Cuebids

By: Larry Cohen

Cuebids

A "cuebid" is a bid of the opponent's suit.

This is not the same as a "control" bid as in this auction:

lt;tdgt;lt;/tdgt;lt;tdgt;lt;/tdgt;lt;tdgt;lt;/tdgt;
WestNorthEastSouth
1Pass3Pass
4

Here 4 shows the ace or king (or a singleton or void) in diamonds and slam interest.

We should use the term "cuebid" only when bidding a suit which the opponents have bid.

These cuebids come in many flavors, the main ones being:

Conventional bid to show a 2-suited hand Michaels Cuebid

This popular convention uses the following scheme:

WestNorth
12MAJORS
12MAJORS
12+minor
12+minor

There is more on Conventional bid to show a 2-suited hand Michaels bids by clicking on it.

Cuebid after our A double to show the other suits takeout double

WestNorthEastSouth
1DoublePass2

South can't want to play in clubs (he could have passed the double). This bid shows a good hand with no clear direction. Partnerships need to discuss how high this bid is forcing.

3-level bid of the opponents' suit, typically looking for a stopper Western cuebid

This term causes a lot of confusion. To read more about this so-called "Western" cuebid, click the link.