AFTER OPENING: CUEBID RAISES
A Cuebid is the bid of a suit in which you do not intend to play. The Cuebid has a special meaning in agreement with your partner depending on when it is used. Today we discuss the Cuebid Raise. You are the opener. The Cuebid Raise may be bid by you or your partner in response to a bid by one of your opponents.
For example, you open One Heart. Your left-hand opponent bids Two Diamonds. Your partner now bids Three Diamonds! Your partner does not want to play Diamonds. His bid is called a “Cuebid Raise”. It is a bid of the opponent’s suit with a special meaning to you. In this case, it means that partner is making a limit raise of your Hearts showing at least three-Heart support and a hand strength of 10-12 points.
Therefore, by using the Cuebid Raise agreement, your partner can get three bids for the price of one! First, his bid interferes with the opponent’s bidding while giving you information at the same time. Second, he reserves the jump bid of Three Hearts to show pre-emptive support for your Hearts with a weak hand. Third, he shows Heart support with a hand strength of 10-12 points.
You, of course, are required to bid. You CANNOT PASS and leave your partner in Three Diamonds, the opponent’s suit! So your second bid will depend on the strength of your hand. You know what partner has. You bid Three Hearts for the part score, or Four Hearts for the game score.
Guideline One: Either partner may bid the opponent’s suit to make a Cuebid Raise.
Guideline Two: If partner bids a new suit and your right-hand opponent bids a new suit, you can do a Cuebid Raise of your opponent’s suit to show your support for partner’s suit.
Guideline Three: Cuebid Raises are like three bids in one. With the Cuebid Raise, partner can do a support bid showing a hand strength of 10-12 points. Or partner can do a pre-emptive bid of your suit showing a weak hand and support for your suit. In addition, the Cuebid Raise interferes with the opponent’s bidding.
For more information, check out “Cuebid Raises” in Barbara Seagram’s 25 Bridge Conventions You Should Know P. 95
Next Week: Examples of when you or partner could use the convention “Cuebid Raises”
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