Cue bid
Encyclopedia
In contract bridge
, a cue bid (also, cuebid or cue-bid) is a term that applies to two types of bid:
. For example, after RHO opens 1, a hand such as would prefer not to double for takeout, because partner might make a penalty pass. A cue bid of 2, as traditionally used, would be appropriate: it tends to show great high card strength, probably with a hand pattern unsuited to defense. Partner is expected to respond in his longest suit, and the subsequent bidding proceeds naturally.
However, those very strong hands are rare enough that the traditional meaning has been largely abandoned, and other meanings assigned to the immediate cue bid. The most common treatment is now the Michaels cuebid
, which shows a weakish or moderate hand with at least 5-5 in two unbid suits.
Passing a suit that could be bid tends to deny holding first-round control in that suit. Bids of suits already bid show second-round control. Returning to the trump suit shows a lack of interest in slam or not having anything else to bid. For example:
South has shown 16-18 total points, while North's hand is largely unknown. North's bid of 4 is a cue-bid showing first-round control of clubs and an interest in slam. After South's bid of 4 North bids 4, an apparent signoff. It may well be that North wants to bid a slam, but has two fast losers in the spade suit. After South bids 4 showing control of the spade suit, North employs the Blackwood convention
to proceed further.
The main disadvantage of both Blackwood
and Gerber
is that they give little information about voids, which can be as powerful as aces under certain circumstances. Cue bidding is designed to pass information on "first round control" i.e. an ace or a void.
In the "Italian" system of slam cue-bidding, the cheapest suit is always bid first. Thus, in the example above North's bid of 4 would deny control of spades, and therefore South would only proceed if he had control of spades, which in this case his continuation of 4 instead of a signoff of 4 would promise. Often, Italian cue bids only promise 2nd round control (a king or a singleton).
The Official Encyclopedia of Bridge
gives an example where the first cue bid implies the trump-suit agreement.
In the example, 3 is an advance cue bid, we may infer East intends, by reference to the club control without biddable club suit and to the excellent heart support. The subsequent preference for hearts by strong correction of 3NT should reveal the advance cue to partner; holding the minor suits without hearts East would pass or raise notrump. The auction should now proceed to the comfortable 6.
However, the advance cue bid is a subtle tool, prone to be misunderstood if the partnership is not sufficiently well coordinated and on the same wavelength. The following disaster struck world champion Paul Chemla
and Catherine D'Ovidio in the 7th European Mixed Championships (2002):
Bidding notes:
1. Strong and artificial.
2. Waiting.
3. Ambiguous but forcing.
D'Ovidio wanted to "refine" the bidding with an advance cue bid of 4 before supporting spades, but Chemla got the wrong idea and passed, imagining partner with a weak distributive hand with long diamonds. 4 went down three, while 6 and 6NT were on, as the spade finesse
was working.
Contract bridge
Contract bridge, usually known simply as bridge, is a trick-taking card game using a standard deck of 52 playing cards played by four players in two competing partnerships with partners sitting opposite each other around a small table...
, a cue bid (also, cuebid or cue-bid) is a term that applies to two types of bid:
- A bid of a suit that has already been bid by opponents.
- A slam-investigating bid made during an auction's later rounds that shows control of a suit. This is a traditional use of the term, but in the early 21st century the usage appears to be giving way to control bid.
Bid of the opponents' suit
After the opponents have bid a suit, a cue bid of that suit is normally intended as a forcing bid. It shows interest in contesting the contract and asks partner to describe his hand.Immediate cue bid
An immediate cue bid is made directly over opponent's opening bid. Traditionally, it denotes a hand unsuited for a takeout doubleTakeout double
In the card game bridge, a takeout double is any call of "double" that shows a desire to compete for the contract by further bidding. Many takeout doubles nearly require partner to bid; partner should pass for penalty with an appropriate hand, but that is uncommon...
. For example, after RHO opens 1, a hand such as would prefer not to double for takeout, because partner might make a penalty pass. A cue bid of 2, as traditionally used, would be appropriate: it tends to show great high card strength, probably with a hand pattern unsuited to defense. Partner is expected to respond in his longest suit, and the subsequent bidding proceeds naturally.
However, those very strong hands are rare enough that the traditional meaning has been largely abandoned, and other meanings assigned to the immediate cue bid. The most common treatment is now the Michaels cuebid
Michaels cuebid
The Michaels cuebid is a conventional bid used in the card game contract bridge. First devised by Mike Michaels of Miami Beach, it is an overcaller's cuebid in opponent's opening suit and is normally used to show a two-suited hand with at least five cards in each suit and eight or more points.After...
, which shows a weakish or moderate hand with at least 5-5 in two unbid suits.
The jump cue bid
The immediate jump cue bid of opener's suit has a specific meaning. It is typically a long totally solid minor with stoppers in the other two suits. Partner is asked to bid 3NT with a stop in the suit opened or else to bid four or five clubs (pass or correct).Cue bidding in the later rounds
Generally, after the opponents have bid a suit, a cue bid of that suit shows strength, and forces the bidding to continue for at least one round. The following are common situations:- After partner's takeout doubleTakeout doubleIn the card game bridge, a takeout double is any call of "double" that shows a desire to compete for the contract by further bidding. Many takeout doubles nearly require partner to bid; partner should pass for penalty with an appropriate hand, but that is uncommon...
or overcallOvercallIn contract bridge, an overcall is a bid made after an opening bid has been made by an opponent; the term refers only to the first such bid. A direct overcall is a bid made directly over the opening bid by right-hand opponent; an overcall in the 'last seat' is referred to as a balancing...
, the cue bid shows a hand with at least the strength of an opening bid:West North East South 1 Dbl Pass 2 West North East South 1 1 Pass 2 - If the pair does not play strong immediate cuebids, the takeout double followed by a cue bid shows a very strong hand:
West North East South 1 Dbl Pass 1 Pass 2 - Immediately after RHO's overcall, it shows a strong hand, probably fitting partner's suit, and is usually regarded as game-forcing:
West North East South 1 1 2 - After RHO's overcall, in a later round but below 3NT, it often shows a stopper in the opponents' suit, so that partner can bid notrump and thus place the contract advantageously (see Antipositional). This situation calls for prior partnership discussion. For example, the cue bid in this context can be used to ask for a stopper, rather than to show one. In the US, the asking approach is known as a "Western cue bid". Sometimes, the delayed cue bid can be used as an advance cue bid (see below).
West North East South 1 1 Dbl1 Pass 2 Pass 2
Bidding notes:
1. Negative doubleNegative doubleThe negative double is a form of take-out double in bridge. It is made by the responder after his right-hand opponent overcalls on the first round of bidding, and is used to show both support for the unbid suits as well as some values. It is treated as forcing, but not unconditionally so...
Slam seeking
Once a trump suit has been agreed and the bidding cannot die below the game level (e.g. 1–3, or ... 2–3, or 1–1; 3), any subsequent bid of a suit other than the trump suit is a cue bid showing first round control of that suit, i.e. the ace or a void.Passing a suit that could be bid tends to deny holding first-round control in that suit. Bids of suits already bid show second-round control. Returning to the trump suit shows a lack of interest in slam or not having anything else to bid. For example:
| South | North |
|---|---|
| 1 | 1 |
| 3 | 4 |
| 4 | 4 |
| 4 | 4NT |
Blackwood convention
In the partnership card game contract bridge, the Blackwood convention is a popular bidding convention that was developed by Easley Blackwood. It is used to explore the partnership's possession of aces, kings and in some variants, the queen of trumps, to judge more precisely whether slam is likely...
to proceed further.
The main disadvantage of both Blackwood
Blackwood convention
In the partnership card game contract bridge, the Blackwood convention is a popular bidding convention that was developed by Easley Blackwood. It is used to explore the partnership's possession of aces, kings and in some variants, the queen of trumps, to judge more precisely whether slam is likely...
and Gerber
Gerber convention
Gerber is a contract bridge convention devised by Dr. William Konigsberger and Win Nye from Switzerland who published it in 1936; John Gerber of Texas introduced it to North America in 1938 where it was named after him...
is that they give little information about voids, which can be as powerful as aces under certain circumstances. Cue bidding is designed to pass information on "first round control" i.e. an ace or a void.
In the "Italian" system of slam cue-bidding, the cheapest suit is always bid first. Thus, in the example above North's bid of 4 would deny control of spades, and therefore South would only proceed if he had control of spades, which in this case his continuation of 4 instead of a signoff of 4 would promise. Often, Italian cue bids only promise 2nd round control (a king or a singleton).
Basic cue bidding
Basic cue bidding occurs after the trump suit has been agreed explicitly (example above) or as it is agreed implicitly. The first bid of a side suit by either partner shows a control, and most players extend that to subsequent bids of a side suit so that both may show control in the same suit. The most common approach is that first-round controls are bid first, and second-round controls are bid in later rounds of bidding. Some players, though, bid both first and second-round controls in the first round, and confirm first-round controls only later. Some bid high-card controls first or distinguish short-suit controls by jump bids. Even basic cue bidding therefore requires some partnership agreements.The Official Encyclopedia of Bridge
The Official Encyclopedia of Bridge
The Official Encyclopedia of Bridge presents comprehensive information on the card game contract bridge with limited information on related games and on playing cards...
gives an example where the first cue bid implies the trump-suit agreement.
| West | East |
|---|---|
| 1NT | 3 |
| 4 | 4 |
| 4 | 5 |
| 6 | Pass |
"West's 4 does not suggest an alternative trump suit; spades are agreed by implication, since without spade support, West would return to 3NT. "
Advance cue bidding
An advance cue bid – not to be confused with "advanced" – is made before the trump suit is agreed even implicitly. Partner does not yet know that the trump fit has been found or whether the suit bid is real or shows a control.| West | East |
|---|---|
| 1 | 2 |
| 2 | 3 |
| 3NT | 4 |
| Pass |
In the example, 3 is an advance cue bid, we may infer East intends, by reference to the club control without biddable club suit and to the excellent heart support. The subsequent preference for hearts by strong correction of 3NT should reveal the advance cue to partner; holding the minor suits without hearts East would pass or raise notrump. The auction should now proceed to the comfortable 6.
However, the advance cue bid is a subtle tool, prone to be misunderstood if the partnership is not sufficiently well coordinated and on the same wavelength. The following disaster struck world champion Paul Chemla
Paul Chemla
Paul Chemla is a famous French bridge player.Chemla was born in Tunis. He studied at the École Normale Supérieure in Paris where he took up playing bridge. His wins include three European Pairs Championships , two World Team Olympiads , and the 1997 Bermuda Bowl...
and Catherine D'Ovidio in the 7th European Mixed Championships (2002):
| West | East |
|---|---|
| 21 | 22 |
| 2 | 2NT3 |
| 3NT | 4 |
| Pass |
Bidding notes:
1. Strong and artificial.
2. Waiting.
3. Ambiguous but forcing.
D'Ovidio wanted to "refine" the bidding with an advance cue bid of 4 before supporting spades, but Chemla got the wrong idea and passed, imagining partner with a weak distributive hand with long diamonds. 4 went down three, while 6 and 6NT were on, as the spade finesse
Finesse
In contract bridge and similar games, a finesse is a technique which allows one to promote tricks based on a favorable position of one or more cards in the hands of the opponents....
was working.
See also
- Blackwood conventionBlackwood conventionIn the partnership card game contract bridge, the Blackwood convention is a popular bidding convention that was developed by Easley Blackwood. It is used to explore the partnership's possession of aces, kings and in some variants, the queen of trumps, to judge more precisely whether slam is likely...
- Norman four notrumpNorman four notrumpNorman four notrump is a slam bidding convention in the partnership card game contract bridge designed to help the partnership choose among the five-, six-, and seven-levels for the final contract...
- Quantitative no trump bidsQuantitative no trump bidsIn natural bidding systems most notrump bids are made with balanced hands and within a narrowly defined high card point range. In these systems, such as Acol and Standard American, NT bids are limit bids and therefore are not forcing...
- Grand slam forceGrand slam forceThe Grand Slam Force is a bidding convention in contract bridge that was developed by Ely Culbertson in 1936. It is intended to be used in cases where the combined hands of a partnership are so strong that a slam is a near-certainty and a grand slam is a possibility...
- Slam-seeking conventionsSlam-seeking conventionsSlam-seeking conventions are codified artificial bids used in the card game contract bridge. Bidding and making a small slam or grand slam yields high bonuses ranging from 500 to 1500 points. However, the risk is also high as failure to fulfill the slam contract also means failure to score the...