Bridge Cue Bids – How Control Cue Bids Work in Slam Bidding
Bridge Cue Bids – Complete Guide to Control Cue Bids in Bridge
Cue bids are one of the most powerful tools in partnership bidding. They allow you to explore slam safely, show controls, avoid impossible contracts, and communicate critical information that simple point counting cannot reveal.
This guide explains everything you need to know about cue bids, including:
What cue bids are and why they matter
The difference between control cue bids and Western cue bids
How to use first and second round controls
Example auctions showing cue bidding in action
When not to cue bid
How to practise cue bidding on Bridge Champ
1. What Is a Cue Bid in Bridge
A cue bid is any bid where you bid a suit previously bid by the opponents or a suit not intended as natural. In modern bidding theory, cue bids mainly fall into two categories:
Control cue bids used in slam exploration
Western cue bids used to ask for a stopper before bidding notrump
This article focuses on control cue bids, the essential tool for slam bidding.
2. What Are Control Cue Bids
Control cue bids are bids used after a trump fit has been established. Their purpose is to show that your hand has protection or control in a particular suit so that the opponents cannot immediately win two tricks in that suit.
A cue bid always shows one of the following:
A first round control (Ace or void)
A second round control (King or singleton)
Cue bids help answer one key question:
Can the opponents take the first two tricks in any suit?
If the answer is yes, a slam is impossible. Cue bids allow partners to verify safety before using Blackwood or Roman Key Card Blackwood.
3. When Cue Bidding Begins
Cue bidding usually begins only after:
A clear trump fit has been established
The partnership is interested in reaching at least a small slam
Once the fit is known, each partner begins showing controls in side suits, working up the bidding ladder.
Example
If hearts are agreed as trumps, cue bidding starts above game forcing auctions such as
1♥ – 3♥
1♥ – 2♣ – 2♥ – 3♥
4. How Control Cue Bids Work
Cue bids follow these principles:
A cue bid is the bid of the next suit up where you have control
Partnerships cue bid controls in order from the lowest suit upward
Skipping a suit denies control in that suit
Showing a control promises slam interest
For example, after 1♥ – 3♥ (invitational), a cue bid always shows slam interest. Without slam ambitions responder would simply bid 4♥.
Example
With hearts agreed as trumps, the cue bid order is typically
Clubs → Diamonds → Spades
If you bypass clubs and cue bid diamonds instead, partner knows you do not have a club control.
5. First Round vs Second Round Control
Control cue bids show either type of control:
First round control
Ace or void
Opponents cannot win the first trick in that suit
Second round control
King or singleton
Opponents cannot win two fast tricks in that suit
Partnerships may choose to differentiate between first and second round control, or treat all controls the same. Many advanced pairs explicitly distinguish them.
6. Example Auctions Showing Cue Bids
Example 1 – Verifying Controls Before Blackwood
Trump suit: spades
Auction
1♠ – 3♠
4♣ (club control) – 4♦ (diamond control)
4NT (RKCB)
Meaning
Both players show controls in clubs and diamonds before launching RKCB.
By bidding 4NT, opener also implies heart control, because without it opener would sign off in 4♠.
Example 2 – Denying a Control
Trump suit: hearts
Auction
1♥ – 3♥
4♣ (club control) – 4♦ (diamond control)
4♥ – Pass
Explanation
Responder skips spades entirely, denying a spade control.
Opener now knows the partnership lacks a necessary control, making slam unsafe.
Example 3 – Cue Bids Leading to a Safe Slam
Auction
1♦ – 1♥
3♣ – 4♣
4♦ – 4♠
4NT – 6♣
Interpretation
3♣ establishes clubs as trumps
4♣ shows slam interest and begins cue bidding
4♦ shows diamond control
4♠ shows spade control
After confirming controls in all suits and checking for key cards, opener confidently bids 6♣.
7. Western Cue Bid
The Western Cue Bid is different from a control cue bid. It asks partner whether they have a stopper in a suit so that you can bid notrump.
Western cue bids typically occur after the opponents have bid a suit. You cue bid their suit to ask:
Partner, can we safely play 3NT?
Example
1♦ – 1♠ – 2♣ – 2♠
3♠ = Western cue bid asking for a spade stopper
Western cue bids have nothing to do with slam exploration. They are about establishing safety for notrump contracts.
8. When Not to Cue Bid
Avoid cue bidding when:
Your hand does not have slam interest
Partner has already shown minimum strength
You have no real trump fit
Cue bidding forces the auction too high
You cannot show controls before reaching the five level
Cue bids are precise signals, not general strength-showing tools.
9. Cue Bids and Roman Key Card Blackwood
Cue bids and RKCB work together. Before using RKCB, you must first ensure that no side suit has two quick losers.
Cue bid first
Locate all necessary controls
If safe, launch RKCB
This prevents using RKCB when a slam is impossible due to uncontrolled suits.
For a complete guide to RKCB, read:
Roman Key Card Blackwood (RKCB) – Guide to 1430 and 3014
https://bridgechamp.com/blog/roman-key-card-blackwood-rkcb-guide/
10. How to Practise Cue Bidding on Bridge Champ
Bridge Champ provides everything needed to practise cue bidding effectively. You can:
Create customised slam-oriented deals in Deal Source
Practise cue bidding sequences with a partner
Analyse full bidding histories after each board
Test situations under pressure in live tournaments
Play with camera and microphone for realistic partnership interaction
Cue bidding requires discipline, partnership trust and repetition, and Bridge Champ supports all three.
11. Summary
Cue bids are essential tools for accurate and safe slam bidding.
They clarify which suits are under control and prevent the partnership from reaching hopeless slams.
Use cue bids only after establishing a trump fit and genuine slam interest
Show controls in order, lowest suit first
Use Western cue bids exclusively to ask for stoppers before 3NT
Practise cue bidding alongside RKCB for the best results
Mastering cue bids significantly improves slam bidding judgment. Bridge Champ is the perfect place to practise these skills with a partner.
