Structure 7G77 Main

Invisible Cue-Bids

by Richard Pavlicek

In a Nutshell

In the late 1970s a convention called “unusual over unusual” was developed (not sure by whom) to cope with an opponent’s unusual 2 NT overcall. While reasonable, its specific application to one kind of two-suited overcall was shortsighted. Therefore, I generalized it for all two-suited overcalls and added some wrinkles. The basic agreement is that the cheapest bid in a suit shown by the opponent shows support for opener, with values better than a single raise.

The name had to be changed. “Unusual over unusual” sounds pretty stupid when the enemy bid is Michaels, so “invisible cue-bids” were born — the implication being that the cue-bid suit was never actually bid. I introduced the name in Modern Bridge Conventions (1981 book co-authored with Bill Root) but even to this day, many players still use the inane moniker.

For details refer to After Two-Suited Overcall in the Pavlicek System notes.

Structure 7G77 Main Top Invisible Cue-Bids