June 2010 - 54

Bidding Matters

Karen Walker
www.kwbridge.com

The 12 Habits of Highly
Effective Bidders
9. They analyze the auction from
partner's point of view (cont.)
Modern bidders have dreamed up a
seemingly unlimited number of ways
to search for slams. A popular but
sometimes problematic strategy is
the advance cuebid, which is a control-showing bid that's made before
you've explicitly agreed on the trump
suit. When partner can read your
meaning, this type of cuebid can improve slam auctions by allowing you
to exchange information at a lower
level. When he can't, you may get to
practice declaring a 3-2 fit.
The advance cuebid works best in
auctions where it's obvious that you
have support for partner's suit. For
example, you open 2NT, partner responds 3ࡖ (transfer to spades) and
you rebid 4ࡔ. Partner will know you
wouldn't risk going to the four level
unless you had a big fit. Your 4ࡔ bid
says, "I have enough to jump to 4ࡕ,
but my values are so perfect that I'm
showing my club ace on the way, in
case you have slam interest, too."
Your hand might be:
ࡕK Q 7 5 ࡖ10 6 ࡗA K Q 6 ࡔA K 3.
Advance cuebids can also be valu54 Bridge Bulletin June 2010

able when a fit is implied, as in
auctions where partner shows a long,
strong major. After you and partner
bid 1ࡖ-1NT (forcing); 3ࡖ, for example, responder's new suit bid shows
an ace and a fitting maximum for a
possible heart slam. You would bid
4ࡗ with a hand such as:
ࡕ7 5 ࡖK 3 ࡗA K 7 4 ࡔ10 8 7 4 3.
This is such a common usage that
an experienced partner would probably take this as a cuebid even without
prior discussion.
Most partners will also assume that
support is implied in this auction:
You
1NT
2ࡖ
3ࡗ

Partner
2ࡗ (transfer)
3ࡔ

3ࡗ shows a diamond control and a
fit for partner's second suit. It also denies support for his major (with three
or more hearts, you would rebid 3ࡖ).
Your early cuebid for the minor can
help partner evaluate slam potential
before the auction goes past 3NT.
A thoughtful partner shouldn't have
problems with these auctions. In all
the situations above, there are few, if
any, hands you could hold that would
justify a search for another trump
suit. Partner can logically conclude
that your new suit bid must be sending a message about support for his
suit.
You'll want to be more cautious
when considering a cuebid that requires a follow-up to uncover its
meaning. In these auctions, partner
is in the dark for one round, but will
be alerted to the true nature of your
hand when you make your next bid.
Ideally, here's how it works:

Partner
1ࡗ
3ࡔ
3NT

You
1NT
3ࡖ
4ࡔ

ࡕ8 4 3 ࡖA Q 3 ࡗ6 5 ࡔK 10 9 7 6.
You could have shown some slam
interest with a straightforward raise
to 4ࡔ at your second turn, but the
advance cuebid of 3ࡖ allows you to
start the control bidding a level lower.
At this point in the auction, partner
won't assume you're looking for slam.
He'll interpret 3ࡖ as showing a stopper for game rather than an ace for
slam, and he'll rebid 3NT if he has a
spade stopper. From his perspective,
your hand could be:
ࡕ7 4 3 ࡖK Q 3 ࡗ6 5 2 ࡔJ 6 3 2.
Your 4ࡔ bid clarifies that 3ࡖ was a
control bid for a club slam. It also focuses partner's attention on the need
for a spade control. If he holds:
ࡕA 10 ࡖ5 ࡗA K Q 7 4 ࡔA Q 8 5 4,
your auction will convince him to use
key card Blackwood and bid the club
slam.
So what's the risk? In the ideal auction, your slam intentions were clear
because you freely bid past 3NT.
However, change partner's hand to:
ࡕ5 ࡖK J ࡗA K 10 9 4 3 ࡔA Q J 8
and he'll get to the four level before
you can. With no spade stopper, he'll
have to bid 4ࡗ at his third turn, and
you'll have no way to tell him what
your 3ࡖ bid really meant. Over 4ࡗ,
you could try 4ࡖ, but partner will
read this as a cuebid for diamonds,
not clubs. Or you could just bid 5ࡔ
or 6ࡔ and hope you guessed right. As
you ponder these poisons, that direct
4ࡔ raise will look better and better. ❒
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