What’s your call?
| 2♥ | 2♠ | 2NT | ||
| 3♣ | 3♦ | 3♥ | 3♠ | 3NT |
| 4♣ | 4♦ | 4♥ | 4♠ | 4NT |
| 5♣ | 5♦ | 5♥ | 5♠ | 5NT |
| 6♣ | 6♦ | 6♥ | 6♠ | 6NT |
| 7♣ | 7♦ | 7♥ | 7♠ | 7NT |
| Pass | Dbl |
With apologies to Lewis Carroll: “When I use a cuebid, it means just what I choose it to mean — neither more nor less.” Half of our expert panel knows precisely what their 3♦ cuebid here means (even if it doesn’t mean the same thing twice), and they seem to have no doubt that partner will know what it means, too. The beauty of a cuebid is that partner won’t pass, and if the opponents don’t bail you out by bidding – fat chance of that happening! – you’ll have another chance to clarify what you wanted to convey, albeit a level higher.
Boehm says that the cuebid here most often shows “a strong, balanced hand without a stopper in the opponent’s suit, or sometimes a big club hand or a huge heart raise. If I bid where I live – 2♠ – I’m stuck when partner raises.”
The Sutherlins explain their 3♦ : “Because we are playing support doubles, we can’t double to show a good hand. Our diamond stopper is too tenuous to bid notrump after a two-level overcall.”
According to Lee, “It seems normal to cuebid with a big balanced hand and no diamond stopper.”
Abdou says partner should have no problem recognizing this directionless-big-hand cuebid. “I didn’t make a support double or jump to 3♥ or 4♥. If I have hearts, I will be able to show them later. 2♠ is possible, but I may not be able to recover from the distortion.”
Stack’s more generic term is the nebulous cuebid. “I have too much to pass, so I will try 3♦ and hope to land in a good spot. Any other bid, including pass, would be a distortion of values. I’m hoping that this might be interpreted as a kind of Western cuebid.” [What if he thinks it’s an Eastern cuebid?]
Falk’s a cuebidder. “Before support doubles, we could double with this hand. Now I must cuebid and hope we land on our feet. The cuebid says, ‘I have a good hand: no heart raise, club rebid or notrump call describes this hand.”
Robinson makes things sound so easy. “3♦ – shows a good hand and denies three- or four-card heart support.”
Korbel bids 3♦ , but at least he has the grace to see that this cuebid isn’t the panacea everyone’s making it out to be. “3♦ is a clear overbid and the follow-up auction may be murky if partner doesn’t bid 3NT. But my second choice of 3♣ is too embarrassing to put into print.”
It can never be a good thing when a panelist opens his justification with “amongst all the lies …” Surprisingly it’s Cohen. “Amongst all the lies, I think 2♠ has the most upside. Partner would raise only if he had four, and maybe a 4–3 spade fit is our best fit.”
2♠ by Hampson: “Nothing looks too good here, but this seems like the least of evils.”
“Perfectly revolting,” announces Lawrence, thrilling the director no end. “If not using support doubles, I would make a penalty double. Because I do use them, I can’t do that here. My call is 2♠, the least obnoxious of all possible bids. 3♣ is tempting, but it doesn’t show this much and it does show better clubs.”
2♠ by the always graceful Meyers: “This is an awkward hand. My choices are 3♣, 3♦ and 2♠. I think 2♠ is the least awkward.”
Rigal, who says that Eric Rodwell has permitted an exception to the “support-double-promises-three rule” with hands of this sort, bids 2♠. “I’m not a big fan of Eric’s idea. It doesn’t come up often enough to make it worthwhile. That said, I’m stuck here, so I will invent a call in the hopes that I can get past this round.”
Sanborn is in the Rodwell camp. “Double. Although most pairs play this as support, an addendum is frequently ‘support or a big hand.’ These types of hands are unbiddable without that agreement.”
Weinstein doubles intending it as sort of support. “I’m a heart short, but I’ll bid 2NT next time and hope to survive. If we end up in a 5–2 heart fit, good luck, pard. I’m not strong enough to force to game with 3♦ .”
Colchamiro calls his double a white lie. “If partner responds 2♥, 3♣ by me gives him room for 3♦ , 3♥ or 3NT. If he responds 3♦ , I’ll try 3♠; if he bids 3♥ or 3NT, I’m done.”
