 1430 convention, the responses to 4 No Trump are as follows, and remember that the magic word is or:

5 :	Shows 1 or 4 keycards (14)
5 :	Shows 0 or 3 keycards (30)
5 :	Shows 2 or 5 keycards without the Queen of Trump
5 :	Shows 2 or 5 keycards with the Queen of Trump

Note: The significance of the two bids, 5 Clubs and 5 Diamonds, have been reversed, and that is why it is called the 1430 convention.

Note: Some bridge players also prefer to believe that the term 1430 refers to the final score of a small slam, vulnerable, bid and made, in a Major suit, which happens to be 1430 points.

Note: In those rare cases when the answering partner holds indeed all 4 Aces and also the King of trump, then the correct response is either 5 Hearts without the Queen of trump or 5 Spades with the Queen of trump.

Perhaps a coincidence or rather a simple thought-association and/or a phonetics bending, RKCB is abbreviated 0314, and 1430 RKCB should be abbreviated 14-03, but it was changed to 14-30 by the general bridge community.

Standard Roman Keycard Blackwood - 0314

This is the different variation of the Roman Key Card Blackwood convention, and the difference can be illustrated plainly when comparing the first two responses of 5 Clubs and 5 Diamonds used in Roman Key Card Blackwood, which follow.

5 :	Shows 0 or 3 keycards.
5 :	Shows 1 or 4 keycards.
5 :	Shows 2 or 5 keycards without the Queen of Trump.
5 :	Shows 2 or 5 keycards with the Queen of Trump.

If you wish to include this feature, or any other feature, of the game of bridge in your partnership agreement, then please make certain that the concept is understood by both partners. Be aware whether or not the feature is alertable or not and whether an announcement should or must be made. Check with the governing body and/or the bridge district and/or the bridge unit prior to the game to establish the guidelines applied. Please include the particular feature on your convention card in order that your opponents are also aware of this feature during the bidding process, since this information must be made known to them according to the Laws of Duplicate Contract Bridge. We do not always include the procedure regarding Alerts and/or Announcements, since these regulations are changed and revised during time by the governing body. It is our intention only to present the information as concisely and as accurately as possible.