Michaels: Bridge Convention

(Michaels cuebids)

Michaels cuebids are a nice descriptive bid. They are an annoyance to the opponents and allow you to compete fast. They should be either weak (pre-emptive) or very strong. We define very strong as not needing much help from partner to make game. If you need help from partner, the hand drops to intermediate status. Intermediate Michaels hands should be handled by just overcalling or doubling when you hold quick tricks. This helps partner judge in competitive auctions as she will bid on the assumption that you are pre-emptive when you start with a Michaels bid. You, of course, can cuebid again or double the opponents when you have the rock.

Over using the Michaels cuebid convention is bad Bridge. Over weak 2's and 3's, Michaels hands should be handled by straight overcalling or doubling with defense. Equal level Conversion will sort things out after a two suited double. It is much better to have a different meaning for a cuebid in pre-emptive auctions. My partners and I play the cuebid of a weak 2 as a Western cuebid. This gets us to some good 3NT's from the correct side with otherwise un-biddable hands. When we do have a 2 suiter over a weak 2 with the other major, we jump in our minor. For example, if we have hearts and diamonds, we bid 4 over a 2 weak two.

Over the opponents pre-emptive 3 bids, it is silly to waste the cuebid as Michaels, You are essentially pre-empting against a pre-empt by doing that. Just overcall with a distributional two suiter. A cuebid should be a strong distributional hand most likely a 2 suiter but not necessarily. This action clarifies things immediately for partner in tough pre-emptive auctions. She knows that you do not have a silly weak Michaels hand. She can take appropriate action in competition including doubling the opponents based on the strength of your hand.

Balancing is another area where I feel Michaels bids should be avoided. The Michaels cuebid is a waste in the balancing chair as it can be put to better use by clarifying balancing doubles, Quite often a balancing double is converted for penalties by partner. When you have a strong distributional hand which you want to prevent that happening, you cuebid instead. This cuebid will cover the strong Michaels hands anyway. Weak Michaels hands in the balancing can just be handled by bidding one of your suits and later competing in the other suit. Very hard for partner to go wrong in these balancing auctions as converting a cuebid for penalty is difficult.

The balancing double in general shows defense rather than shape. Recently my partner held a defensive 22 HCP in the balancing spot. The opponents opened a weak 2 so around to my partner in the balancing seat. Should he cuebid immediately to show his demand two? No, if partner converts his double for penalty he is more than happy. A cuebid in the balancing should show a demand two with distribution or a request to bid 3NT with a stopper. Partner doubled the weak 2 and then pulled my Lebensohl 2NT to 3 so what does that mean? Since he chose to double first, the bid probably shows a defensive demand two with a 5 card heart suit. There is a negative inference in what he did not do directly in the balancing spot. A leap to 4 directly is a strong hand (do not pre-empt over a pre-empt).

Before Michaels cuebids were invented, Charles Goren had cuebids in competition defined as rocks, This was too restrictive, so Michaels cuebids were invented to describe weak or strong 2 suiters. Do not go overboard with Michaels though, the Goren cuebid still has merit in certain auctions so are far more useful then Michaels cuebids in these auctions.

Do not forget the either or aspect of these toys, Their range is either a pre-emptive hand to a hand with game nearly in your own hand. When you still need help from partner, choose a double holding quick tricks and an overcall with softer values.

A Tormentee held this hand xxxx AQ10 xx Kxxx with everybody vulnerable.

1	2	Pass	3
Pass	4	Pass	?

You bid 3 on the basis that 2 was the lower end bid. Partner contracted for game single handedly knowing that you could have nothing. You have 9 HCP more than you announced with 3 heart honours and an outside king. Of course, you should have slam unless partner is bidding your hand for you and is assuming 9 HCP's for her 4 bid. So you bid 4NT and partner bids 6 showing 3 Aces with a useful void. You bid 7 and partner tables void KJxxx AKQJxx Ax, so you claim your grand slam.

Delicate auctions demand trusting partner for their bids. When they do not have their bids, you tend to master mind and pass 4 with these hands. Slams and grand slams are routinely missed.

There is another way of showing the strong Michael's bid when the opponents jam you and you do not want to double.

void KQ1098 AKQ10xx Ax.

1	2	Pass	3
4	5	Pass	6

They open 1 so you bid 2 showing the "rock" Michaels. Partner bids 3 and the opponents bid 4. You want to show the big Michaels but you do not want 4 doubled to be converted. You bid 5 and since hearts are agreed, that must show the distributional strong Michaels. Now it is easy for partner to bid 6 for +1390.