Q-Bids aka CueBids

 

WHEN YOUR PARTNER BIDS forcing notrump, YOU MUST TURN OVER CONTROL TO YOUR PARTNER AND YOU DON'T GET IT BACK UNLESS HE RETURNS TO YOUR OPENED MAJOR.

 

There are FIVE KEY WORDS IN BRIDGE:

1.  FOCUS

2.  DISCIPLINE

3.  PATIENCE

4.  CONTROL

5.  PARTNER

 

There are TWO KINDS OF Q BIDS: THERE ARE Q BIDS WHICH OCCUR IN CONSTRUCTIVE BIDDING, AND THERE ARE Q BIDS WHICH OCCUR IN COMPETITIVE BIDDING.

 

To understand both types, we must first understand what those two terms mean--constructive and competitive. Constructive bidding occurs when the opponents are silent. Competitive bidding occurs the moment after both sides have bid.

 

EXAMPLE OF CONSTRUCTIVE BIDDING:

1 heart by partner..pass...two hearts by you..pass..four hearts by partner..all pass..

 

EXAMPLE OF COMPETITIVE BIDDING:

1 HEART BY PARTNER...one spade by opponent....two hearts by you.....pass....four hearts by partner..all pass..

AFTER OPPONENT BID ONE SPADE ...ALL THE REST OF THE BIDDING WAS  COMPETITIVE

 

It is very important that you learn these two languages SEPARATELY because no WORD IN ONE IS THE SAME AS THAT WORD IN THE OTHER. TWO HEARTS IN CONSTRUCTIVE DOES NOT HAVE THE SAME MEANING AS TWO HEARTS IN COMPETITIVE, so with that understanding, it is time to turn to q bids.

 

Western Q has two parts: a part for Constructive language and a part for COMPETITIVE LANGUAGE.

 

FIRST THE PART FOR constructive bidding:

If you bid Western Q, anytime you or your partner bids the FOURTH SUIT (in other words, three of the suits have been bid by you and partner), and now one of you bids the FOURTH SUIT, AND THIS BID IS MADE BELOW THE THREE NOTRUMP LEVEL, it is NOT A NATURAL BID SHOWING THAT SUIT. Instead, it is a forcing bid showing at least GAME POINTS and IT ASKS YOUR PARTNER IF SHE HAS THAT SUIT STOPPED. 

 

Example:

1 club by partner…1 diamond by you....1 heart by partner....1 SPADE BY YOU ..

THIS fourth suit of spades bid by you says:  PARTNER WE HAVE GAME POINTS...AND DO YOU HAVE A SPADE STOPPER? Since partner’s bid of one club followed by a change in suit of hearts promises 13 points, you must have at least 12 points to have game. If you have at least 12 versus 12 GAME WILL USUALLY MAKE WITH 24. THIS IS NOT TRUE WITH 14 VERSUS 10 OR 13 VERSUS 11, BUT ONLY WITH 12 VERSUS 12. IT IS THE BASIS FOR THE WEAK NOTRUMP.

 

RULE

WHENEVER YOU BID TWO SUITS...

YOU MUST HAVE THE FOLLOWING:

 

The Western Q is always alertable and you simply say:  "forcing and asking for stopper"

 

Let’s turn to the OTHER CONSTRUCTIVE Q BID. ANY TIME YOU AND PARTNER HAVE AGREED ON TRUMP, any suit bid after this agreement IS A Q BID.

EXAMPLE:

1 HEART BY YOU...PASS...TWO HEARTS BY PARTNER...PASS...TWO SPADES BY YOU IS A Q BID!!! You are looking for game, or even slam. THIS q bid is not like WESTERN Q -- IT IS NOT LOOKING FOR A STOPPER. IT IS SHOWING first round control showing either the ace of a void. It is telling partner to do something depending on the context.

 

A STOPPER CAN BE ONE OF THE FOLLOWING:

 

EXAMPLE 1:

1 HEART  BY YOU....PASS....TWO HEARTS BY PARTNER...PASS...two SPADES BY YOU SAYS: PARTNER, I have the ace or void in spades and I would love to be in game.

 

EXAMPLE 2:

1 HEART BY YOU...PASS...FOUR HEARTS BY PARTNER...(BERGEN SHOWING 0 TO 7 POINTS AND FIVE HEARTS)...PASS...FOUR SPADES BY YOU. THIS Q BID OF FOUR SPADES SAYS: PARTNER, I HAVE THE ACE OR VOID IN SPADES and I WOULD LOVE TO BE IN SIX SPADES.

 

1 HEART...PASS...FOUR HEARTS....PASS...FOUR SPADES...PASS...SIX HEARTS SAYS: PARTNER I LOVE YOUR FIRST ROUND CONTROL IN SPADES AND I AM AT THE TOP OF MY BID. I HAVE FIVE HEARTS AND 7 POINTS.

 

The open of two clubs promises one two types of hands, either:

1)      22 plus points and all suits stopped and notrump distribution, OR

2)      a single suited hand of at least six cards in length and nine tricks and four defensive tricks.

 

EXAMPLE

1 HEART.....PASS.....TWO CLUBS...PASS....TWO HEARTS...PASS....FOUR HEARTS...PASS...FIVE DIAMONDS. Hearts has been confirmed as trump. Bidding five diamonds must now mean that you have first round control of diamonds, and you are interested in slam.

 

Q BID IN COMPETITIVE BIDDING

IN COMPETITIVE bidding...THERE CAN ONLY BE ONE KIND OF Q BID --

THE Q BID OF OPPONENTS BID SUIT!!! If this q bid occurs BELOW THE THREE NOTRUMP LEVEL, IT IS WESTERN Q ASKING FOR A STOPPER. IF IT OCCURS ABOVE THE THREE NOTRUMP LEVEL, IT IS FIRST ROUND CONTROL

ASKING FOR GAME OR SLAM.

 

EXAMPLE:

1 heart by you...pass ...1 spade by partner...two clubs by second opponent....THREE CLUBS BY YOU ...IS WESTERN Q ASKING PARTNER FOR A STOPPER IN CLUBS..AND PROMISING GAME POINTS. Since your partner has only shown 5 points, you must have about 21. WESTERN Q ASKS FOR STOPPERS FROM PARTNER.

 

1 heart by you...two clubs by opponent....four hearts by partner...pass by second opponent...FIVE CLUBS BY YOU. SINCE THIS FIVE CLUBS OCCURS ABOVE THREE NOTRUMP, it is showing first round control in clubs and is showing interest in slam. Since partners bidding showed 0-7 points, he goes to six with 7 and bids five hearts with 0. Partner’s bid of four hearts promised the following: five hearts and 0 to 7 points. It is a Law bid

 

The use of Q bids is a LOT EASIER TO USE THAN Blackwood or Gerber. The key to understanding them is the following:

 

1)      DO NOT CONFUSE WESTERN Q BIDS WITH FIRST ROUND CONTROL SHOWING Q BIDS

2)      DO NOT CONFUSE Q BIDS WITH DOUBLE JUMP SPLINTER BIDS

3)      DO NOT CONFUSE Q BIDS WITH SINGLE JUMP SHAPE SHOWING BIDS

4)      YOU OR PARTNER MUST SHOW FIRST ROUND CONTROL BEFORE EITHER OF YOU CAN SHOW SECOND ROUND CONTROL

5)      ALWAYS SHOW YOUR CHEAPEST FIRST ROUND CONTROL FIRST.

 

The key to understanding Western Q is that it always occurs below three notrump and without an agreement on a trump suit. So if trump has been agreed on or if the bid occurs above the three notrump level. THE Q BID CAN NOT BE WESTERN Q!

 

A Q bid is NEVER SHOWN WITH A JUMP OR DOUBLE JUMP.

 

THE FIRST ROUND CONTROL SHOWING Q BID IS ALWAYS MADE IN YOUR CHEAPEST SUIT.

BECAUSE...that will TELL YOUR PARTNER WHEN YOU ARE MISSING ONE..

 

EXAMPLE:

1 HEART  BY PARTNER...PASS...two notrump ( jacoby ) by partner..pass..four hearts by you...pass....FIVE DIAMONDS BY PARTNER. NOTICE THAT THIS is showing FIRST ROUND CONTROL BID OF FIVE DIAMONDS. It also tells you that your partner does NOT HAVE FIRST ROUND CONTROL IN CLUBS SINCE THIS SUIT WAS SKIPPED.  IF YOU NOW Q BID IN RESPONSE TWO CLUBS...it must be to show the first round control in CLUBS, NOT THE SECOND ROUND SINCE NEITHER OF YOU HAS SHOWN FIRST ROUND CONTROL OF CLUBS. Again,

FIRST ROUND CONTROL IS THE ACE OR A VOID. SECOND ROUND CONTROL IS THE KING, DOUBLETON OR A SINGLETON. THERE IS NO SUCH THING AS A Q BID IN TRUMP.

 

YOU HAVE THREE WAYS TO TRY FOR SLAM WITHOUT SLAM POINTS..

 

Stealing opponents BIDS

IF YOU ARE USING THRU THREE SPADES...THE NEGATIVE DOUBLE, then

UNLESS YOUR OPPONENT STEALS YOUR BID WITH A BID HIGHER THAN THREE SPADES, you CAN NEVER SHOW THAT HE HAS DONE THAT WITH A DOUBLE and most of the time you will be PASSING. BUT NOT ALL THE TIME --

SOME TIMES YOU WILL IF YOU HAVE THE POINT COUNT BE BIDDING NOTRUMP and for this, you will be learning  LEBENSHOL.

 

IN LEBENSHOL THE Q BID OF OPPONENT’S BID SUIT IS STAYMAN

Example:

1 notrump by partner....TWO CLUBS BY FIRST OPPONENT...THREE CLUBS BY YOU IS NOW STAYMAN

1 NT by partner...two hearts by opponent...THREE HEARTS BY YOU IS NOW STAYMAN.

 

We use a convention called INVERTED MINOR SUITS.

WHEN YOU BID INVERTED, THESE ARE YOUR BIDS:

1)      THREE DIAMONDS SHOWS 0-7 POINTS AND SIX DIAMONDS

2)      TWO DIAMONDS SHOWS:  10 + POINTS, NO FOUR CARD MAJOR AND FIVE + DIAMONDS

3)      1 NOTRUMP SHOWS 5-9 POINTS AND NO FOUR CARD MAJOR SUIT

 

STAY OUT OF A MINOR SUIT PARTIAL IF YOU CAN -- THE minor suit partial is the very bottom of the pyramid. The top of the pyramid is the seven bid.

 

RULES: