BRIDGE MASTERCLASS CRYPTIC CROSSWORD
HOW do you show a void when you are using Blackwood?
FIRST of all, let’s remember that you should always try to avoid using Blackwood if you have the alternative of investigating a slam through cue-bidding. This is particularly important when your combined strengths lie in distributional rather than honour point values. Cue-bidding means showing your first- and then secondround controls in order, after a suit has been agreed, either explicitly or implicitly. Firstround controls are aces and voids; secondround controls are kings and singletons.
The way to show a void in response to Blackwood is by making your appropriate aceshowing response at the six-level. However, you should only show your void if you know it is ‘working’ — that is, if it is going to be of value to partner. It follows that, if partner shows a void, but you don’t know the distribution of his hand, you won’t know which void he has.
Conversely, if you use Blackwood before describing your distribution, partner with a void won’t know whether it’s working, and consequently whether he should show it. So the rule is, with a ‘working’ void, you show your number of aces on the normal Blackwood scale — but at the six-level.
ACROSS
1 A noted clinic to be renovated? It’s happening by chance (12) 8 Investigate Frenchman about source of loan? That’s a difficulty (7) 9 A liberal chap has account in yearbook (7) 11 Make less serious sort of motors round place near Brighton (6,4) 12 Vast number missing, for example, big cat (4) 14 Gift, perhaps, of fine eastern piece of jewellery (8) 16 Republican fronting joint has to cause resentment (6) 17 Man has restricted workspace (3) 19 Female writer has a large rural residence with time gone (6) 21 Chaos initially in another extra number for composer Olivier (8) 24 Resolution in golf club (4) 25 Nervously bite muffin in snack bar on train (4-6) 27 Green quality shown by outstanding doctor in Tyneside (7) 28 Last longer than women entering a route in a storm (7) 29 Officially took possession of a recommended ground (12)
DOWN
1 Fan on holiday gets to become calm (4,3) 2 Lacking an ability to understand characters? (10) 3 Mixture of elements in open area enclosed by a fence (8) 4 Jewelled headband I’d made wrongly (6) 5 Main point about start of march being insensitive (4) 6 A lake and prison fringing western Northumberland town (7) 7 Special piano made for an overseas Anglican (12) 10 Providing heavy stick? (12) 13 Tailor grabs a suit for a music-maker (4,6) 15 Jewel Margaret shortly held up (3) 18 Note elevated occasions with individual (8) 20 Cold line in the distance largely for Spanish food (7) 22 A new group of competitors in noted football ground (7) 23 Greek character gone off to get carrier, maybe (6) 26 Scottish banker linked to money and judge (4)