Bridge players are often reluctant to use cue bids because their meaning can be very confusing, as, for example, the Western Cue Bid. However, cue bids can be extremely helpful and, in fact, necessary in many situations, and therefore, should be used as part of your bidding strategy.
What is needed to get over the fear of the use of cue bids is a clear and concise explanation of how they are used. Take the example of attempting to reach a 3NT game contract when there is competitive bidding. How do you know if partner has a stopper in the opponent’s suit, so that you can safely play in NT?
We can’t do any better than Larry Cohen’s explanation of a common use of cue bids, including the Western Cue.
In future articles we will consider other uses of the cue bid. Enjoy Larry’s article!