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1995-10-19
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CUE BIDS IN TAKEOUT DOUBLE SITUATIONS
Almost any cue bid can be a slam try, regardless of what the cue
bid may sound like when it is made. When the cue bidder follows up
the cue bid with some strong bid that shows he was not just seeking
a suit or looking for a notrump contract, then the true meaning is
revealed:
South West North East
1D Dbl Pass 2D
Pass 2H Pass 4S
Obviously East knew where he was going all along. Why the cue bid,
then? To show first round control of diamonds and to invite a slam.
Nothing complicated, just a normal slam try control-showing cue
bid. With this in mind, then, the following discussion of cue bids
in takeout double situations is concerned with the meaning that
partner will assume the cue bid has, until the cue bidder makes
clear that he had something else in mind.
Cue Bid in Response to a Takeout Double
-- When RHO passes or raises:
South West North East
1C Dbl Pass 2C
South West North East
1C Dbl 2C 3C
These cue bids are forcing to a limit situation, so East cannot
pass a non-game bid by West. A non-game notrump bid is not a "limit
situation" if the bidder has not previously bid, so a 2NT bid by
West in the first auction is forcing (a double is not a bid).
Since these cue bids are forcing to a limit situation, don't cue
bid just because you have both majors and want partner to take a
choice. With 4-4 in the majors and insufficient strength for the
cue bid, East must just bid 1S in the first auction and make a
responsive double in the second auction.
The weakest hand one could have for a two-level cue bid occurs when
the suit is clubs, since partner can bid at the two level in any
suit. When partner might be (or is) forced to bid at the three
level, the cue bidder should have game-going values.
Avoid answering a cue bid with a very weak four-card suit,
especially when it is the only unbid major. The double has already
implied major suit length, so bidding a suit like 9642 is somewhat
redundant. Instead, show some other feature of the hand.
When a passed hand cue bids at the three level, he is allowed to
pass the response. If there are two unbid major suits, a passed
hand is almost certainly just asking for a choice between them with
the three level cue bid. The takeout doubler must therefore not
bid just 3S or 3H if game is likely.
Since the three level cue bid by an unpassed hand is forcing to a
limit situation, the doubler does not have to jump with just an
extra king or so. A jump therefore shows substantial extra values:
South West North East
1D Dbl 2D 3D
Pass 4H
West has S-A93 H-AKJ97 D-4 C-QJ87. The good suit, extra high cards,
and diamond control justify the jump. With one more spade and one
less heart, West could cue bid 4D to show both a good hand and a
pro- bable 4-4 major suit holding.
A repeat cue bid after the doubler has made a minimum answer to the
first cue bid shows great support for the doubler's suit and at
least second round control of opener's suit:
South West North East
1C Dbl Pass 2C
Pass 2D Pass 3C
East has good diamond support, perhaps the ace of clubs, and is
asking for more information. There is no need to make this repeat
cue bid with something like 5-5 in the majors, because a 2S bid
over 2D would be forcing.
-- When the opponents have bid two suits before the double:
South West North East
1H Pass 1S Dbl
Pass 2H - natural, not forcing
The 2H bid is natural because 2S is available as a forcing cue bid.
South West North East
1D Pass 2C Dbl
Pass 2D - natural, not forcing
West is not asking East to choose a major. With 4-4 in the majors
and not enough to cue bid 3C, West must just bid 2S.
South West North East
1D Pass 1H Pass
1S Dbl Pass 2D - natural
East can count on diamond support, as implied by West's actions.
-- When RHO redoubles, all responses are weak (pass with strength):
South West North East
1C Dbl Rdbl 2C
The cue bid in a minor asks for partner's best major. It shows a
weak but distributional hand of some sort, perhaps 5-5 in the
majors. It does not promise another bid.
The cue bid in a major shows a weak three-suiter:
South West North East
1H Dbl Rdbl 2H - S-8432 H-5 D-Q843 C-K765
Also see chapter TAKEOUT DOUBLES in the book "Conventional
Doubles."
-- When RHO bids a new suit, a cue bid in opener's suit is natural:
South West North East
1D Dbl 2C 2D
The 2D bid sounds like "take a choice between the majors," but
that's not what it means.
When the new suit is a major, there is a good possibility that the
bid is a psych. The best policy is to ignore the bid completely,
except that a double is for penalty. The double is limited,
however, in that it says, "I would willingly have made that bid."
With a stronger hand, one that would have called for a jump or cue
bid, go ahead and make the bid you would have made if RHO had
passed:
South West North East
1H Dbl 1S Dbl - "That's my bid!"
2S - not forcing
2H - normal cue bid
The 2S bid is not forcing, just as a jump response of 2S would not
have been forcing. Might East be giving up a good penalty by
bidding 2S with S-AJ873 H-43 D-K85 C-J32? Don't be naive! It is
important to be accurate about one's strength here, in case the
bidding goes something like this:
South West North East
1H Dbl 1S Dbl
Pass Pass 4H!
If North had more than a double of 1S, he is going to have a hard
time showing that now unless he is sure of making game in spades.
-- When RHO bids 1NT:
If the suit doubled is a minor, the cue bid shows a weak hand with
both majors.
South West North East
1C Dbl 1NT 2C
When the suit doubled is a major, however:
South West North East
1H Dbl 1NT 2H
This cue bid is forcing to a limit situation, based on a good but
distributional hand that is not suitable for a double of 1NT.
A cue bid of 2NT over 1NT in either auction would be unusual
notrump, showing the lower two unbid suits. With a two-suited hand
that includes a good major, one would just bid the major opposite
a takeout double. An unusual notrump bid showing a major and a
minor therefore implies that the major is a weak four-carder and
the minor is longer, probably a six-carder.
Cue Bid by the Takeout Doubler
-- When the doubler's partner has responded minimally and the
doubler cue bids opener's suit:
South West North East
1S Dbl Pass 2C
Pass 2S
This cue bid, forcing to a limit situation, can be based on almost
any sort of strong hand. The doubler may be trying to find out if
East has a spade stopper, or another suit, or a good club suit, or
whatever. See chapter 10-12, Competitive Cue Bids. If the doubler's
next bid is something like a jump to 4H or 5C, then the cue bid
will be revealed as a normal slam try cue bid. If West repeats the
cue bid, she shows spades--not forcing. After a major suit
response, the sequence of cue bid, then raise, implies three-card
support.
In the auction above, West can pass a minimum club rebid or a 2NT
bid by East. If East bids a new suit or jumps to 4C, West will not
pass. Responder should avoid bidding beyond the level of his
original response suit unless he has undisclosed strength, even if
it means rebidding a four-card suit. With a five-card suit and
undisclosed strength, he should jump in response to the cue bid.
-- A cue bid in response to a jump response definitely shows
support for responder's suit:
South West North East
1S 2C Pass Pass
Dbl Pass 3D Pass
4C - cue bid in support of diamonds
South is not asking for a major suit preference, but is showing a
great hand for diamonds and first round club control: S-AK832
H-A432 D-KJ87 C- void While not big enough to bid 3C over 2C, this
hand is so good in support of diamonds that South has good reason
to try for slam. North can bid 6D with S-Q2 H-65 D-A109642 C-654.
-- When doubler bids LHO's suit after hearing a suit response:
South West North East
1C Dbl 1H 1S
Pass 2H - not forcing
West is exposing a probable psych. This bid cannot be based on mere
suspicion, so West must have quite good hearts. In order to force,
West must bid opener's suit first.
-- After a cue bid response to the takeout double:
South West North East
1D Dbl Pass 2D
Pass 3D - game forcing
This bid does not just say, "I have both majors," but also "I have
a good hand." With a modest hand and 4-4 in the majors, West should
just bid 2S. This will not be passed, as East's cue bid is forcing
to a limit situation.
-- When the doubler's partner has passed over an intervening bid:
South West North East
1D Dbl 2C Pass
Pass 2D
A 3C cue bid would be forcing to a limit situation, so the 2D bid
is used when West doesn't want to sell out, has no good five-card
or longer major to bid, and is not particularly interested in
playing 2C doubled (as might well happen if he doubled again and
East decided to pass with a little something in clubs). West might
have: S-AJ109 H-KQJ10 D-A2 C-432.
We can make a rule out of this situation: When the doubler bids
opener's suit, he is merely competing. When she cue bids respon-
der's suit, she is forcing to a limit situation if the suit is a
minor, but is making a natural bid when it is a major:
South West North East
1C Dbl 1H Pass
Pass 2C - just competing, probably
2H - not forcing
West's 2C bid implies a dislike for defending 2H doubled, for
otherwise she might repeat the takeout double. Probably her hearts
are questionable: S-AQJ8 H-987 D-AKJ7 C-32. A 2H bid by West
exposes a probable psych. If North had bid 1D, however, a 2D bid
would be forcing (again, implying that a leave-in of a repeat
double would not be welcome).
Cue Bid as Responder's Second Bid
-- If the original response was a minimum response over a pass
(i.e., not a free bid), a second round cue bid by responder is
natural:
South West North East
1C Dbl Pass 1D
Pass 1NT Pass 2C - long in both minors
East could hardly be making a strong move after responding just
1D. The clubs were not good enough for a pass of the double.
-- If the original response was a free bid or jump, a second round
cue bid is a competitive cue bid. See chapter COMPETITIVE CUE BIDS.
-- If the original response was a cue bid, a second round cue bid
asks for more information from the doubler:
South West North East
1H Dbl Pass 2H
Pass 2S Pass 3H - "tell me more"