CUE BIDDING

We all know Blackwood is a good way of getting to slams.This is good if all you want to know is whether your two hands have two aces missing.But aces are not the only way to stop opponents cashing tricks-voids and singletons can do that too in suit contracts.Look at this hand-

Q10962
A9764
-
J53 / -
KQJ102
K53
AKQ102 / You
3 / Partner
1
?

Your hand may have only seven points but has only seven losers. You could bid 4 hearts directly, but with so few high cards, you might feel happier bidding 3 hearts. Partner has a good hand expecting to make slam PROVIDED there are not two aces missing. Say they bid 4 NT. You reply 5 diamonds to show one ace. Partner cannot tell if you hold the ace of spades, which would be of no use or the ace of hearts or diamonds. Either would be enough to make the slam. There is a way to find out however, and it is called cue bidding.

After a trump suit has been agreed and the partnership is going to at least game, a cue bid can be made in a new suit.It shows that the defenderscannot cash the first trick in this suit, since a cue bid shows either an ACE or a VOID in the cue bid suit. A cue bid should only be made at the 3or higher level. Below this the partnership should be looking for the best game.

Cue bidding guidelines

1Cue bids are made only when the trump suit has been agreed.

2The partnership must be going to game.

3A cue bid is a positive slam try. Don’t bother trying for a slam if you don’t mean it.

4The first cue bid in a suit shows a first round control i.e. an ace or void and is called a PRIMARY CUE BID.

5A second cue bid in the same suit shows second round control –either a king or singleton, and is called a SECONDARY CUE BID.

6Responder cue bids a first round control, in response to opener cue bid. Responder’s cue bid is obligatory below game, but need not be made above game if responder’s hand is a minimum.

7After cue bidding has begun there are no cue bids in the agreed trump suit.If this suit is bid it is a sign off saying I have no further cue bids to make.I am unwilling to go higher.

8Do not differentiate between an ace and a void when making a cue bid.

9With more than one cue bid to make, bid the cheapest possible.If you bypass a suit other than trumps you deny first round control in that suit.

In our initial hand Partner opened 1 heart and you raised to 3 hearts

YouPartner

1

33

46

Partner’s 3 shows first round control of spades.Your 4 bid shows first round control of diamonds, but denies first round control of clubs. Partner now knows the diamonds are ruffable and can see twelve tricks whether you have the ace of trumps or not. Actually you can make all thirteen tricks. But just be pleased to bid and make a slam on a combined 25 HCPs. There will be several pairs who bail out in 5 hearts using Blackwood because of uncertainty about which ace you hold.

YouPartner

11

34

Hearts have been agreed, so 4is a primary cue, showing ace or void in diamonds and importantly denies ace or void in spades and denies ace or void in clubs.

WESTWEEAST

AKQJ87229543

KQJ523A742

AKQ4465

---7P742

4 and 4 are primary cues.Note, the void in clubs needs to be shown as the cheapest bid ahead of the ace of diamonds.

This would be hard to bid with most versions of Blackwood as East could have the ace of clubs instead of the ace of hearts.

SECONDARY CUE BIDS

A secondary cue bid means that you can win the second round of the bid suit either with a king or by having a singleton that you can ruff that second round. If you are known to have a balanced hand then the secondary cue bid must be based on a king.

A cue bid is a secondary cue if-

a)It is a bid in a suit in which a primary cue has already been made OR

b)It is a bid in a suit which the bidder previously bypassed and thus DENIED first round control

Do not make a secondary cue if you can still make a primary cue

Do not differentiate between a king and a singleton

With two or more secondary cues available bid the cheapest.

Bypassing a suit to make a secondary cue denies second round control in each suit bypassed other than trumps.

Here is an example of secondary cue bids

WESTEAST

11

34

45

4clubs and 4 diamonds are primary cues showing first round control. 5 diamonds is a secondary cue showing the king or a singleton and by bypassing 4 spades and 5 clubs denies second round control of these suits.

Remember to alert all cue bids below 3NT and if the first cue bid is above 3NT that must also be alerted.

Once cue bidding has begun it continues until one partner has sufficient knowledge to place the final contract. Once you’ve started using them these guidelines will fall into place and you will be able to bid more slams and crucially the slams that Blackwood is unhelpful in finding the position of missing cards. Sometimes if unsure about the whereabouts of the trump king or queen you can still use Roman Key card Blackwood as well as cue bids.

CUE BIDDING OPPONENTS SUIT

There are certain situation where bidding opponents suits can have specific meanings

Michaels Cue Bids

NorthEast

12both majors-at least 5-5

12both majors- at least 5-5

125 spades +a 5 card minor

12 5hearts + a 5 card minor

These bids should help West understand East’s shape.

Cue bid Stayman

WestNorthEast

1NT2(natural)3

The 3 diamond bid is Staymanic asking West for four card majors.

Unassuming cuebids

When partner overcalls one of a suit, and the next hand passes, a cue bid of opponent’s suit promises at least 3 card support and 10+ points

e.g.

WESTNORTHEASTSOUTH

11pass2

The 2 diamonds bid shows a raise in spades.

Cue bids over weak twos

WESTNORTH

23

This can be used as stopper asking for no trumps.

In many situations a cue bid of opponent’s suit is stopper asking for no trumps

Regular partnerships have other specific uses for cue bids, but these are the most common ones.

Whatever you do, even if you are unsure of the meaning DO NOT PASS THE CUE BID