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NTCUE.CVA
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1995-11-05
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NOTRUMPER CUE BIDS
The problem: A player who has bid notrump strongly does not give
valuable information when he cue bids an ace to show implied
support for partner's suit. For instance, you open 2NT with S-Q107
H-KJ76 D-AK7 C-AKJ. Partner bids 3C, Stayman, you say 3H, and
partner says 3S. You have a good hand in support of spades, so you
cue bid 4D or 4C. This presumably shows an ace, agrees spades as
trump, and suggests a good hand for slam. The bidding:
Opener Responder
2NT 3C
3H 3S
4C/4D
Such a cue bid is not very helpful. Partner knows you have aces.
What she wants to know is, do the hands fit? To help her, try this:
Bid the suit in which it would be least desirable for partner to
have a singleton or void (hearts, in the hand show above). A KJx
holding is best for a notrumper cue bid, but KQx is also good.
Lacking either of these, bid any other holding that includes
secondary strength. The approximate order of preference for a
notrumper cue bid: KJx, KQx, AKx, AKJ, AKQ, AQx, AQJ, QJx.
Opposite the 2NT bid above, responder would sign off in 4S after
a 4H cue bid when she has S-AKJ54 H-3 D-J642 C-Q96. The singleton
is in the worst place, hearts, so slam is unlikely. With a better
fit (S-AKJ54 H-Q96 D-J642 C-3) she could go on. Note that a 4C or
4D ace-showing cue bid would be of no help.
A secondary benefit of the notrumper cue bid comes when the hand
opposite has an unbalanced hand that looks questionable for
notrump. If partner opens a strong 1NT and you make a slam try in
clubs with S-Q87 H-KJ8 D-3 C-AQJ753, you can bid 3NT in comfort if
she makes a notrumper cue bid in diamonds. First, you know the
hands do not fit well, so slam is improbable. Second, you know the
opponents won't run five quick diamond tricks, since partner has
secondary strength in diamonds. She might have S-AJ62 H-A106 D-KJ4
C-K105. The usual ace-showing cue bid of 3H or 3S would be useless.
With notrumper cue bids, a 3S cue bid shows something like S-KJ42
H-A106 D-AJ6 C-K105. Now you can bid the slam with some confidence,
knowing that the hands fit.
Only the first cue bid by a notrump bidder is a notrumper cue bid.
Subsequent cue bids show controls, as usual:
Opener Responder
2NT 3C
3D 3S
4C 4D
4H
The 4C bid was a notrumper cue bid in support of spades, but the
4H bid merely shows the ace of hearts.
Notrumper cue bids do not apply when the cue bid is in a suit bid
by the opponents. The cue bid of an opposing suit has the standard
meaning: first round control.
NOTRUMPER CUE BIDS was published in The Bridge World magazine, and
in the Contract Bridge Forum, May/June 1982.