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Home > Bidding > Big hands > Cue (or Control) bidding

Cue (or Control) bidding

It is worth saying that this page is not for the faint-hearted. Experienced players read on. Others might do well to leave it for a while.

A cue-bid is a forcing bid in a suit in which the bidder cannot wish to play (either because the opposition has bid it, or because you have already agreed a trump suit). It is applied to:

1. Bids to show controls at a high level after a suit has been agreed directly or by inference, and the partnership is committed to game, or,
2. Bids in the opponents suit at any level.

(1) SHOWING CONTROLS

First round controls are an ace or a void. Second round controls are a king or a singleton. When cue-bidding, first round controls are shown before second round controls, and controls are shown in ascending order.

Initiating cue-bidding normally denies the ability to bid the slam but announces the readiness to discuss the possibility. Many reliable authors would insist that the initiator should herself have the ace of the trump suit.

Suppose you hold the hand below:-

Partner opens one club and you respond one spade. Partner now jumps to thee spades. She must have some 16+ points and a slam is a possibility. If we used Blackwood and heard two aces, we would still be ignorant of the location of the ace of hearts. A cue-bid of four diamonds would show first round control in diamonds. A bid of four hearts from partner would show the ace of hearts and would enable you to bid six spades  at once,  while  with  a  bid  of  five  clubs          ( bypassing the heart suit and thereby denying the ace of hearts), you would sign off in five spades.

Another exciting hand. Suppose you hold the cards below:-

Partner raises our opening bid of one spade to three spades.

Consider the possible hands partner might hold and the consequent auctions below:-

In the first we are in an excellent slam while in the second we do well to stay out of one.

(2) BIDDING THE OPPONENT'S SUIT

This bid is never made in the expectation of actually playing in the relevant suit (you don't easily walk into a bad break). It is used as either

• an unconditional force to game where the best contract is not clear or a slam is possible, or
• an enquiry into partner's holding in the suit bid with a view to playing in no-trumps.

Suppose South makes life difficult for you by opening a weak two hearts. West has no trouble in overcalling two spades. East could bid an immediate four spades, but an alternative bid might be three hearts. This is proposing three no-trumps if West has cover in hearts, as nine tricks in no-trumps may be easier than ten in spades.

I haven't yet given you any practise hands specific to cue bidding and probably won't unless there is a national hue and cry and an appeal on television. However these are some big hands and you could see if your new skill in cue-bidding gives you an alternative auction to the one proposed by me.