Cue bidding and ace asking – when is it one and not the other?

 

Whatever your style of cue bidding  -  simple first round control, relay cues, mixed first or second round controls  -  it will fit in with the new ace asking method.  You still have the choice of cue bidding or ace asking  -  or both  -  but take care that you agree on the interpretation of a suit bid!  If a bid could be the ace ask, then it is the ace ask and not a cue bid.  This is important if you have a hand suitable for cue bidding and were not intending to ace ask.  When about to embark on cue bidding, always remind yourself what the asking suit is.  Where a bid is the asking suit, it is always the ace ask and not a cue bid.

 

1 - 4 - 4  is the ace ask (spades is the asking suit when hearts are trumps)

1 - 4 - 5   is a cue bid.

 

How do you cue bid spades in this sequence?  Again (as in the king replies in the ace ask), you use NT to substitute for the asking suit.   So 1 - 4 - 4NT is a cue bid showing first round control of spades (or whatever your methods indicate).

 

When cue bidding (as in king showing), you bid the cheaper bid first if you have it.  So 1 - 4 - 5   is a cue bid in clubs that denies the spade control.

            (You missed bidding 4NT to show the spade control.)

1 - 4 - 4NT is a cue bid in hearts that denies the spade control.

            (You missed bidding  4 to show the spade control.)

As you now have a better ace asking system that can also guarantee trump solidity and show specific kings,  I would suggest that a bid of 4 of the asking suit is always the ace ask and never a cue bid, even if you have already started cue bidding.

 

example

1 - 1 - stop 3 - ...                        stop and think.  Partner has agreed hearts.  Spades is therefore the asking suit and 4 would ask for aces.  But 3 is still a cue bid.  So ....  4 (cue bid showing clubs and denying spades)

Over this,  4 from partner is the ace ask, where you DO include in your responses any aces you have already shown.

 

Once the ace asking has started, there will usually be no more cue bids, as following bids will normally be queen and king asks.  However, if asker does not make an asking bid, but skips this and bids a non-trump suit, this would have to be interpreted as a demand for you to bid a shortage control.

 

If the bidding sequence misses the ace asking bid completely, as in the example of  1 - 4 - 5  then you continue cue bidding as normal.