Cue bid

Template:Bridgenote In contract bridge, a cue bid (also, cuebid or cue-bid, pronounced queue-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 double. For example, after RHO opens 1, a hand such as ♠ - ♥ AKQ10985 ♦ AQ6 ♣ K85 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.

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 double or overcall, 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	Dbl[1]
Pass	2Template:Cs	Pass	2

^ negative

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, ie the ace or a void.

The main disadvantage of both Blackwood and Gerber is that they give no information about voids which can be as powerful as aces in certain circumstances. Cue bidding is designed to pass information on "first round control" i.e. an ace or a void.

Basic cue bidding

In "basic cue bidding", after the trump suit has been agreed (implicitly or explicitly), the first bid of a side suit by either partner shows a control. 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. Accurate cue bidding, however, requires perfect partnership understanding. Members of famous Italian Blue team were long time renowned for their style of cue-bidding and their accuracy in slam bidding (as well as making thin slams) was considered a significant edge over their American rivals.

Advanced cue bidding

An "advanced" cue bid is made before the trump suit is implicitly agreed; the partner is not aware yet whether the trump fit was found and if the suit bid is real or presents a cue bid.

External links

• Cue bidding for slam