Byzantine Blackwood convention Byzantine Blackwood convention Byzantine Blackwood is a bidding in the game of bridge. Devised by Jack Marx, it is a complex version of the (by which a four notrump (4NT) asks about 's holdings). Its premise is that both aces and kings may safely be shown in response to a Blackwood-type 4NT enquiry; provided that such kings are in well-defined "key" or "half-key" suits, there being no more than two such suits. The name was chosen to express the idea that Byzantine Blackwood is a development from Roman Blackwood, by analogy with the Byzantine Empire and the Roman Empire; rather
Gary Blackwood (author) which the "Smithsonian" named a 2010 Notable Book for Children and "Kirkus Book Reviews" one of 2010's Best Books for Teens. Gary Blackwood (author) Gary Blackwood (born October 23, 1945) is an American author known for "The Shakespeare Stealer" trilogy. Born in Meadville, Pennsylvania, Blackwood sold his first story when he was nineteen. In 1998, he published "The Shakespeare Stealer", a historical fiction novel about an orphan, Widge, who is sent to steal "Hamlet" from William Shakespeare and The Lord Chamberlain's Men. After it won the 1999 ALA Best Book for Young Adults, Blackwood published two sequels, "Shakespeare's Scribe" (2000)