(570) Cuebids of Many Kinds

This Week in Bridge

(570) Cuebids of Many Kinds

©AiB                                                Robert S. Todd
Level:  7 of 10                                robert@advinbridge.com

General

The modern game continues to create interesting auctions and we need to make sure to discuss how to respond to new situations with partner. Some of the most interesting (and useful) competitive bids are when we use a suit that the opponents have bid – called a Cuebid.  There can be many different meanings for bidding the opponent’s suit.  A cuebid is a tool used in a variety of different ways based on the situation. We vary the meaning to describe the hand that is most logical and often most difficult to describe in another way. Let’s take a look at cuebids of the opponent’s suit in a variety of different auctions and make sure we are on the same page with partner about the meaning of these calls.

Cuebid of an Artificial Bid

When the opponents make an artificial bid like Stayman or a transfer, bidding this “artificial” suit is technically a cuebid – we bid a suit the opponents bid - but this cuebid of their suit is natural.

Example 1

Opener                Advancer             Responder          Interferer
1NT                        P                             2♦*                        3♦

This 3♦ cuebid is natural, showing ♦.

A general guideline – when their bid is artificial, our cuebid is natural.  If their bid is natural, our cuebid is likely artificial. Unfortunately, this simple guideline is not perfect.

Cuebids After the Opponents Open the Bidding

When the opponents open the bidding with a natural bid, then we can use a cuebid to show a variety of different types of hands.

Michaels Cuebid

The most common of these cuebids is an immediate direct seat cuebid – the Michaels Cuebid. This direct cuebid shows a 2-suited hand – two 5+card suits, either Major/minor or both Majors.

A particular situation where we need to make sure to have good agreements with partner is when considering making a cuebid of a suit the opponents bid that “could be short.”

Example 2

Opener                Interferer           
1♣*                        2♣                         

If 1♣* could be as short as 2 cards, then we need to have an agreement with partner about whether this is still a Michaels Cuebid (showing both Majors) or this is natural.

A reasonable treatment for this is that if 1♣ could be as short as 0 or 1 card, we play 2♣ as natural and if 1♣ could be as short as 2 cards, we treat 2♣ as a Michaels cuebid.

We also must discuss with partner the meaning of our cuebids in the sandwich seat – when both opponents have bid but partner has passed.

Opener                Advancer             Responder          Interferer
1♣                          P                             1♠                           2♣

What does 2♣ mean in this auction? Is it natural or is it ♦ and ♥?  Both treatments are playable, but many play this as a shapely hand with the other two suits (fewer HCP than a takeout double).

Example 3

Some other interesting Michaels examples arise from bidding the transfer suit.

Opener                Advancer             Responder          Interferer
1NT                        P                             2♦*                        2♥

♠ QT984
♥ 6
♦ 84
♣ KQT83

 Here we show both of our suits with one bid.

Cuebids by Responder and Advancer

We could get really carried away in this discussion and talk about almost every auction where we bid a suit that the opponents have already bid, but let’s not get that detailed - let’s look at some other common auctions.

When partner bids one suit and the opponents have bid another suit, we use a cuebid of the opponents’ suit to show a limit raise or better.

Example 4

Here Advancer uses the cuebid to make a limit raise.

 Opener                Interferer            Responder          Advancer
1♣                          1♠                           P                             2♣                         

♠ A83
♥ 74
♦ AK76
♣ 9432

Example 5

Here Responder uses the cuebid to show a limit raise for Opener’s suit.

 Opener                Interferer            Responder          Advancer
1♥                           1♠                           2♠                                          

 ♠ J83
♥ K74
♦ Q6
♣ KQ932

 Most partnerships use these cuebids for 3+card limit raises – not requiring 4-card trump support.

There are other times we cuebid the opponent’s suit, like jump cuebids, that can be used as different bidding tools like mixed raises or splinter bids.  In a regular partnership, discussion of some of these high-level cuebid auctions can be useful.

Western Cuebids

The final cuebid that is important to discuss is one where we are looking to get to 3NT.  When the opponents have bid a suit and we have a good hand with a stopper in the opponent’s suit, then we can usually be comfortable with bidding NT on our own.  However, if we lack a stopper, that may be the most important piece of information we want from partner.  A Western Cuebid is used to ask partner whether they can stop the opponents’ suit.

Example 6

Here is a Western Cuebid on the first round of the bidding.

 Opener                Interferer            Responder          Advancer
1♥                           3♥                                                          

 ♠ A3
♥ 74
♦ K4
♣ AKQJ932

 This bid asks partner to bid 3NT with a stopper in the opponent’s suit (and usually they bid 4♣ if they do not). We show a lot of tricks in our own hand with this bid.

Example 7

Here is a classic Western Cuebid on the second round of the bidding.

 Opener                Interferer            Responder          Advancer
1♦                           P                             1♠                           2♥
P                             P                             3♥                                                            

♠ AT83
♥ 7
♦ AKQ64
♣ 932

 We bid 3♥ with this hand to ask partner if they have a stopper in the opponent’s suit.

Using the cuebid to ask partner for a stopper in the opponents’ suit is relatively straightforward when the opponents have bid one suit. But when they have bid multiple suits, things get more complicated.  In this case we tend to use a cuebid as showing a stopper and implying a problem in the other suit - but these are auctions we need to discuss with partner.

Conclusion

There are many situations where we bid a suit that the opponents have already bid.  On the first round of the bidding these bids have a variety of specific meanings – Michaels, Limit Raise, Western Cuebid.  As the bidding goes on, our cuebids become more focused on finding 3NT – “Partner, do you have a stopper?”  But cuebids can be more complicated than this.  They can be used as Stayman-like bids (in Lebensohl), as Splinters and other actions at high levels, and even as “showing bids” (instead of asking) when the opponent have bid more than one suit.  There are many options for the meaning of a bid in a suit the opponents have bid.  Make sure you discuss these auctions and different situations with partner!