From: wchen@beirut.berkeley.edu (William Chen)
Newsgroups: rec.games.bridge
Subject: Re: The multi horror
Date: 19 Dec 92 08:19:27 GMT
Organization: U.C. Berkeley Math. Department.

In article <83205@apadravya.princeton.edu> bpwing@phoenix.princeton.edu (Ben Wing) writes:
>In article <1992Dec15.152215.1474@sunova.ssc.gov> henk@pdsf.ssc.gov (Henk Uijterwaal) writes:
>|Janne Veikko Petteri Kallunki writes:
>|
>|+> Dealer North/N-S vulnerable/IMPs
>|+> You as a south hold KJT9xxxx/7x/8/9x.
>|+> Your partner starts with 2D which is multi 
>|+> (6+card major -11 points or 21-22 points balanced).
>|+> East pass.
>|+> What's your bid?
>|
>|2 H. What's the problem here? If partner holds a weak 2, I don't mind
>|playing 2H with a 8 card fit and less than 14 points. If partner has a
>|strong hand, I can always show long spades in the next round.  The 
>|alternative is 4 S (To play opposite any weak 2), but red vs white, I
>|prefer a better suit for 4 S.
>
>If partner has the weak 2H type of hand, then W has a huge hand, and quite
>possibly a slam, and you don't want to bid something pusillanimous like 2H.

While I agree 2H is a wimpy bid, there seems to be some justification for 
it, especially at this vul.  Since partner can haave up to 11 points,
game is not an absolute especially with the majors laking.   Also, 
it's plausible that 3H or 3S is axed for down 2+ when slam is off.

While I'd probably bid 2S or 3S over a known weak 2H bid, it's pretty likely
that partner has the strong hand, and a 3s bid would make it harder 
for you to bid.     


>
>| 
>|+> I did 3 spades.
>|+> West pass and my partner's bid is 3 NT.
>|+> Now, what should I do?
>|
>|3 S shows a desire to play either 3 S OR 4 H. As I definitely want a 
>|correction to 4 H, the bid is wrong. I have no idea what to do next,
>|none of my bids will show a mild slam invite with long spades only.
>
>I would just bid 4S, despite the vulnerability.  Although I don't know
>what the standard responses to multi are, this is the most descriptive
>bid I can think of.

Now 4S seems a prime candidate for being axed for down 2+, and partner will
be none happpier if he has the strong hand after your bid.  What do others
think about a 2S bid here to see what's going on?


So now the bidding proceeds 2D-2H-2NT  or 2D-2S-2NT and it's as if partner
has opened 2nt, with perhaps partner having a little more information 
about your
>
>| 
>|+> I did 6 spades and my partner raised it to 7.
>|
>|Seems like an overbid. You really want to play 6S opposite ANY 21-22 NT?

Yeah actually I'm curious as to how to proceed with this hand after 
even the auction described above or a standard 2nt opening.  After 
a 3nt opening, however there seems to be no really good way.  4S sounds
mostly signoffish, you can't cue bid anything, and you don't have the
right hand to ask for controls.  Maybe a 5S invitation here, what would
a 5C bid mean?  6S seems like a reasonable gamble here--unfortunately
anything you do seems to be a guess.      

>|
>|+> Which cards had she?
>|+> She had AQ8/AK/ATx/ATxxx so it was one down and we lost 17 imps.
>|+> What should I have done?
>|

A very good 21 point hand--all primary controls and 4+n running tricks if you 
have n spades.  I'd be tempted to bid 7S here, if partner thinks he 
can make 6 opposite an average 21-22 point hand (which is false in this
case)  You should have some more values for his 6S bid.  

Question: what would happen if partner tries to keep the bidding open
by 6nt?  While this would be signoff at MP, what would it mean here? 

(Answer: you show up with  KJTxxxx xxx xx x which makes 6S on a heart ruff
         :-) )


>
>Presumably partner's 3N implies a spade fit, and thus 6S is reasonable.
>Partner, however, has absolutely no business raising to 7.  Presumably your
>3S bid showed weakness; where are 13 tricks coming from?  And even if 7 is
>there, the other tables probably won't get there.  (assuming a normal 2N
>opening by North, how many people are going to get to 7S when it's there,
>6S when it's there, and stay out of slam otherwise?  Hands like these are
>problematic.)


>
>If you bid 4S, though, things are much easier.  Partner presumably takes you
>for 8 spades and little or no outside defense, and can count 12 tricks.  She
>can bid something (e.g. 4N or 5C) in an attempt to get you to cue-bid an
>outside honor, and when you show none, just bid 6S (or better, 6N).

Yes, in this case, partner can handle the 4S bid, but I still don't
think the 4S bid is good if partner does not have primary values or if
she has an average 9-10 point weak 2 bid. 

William -- So what's been happeneing in the world the past 3 months? 
Newsgroups: rec.games.bridge