Why Did You Bid the Opponent's Suit?

Cuebids are a lot like doubles in some ways.  Consider how many ways there are to double:
  • Penalty
  • Takeout
  • Negative
  • Support
  • Responsive
  • Lead Directing
  • Action
    How do you sort them out?  The answer of course is it depends on the auction or how high the bidding has gone.  Well, the same is true for cuebids.

    • A cuebid is simple - you bid the same suit as one of your opponents.  A cuebid can have the following different meanings depending on how the auction has gone:
  • Two Suits
  • Limit Raise
  • Western Cue
  • Strength
  • Control
  • Stayman


    • Two Suits - Michaels This is probably the first cuebid taught to new players.  It shows two suits, most likely 5-5 or better, and can be as little as 8 points depending on partnership agreement.  When your RHO, Right Hand Opponent, opens a minor suit and you cuebid that minor, you are telling partner you have both majors.

    On the other hand, if RHO opens a major, then a Michaels cuebid promises the other major and an unspecified five card minor.  Partner can ask which minor you have by bidding 2NT.


    For a very complete discussion of Michaels, look at this.



    Limit Raise Your partner opens the bidding with either a major or two clubs and your RHO overcalls in a suit.  If you cuebid that suit you are promising at least a limit raise and good support for partner's opening bid.  You are not asking partner to bid notrump if she has a stopper!


    Hmmm...  why not just jump in partner's suit to show a limit raise?  Well, you could, but you lose an important bidding tool.

    By using the cuebid to show a limit raise, you can use the jump raise as a preempt.  This is the modern way to play a jump in partner's suit after an overcall.  It is so common that the ACBL says no alert is required.

    Oh, and a cuebid never has to be alerted either as it carries its own alert.

    Although players who use Standard American or Two Over One bidding methods can use the cuebid as a limit raise when partner opens a minor, it's not feasible with a Forcing Club system.

    After partner opens 1 (our strong bid) a cuebid announces strength, probably at least 13+ HCP.





    Western Cue      "Partner, do you have a stopper in their suit?  If you do, please bid 3NT."

    When the opponents have bid one suit and our side has not found a major suit fit, let's see if we can play three notrump.  (When the opponents bid two suits, it's a little different.)  That's the purpose of a Western cuebid.   Here's an example of an auction where the cuebid occurs:

    North East South West
     1   P   1   2
     3   P   3

    North/South have not found a major suit fit and the opponents have only bid one suit.  South's cuebid is asking North for a stopper in that suit.  Here's a reasonable hand for South to hold...
            AKJ6
            J4
            652
            KJ97

    Perhaps another example will help.  Again, no major suit fit is found so the cuebid in the auction is Western, asking partner to bid three notrump.

    North East South West
    1 1 2 P
    3 P 3

    There's that Western cuebid again.  North/South do not have a heart fit, so South is asking partner to bid game in notrump with a spade stopper.

    NOTE:
    If the opponents bid two suits, then a cuebid does not ask, it tells. That lets partner evaluate her hand for a notrump contract.  If she has the other enemy suit under control, she can bid three notrump confident that both suits are protected.




    Strength Sometimes you can use a cuebid the old fashioned way - to show a strong hand! This is especially true for players who use a Forcing Club system.  If your partner opens 1 and your RHO overcalls, you can cuebid if you have 13+ HCP.  Game is assured and a slam might be possible.  Your opponent is evidently of the school that believes they have to interfere with a club auction and it will stop you from finding the right contract.  It won't, and if his partner decides to raise him, they might be in for a heavy penalty.




    Control After you have found a major suit fit, cuebids no longer ask for a stopper, but instead show control of that suit.  A cuebid shows either the ace or a void when the partnership has agreed on a major suit fit.  The same is true for new suits when the opponents are silent.  Generally, you will start with the lowest bid you can make to show controls.

    Bidding a control in a higher suit denies a control in a bypassed suit.

    The second time you cuebid either an opponent's suit or rebid a new suit you show second round control.  That could be the king or you have a singleton ace.

    Cuebids are an important way of finding specific controls when knowing the quantity of aces may not be sufficient.  Blackwood is a nice bid, but there are times when you want to know which ace partner is holding, not how many.

    Once you start a control cuebidding sequence, do not lapse into Blackwood. You would be asking for redundant information.  You probably should agree that a bid of 4NT is a cuebid showing the ace of trump, not Blackwood.

    Below are two hands and the bidding that describes them...

            KQ96
            A2
            A65
            8753

            AJ854
            J74
            KQJ72
           
    North East South West
    1 P 1 P
    2 P 3 P
    3 P 4 P
    4 P 4NT P
    5NT P 6 P
    6 P 7 P


    A lot of very slow bidding took place here, and the opponents are probably rolling their eyes, but this partnership just got to a remarkable slam.   How many pairs do you think will be getting an average when they bid just game? Most of them, probably.

    Do you see that from South's point of view it's very important to discover the Ace of Hearts in North's hand?  Without it the slam cannot be made.

    The first cuebid starts with South's 3 call, showing first round control.  North is happy to show the Ace of Diamonds by bidding 3.

    They are still below game, so now South shows second round control of clubs. That's the 4 bid.

    North has first round control in hearts and the bidding is still below game. When she shows it, that's the cuebid that South has been hoping to hear.

    Four notrump is not Blackwood.  It shows the ace of trump. North then shows the king of trump by bidding 5NT.  If North had the King of Hearts, she could have bid it at that point, so bidding 5NT denies that control.

    South makes one more effort by bidding 6, but North is unable to do anything but quit at the small slam in spades.  Do you see that the diamond suit looks like gold when partner is known to hold the ace.  Not many pairs will find it as there is too much danger in the heart suit if they cannot pinpoint the heart ace, so it will be a very good result even if you stop at a small slam.


    Stayman Cuebid Stayman - it occurs frequently enough that it even has a name.  Suppose your LHO opens the bidding and your partner overcalls 1NT.  A cuebid of the enemy suit is often used as a Stayman bid...
          "Partner, do you have a four card major?"

    It can also be used when your partner opens the bidding with 1NT and your RHO overcalls with a suit.  If you cuebid that suit, partner should treat it as Stayman.  It is NOT a Western cuebid!




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