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The Unassuming Cuebid

 
The auction has begun (1 )-1 ♠-(P)-? Your partner has overcalled 1 ♠ and you have a fit. As we have seen, you should bid to the level of your spade fit (on preemptive grounds), even with virtually nothing. So the question arises: what do you do when you have a genuinely good hand with spade support?

The answer is to use a redundant bid, that of opener’s suit, at the lowest level, to show 10+ points and three+ cards in support: 2  in the above auction. Or 2  in this auction: (1 )-1 ♠-(2 ♣)-? This is termed an Unassuming Cue Bid (UCB).

What would you bid in response to your partner’s 1 overcall in this auction: (1 ♣)-1  - (1 ♠)-? with these three hands:
Hand A   Hand B   Hand C
♠ A Q 6 4 2
Q 4 2
Q 4 2
J 6
  ♠ 8 3
Q 9 6 2
7 4
K 10 8 4 2
  ♠ A Q 10
Q J 10
10 9 7 4 2
8 7

(A).  2 . (B). 3 . (C). 2 .
  • Hand (A) is a perfect UCB: 10+ pts and three+ hearts. Partner can retreat to 2  with no game interest, or make another (descriptive) bid to look for game.
  • With Hand (B) you should bid 3  – to the level of the fit, showing four hearts and 0-9 points.
  • Hand (C) may not (quite) have 10 points, but those majors look fabulous, the spade honours sitting over the opposing spade bidder. Upgrade to a UCB. As usual, high card point ranges are guidelines, not fixed rules.
East Deals
None Vul
A K 4 3
Q 3 2
7 4 3
K 5 2
10 8 6 5
J 10 8 5
Q 8 5
10 7
 
N
W   E
S
 
Q J 2
9
K 10 6 2
A J 8 6 3
 
9 7
A K 7 6 4
A J 9
Q 9 4
West North East South
    1  1 
Pass 2 1 Pass 4 2
Pass Pass Pass  
  1. 10+ points and three+ hearts: the UCB.
  2. At least 24 points plus a heart fit. Should South look for (or even bid) 3 NT? 3 NT would be better here, but I don’t think so given the two small spades.
West led  10 of his partner’s clubs and declarer correctly covered with dummy’s  K, to promote his  Q9. East won  A and led back  6, declarer finessing  9. He crossed to  Q and led back to  AK, disappointed to observe the 4-1 trump split (East discarding two clubs).

Leaving West’s  J outstanding, declarer crossed to  K and led  3, needing to make a second diamond trick. When East played  2, he inserted  9, the deep finesse, hoping East held  K10/  Q10.  9 drew West’s  Q (good).

West cashed  J and exited with  6, but declarer won dummy’s  A and led  4, finessing  J when East played  6. This finesse won and declarer could now cash  A,  Q and  7. 10 tricks and game made.
tricks and game made.

 

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