June 2007 - 56

ADVANCED PLAYERS

Bidding Matters

Karen Walker
kwalker@insightbb.com

The 12 habits of highly
effective bidders
6. They make the bids partner
wants to hear (continued).
In previous articles, we looked at
game-try auctions and the confusion
that results from answering questions
partner didn't ask. The same pitfalls
occur when investigating slams, often
with more disastrous consequences.
Here's an auction that can cause problems for 2/1 pairs:
You
1
2

Partner
2
3

Partner would have bid 4 with a
minimum, so 3 shows some extra
values (a good 14 points or more) and
gives you room to cuebid at the four
level. Is this a demand for a cuebid,
however, or just a suggestion? If you
consider this an opportunity to make
a "free" cuebid on the way to game,
you'd bid 4 with:
K 10 7 6 5 4 A Q J 7 Q J 4.
So begins the auto-cuebid sequence, where you're both showing
controls for slam, but neither of you
knows if you have enough power to
take even 11 tricks. You may land in
5 or 6 with a mediocre fit and
only 27 or so high-card points.
56

The best way to manage this auction is to treat partner's space-saving
raise as telling, not asking. He's
showing his values and giving you
the option to explore, but he hasn't
made an "official" slam try. It's up to
you to confirm your interest before a
real investigation can begin.
With this hand, make the value
bid of 4 to show a minimum. This
doesn't deny an outside ace. If partner has enough to make 6 opposite
your hand, he'll bid on.
Partner wants you to initiate a
slam-try only if you have something
extra:
A K 9 7 6 4 A 10 5 K 6 10 2.
This hand is worth a cuebid, and
the standard choice would be 4.
If you consider which cuebid will
be most helpful to partner, though,
you'll choose 4. You hope to
talk partner into using Key Card
Blackwood, and showing values in
his suit is your most encouraging
advance.
When‑in‑doubt
cuebidding guidelines
A cuebidding sequence can be an
advantage or an adventure in your
search for a slam. Even expert pairs
suffer the occasional disaster, so the
shorter and simpler, the better. When
faced with a dilemma about which
suit to cuebid - or whether you
should cuebid at all - your main
consideration should be giving partner what he needs to make a decision.
The guidelines below may help you
resolve close cases.
A first-round cuebid doesn't have
to promise an ace. The Italians popularized a system where early cuebids
show first- or second-round controls.
You don't have to be playing their
system to use this strategy if you believe partner would rather hear about
a king than an ace.

Show honors rather than shortness.
If you have a choice of showing
a void or an ace in an unbid suit,
cuebid the ace. If choosing between a
singleton and a king, cuebid the king.
Don't cuebid voids or singletons in
partner's suit.
If you want to encourage, cuebid
the suit where you know partner has
the problem. You open 1, partner
bids 2NT (Jacoby forcing raise),
and you bid 4 to show a balanced
minimum. Partner now cuebids 5
and you hold:
10 7 6 5 4 A K 4 A 6 5 J 4.
Partner is missing three red controls
and is still trying for slam, so he must
have powerful trumps. Cooperate
by bidding 5, the suit he's most
worried about (the missing heart
control must be the reason he didn't
Blackwood). If partner bids 5,
you'll follow with 6 and hope he
gets the message that you have both
aces with concentrated heart values.
You're not bound to a cuebid sequence once it starts. A cuebid from
partner doesn't always demand a return cuebid. You can start cuebidding,
then use Blackwood or jump to slam
without showing all your controls.
Avoid the "practice" cuebid. If you
already know what the final contract
will be, get there quickly, before you
tell the opponents what to lead.
A cuebid isn't always a cuebid.
If your auction hasn't confirmed
a trump fit and forcing-to-game
strength, a new-suit bid at the three
level - and sometimes the four level
- should be interpreted as a game
try or a natural suggestion of a trump
suit.
If you have a clear alternative,
don't start or continue a cuebid
sequence. From partner's standpoint,
Blackwood or a jump to slam will be
easier to handle than a cuebid. More
to come in the next issue.
r
Bridge Bulletin
Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of June 2007
