[Hanoi5]

The usual Multi version in my country shows either a weak-2 in a Major or a balanced 22-23/26-27 hand. The responses are well defined and the most usual one is 2♥ which asks opener to pass if hearts are the weak suit or to correct to spades or NT according to his/her hand.

I have seen people using the 2♠ response in mainly the same way; some people say 2♠ shows an 'invitational' hand with hearts, which roughly means that if opener holds the hearts s/he should get to 4. Some people just say that 2♠ is just another pass/correct bid that can be used when opener 'knows' partner holds spades and not hearts (usually with hearts, for if opener has to show the red Major s/he needs to get to 3). I have even seen people bid 2♠ with 1-2 in the Majors and a poor hand. I think 2♠ should be bid with (and I usually bid it with) 5 hearts.

Anyway, today someone received the following collection:

♠T9x
♥J8xxxx
♦xx
♣xx

Now, would you bid 2♥ or 2♠ with it?

If partner opened in fourth seat, would you bid 2♥ or 2♠?

Finally, at my table the bidding went:

Pa-Pa-Pa-2♦
Pa-2♠-Pa-2NT*
Pa-4♦**-Pa-4NT***
Pa-5♦-Pa-5♥
Pa-Pa-Pa

*22-23 balanced
**Texas transfer
***Key Card

This contract went down one. Of course we're missing the strong hand but, who would you blame?

[Vampyr]

What was 4♦ -- a Texas transfer? What was 4NT -- a balanced super-accept? It's tough to know whom to blame if we don't know the methods. And it could be the methods that are at fault; does 2NT show 22-23 or could it be the stronger hand as well?

[inquiry]

The 2♠ response shows a desire to go to at least 3♥ if partner has a weak hand in hearts. If responder is 1-2 or 2-1 in the majors, he has no desire to go beyond two of openers major, so he has to bid 2♥ with both of them.

As for the 5♥ hand. Shoot opener.

Here is the issue. 2♠ was correct bid. You are willing to go high in hearts with a fit, but you actually know partner has the big balanced hand when it goes pass pass pass to him (otherwise where it the points). So bidding 2♠ now also happily means he can declarer the hand.

When he bids 2NT over your 2♠, i assume you play both jacoby and texas. So 4♦ is not inviting him to do ANYTHING OTHER THAN BID 4♥. If you wanted to invite him to consider going beyond 4♥, you would have bid 3♦, then raised 3♥ to 4♥. There is no way that a person who has descibed his hand as 22-23 hcp can possibly have anything in his opening bid to make it right for him to over-ride the normal texas transfer bid. 4NT (WHAT EVER IT IS) is a total lack of partnership discipline.

[nigel_k]

I would like to upvote inquiry's post but the buttons are not there. They are on the other posts, just not Ben's one.

[wank]

i'm guessing opener had never seen so many points before.

[rmnka447]

Opener is probably looking at ♥ AKQx and thinks responder won't make a move toward slam lacking the honors.
Even so, opener should let responder control the hand. There's no way for opener to know just what responder holds, so the 4 NT bid is insane.

I think inquiry's response makes perfect sense. I agree that any move by the big hand over 4 ♦ other than 4 ♥ is a gross breach of partnership trust.

[ahydra]

inquiry, on 2012-July-22, 00:00, said:

As for the 5♥ hand. Shoot opener.

Here is the issue. 2♠ was correct bid. You are willing to go high in hearts with a fit, but you actually know partner has the big balanced hand when it goes pass pass pass to him (otherwise where it the points). So bidding 2♠ now also happily means he can declarer the hand.

When he bids 2NT over your 2♠, i assume you play both jacoby and texas. So 4♦ is not inviting him to do ANYTHING OTHER THAN BID 4♥. If you wanted to invite him to consider going beyond 4♥, you would have bid 3♦, then raised 3♥ to 4♥. There is no way that a person who has descibed his hand as 22-23 hcp can possibly have anything in his opening bid to make it right for him to over-ride the normal texas transfer bid. 4NT (WHAT EVER IT IS) is a total lack of partnership discipline.

Agree 100% with this. And I like how, to really emphasise the point, inquiry has even capitalised the "HE" between square brackets (to make a ♥ symbol) in "ANYTHING OTHER THAN BID 4♥", where all his other suit symbols are lower-case

ahydra

[the_clown]

2♠ is clear, it is obvious that partner has a strong no trump and I dont see any reason why I should declare myself. Playing texas 4♦ followed by 4♥ is a clear signoff (3♦-4♥ is a mild slam try).

[mycroft]

Note, I am not a Multi player...

2♠ is a wimpy bid. 3♠ is my call on this hand, unless your multi weak-2s can be crappy 5-carders. Somebody has a 22-point hand, and if it's my LHO, 2♠ is going to get them to bid 2NT and they'll actually find which game they want. If it's partner, we'll have a nice texas auction to 4♥. If it's my RHO, then it won't be a 22-count; it'll be whatever is the "pass-and-double" hand, and 2♠ isn't going to be enough, especially as LHO's got something, too.

Having said that, I can do nothing but echo all the cheers for inquiry. 2♦-3♠; 3NT-4♦; 4♥ - wait, 4NT? what's that?

[keylime]

I'd hand inquiry the firearm, in the form of a paintball gun loaded with ammo filled with stinkbomb smelling paint, to aim at the opener.

[inquiry]

mycroft, on 2012-July-23, 10:43, said:

Note, I am not a Multi player...

2♠ is a wimpy bid. 3♠ is my call on this hand, unless your multi weak-2s can be crappy 5-carders. Somebody has a 22-point hand,

After 3 passes to your partner in 4th seat, which opponent do you think passed with a 22 point hand?