Readers tell us that they are not familiar with some of the bids they find
in Bridge Beat columns. In many cases, these
are bids in relatively short suits with
surprisingly weak holdings. Let's explore
together today.
(1)
West |
North |
East |
South |
1 |
1 |
Pass |
2 |
South's
2
"cue-bid" is unrelated to hearts. Because
bids like 2,
2,
2NT and 3
would not be forcing, South must use this
bid in the opponents' suit to keep the
auction alive. Most often, South will have
some sort of fit with overcaller's suit, but
with other strong hands, the cue-bid may be
the only forcing action available to him.
This cue-bid is not forcing to game; the
partnership may stop if it becomes clear
that the combined values for game are not
present.
(2)
West |
North |
East |
South |
1 |
1 |
2 |
|
Here East could force with 2
or 2
and (by agreement) a jump to 2NT. The only
hand type that cannot be described with a
different natural bid is a hand with genuine
support for opener's suit (hearts) and no
significant side suit worth introducing. If
you treat a jump to 3
as encouraging but not forcing, the most
popular modern approach, you must cue-bid 2
on a game-going hand with heart support.
Again, your spade holding is not relevant.
Some prefer to treat a jump to 3
as purely obstructive. These pairs would
have to bid 2
with most hands containing primary support
and at least 10 points in high cards.
(3)
West |
North |
East |
South |
1 |
Pass |
1 |
Pass |
3 |
Pass |
4 |
|
East-West have agreed on spades as their
trump suit. A bid by either partner in a
suit other than spades is a try for slam
usually showing the ace or a void. It is
acceptable to cue-bid a king in partner's
suit or a suit in which partner has already
cue-bid the ace. Some prefer to cue-bid
first-round controls (aces, voids) and
second-round controls (kings, singletons)
economically. The idea is to identify as
early as possible a suit in which the
opponents could take the first two tricks,
then stop at a safe level.
(4)
West |
North |
East |
South |
1 |
Dble |
Pass |
2 |
South's 2
says his hand is too strong for a simple
(0-8 points) suit response and either too
strong or inappropriate for a jump response
(about 9-11 points). South does not promise
a strong heart holding. The partnership must
keep bidding until a suit has been bid and
supported. Most often these auctions lead to
a game contract after natural bidding.
(5)
West |
North |
East |
South |
3 |
4 |
|
|
Once,
this cue-bid simply showed a very strong
hand. Today, North would double for takeout
with support for the other suits even with a
powerhouse. He would double or bid game with
most strong one-suited hands. The direct cue-bid,
then, is most commonly employed to indicate
a strong two-suited hand, at least five-five.
North does not guarantee a spade control (but
will usually have one).