I have to confess, I believe that an opening weak 2 in a major is more effective than an opening weak 2 via the Multi 2D. The added pre-emptive value of an immediate 2S bid (which makes a takeout double with 4 hearts quite risky) has greater appeal than an opening 2D bid. With the latter, the opposition has more room for manoeuvre when making a bid or takeout double and this carries less risk to them. The Multi 2D holds no fear for most opponents today; partnerships will usually agree some simple defensive mechanism. Playing a Multi, and not being able to reveal the suit until a subsequent stage in the bidding often works against you as the opponents, who care to take time to work on a defence are able to show different hand types in 2nd, 4th, 6th and even 8th position.
I personally like to play the Multi 2D, but in a system where the overall effectiveness of 2-level openers is enhanced by employing additional weak or intermediate variations to 2H/S and 2NT openers (where these are permitted), rather than straight ACOL 2 bids. Now, the Multi 2D really comes into its own as part of a suite of 2 level bids that enable you to open more hands that get you into the bidding, often taking up valuable bidding space for the opponents. To me, this is attractive as I want to play an aggressive and competitive game. More often than not though, it is the pre-emptive value of these other 2-level opening bids that really add to the overall effectiveness of the system. The disadvantage lies in the fact that I need to have an understanding partner who is prepared to learn and accept these alternative system bids as well (Prospective candidates can contact me at the club).
I strongly advocate that if you are not able to spend time with a regular partner deciding on alternative two-level opening bids, you should opt for Benjaminised twos together with some simple relays in preference both to ACOL twos and the Multi. With a partner you probably sit opposite no more than two or three times a year, you can't really entertain any ideas of employing anything more complex than weak twos, because it takes time to adopt and practice the alternatives.
I found myself in such a situation at the club recently, playing with a partner whom I last sat facing nine months ago. We immediately agreed ACOL weak, transfers, and Benjamin twos (5-9 points) with simple responses to a 2NT relay (show an outside value if maximum by bidding the suit where it can be found, rebid the suit if minimum, bid 3NT with AKQxxx), and a few other common conventions.
Mid way through the evening, vulnerable against not, partner opened 2H.
I held:
 A965 J84 AK1083 A
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Although the weak 2 is intended mainly as a destructive bid, you have a hand good enough to instigate a constructive auction. You have four top winners, a singleton and a nine card fit - you are always going to bid game aren't you? However, slam is a distinct possibility if partner has the right cards, so it is worth investigating partner's holding in case he has some key values.
You bid 2NT and partner replies 3 diamonds, indicating he is maximum for his bid with a diamond feature. This is good news given your holding; it should be the queen. You are now open to the possibility of a slam because of the excellent fit in a second suit in addition to your controls in the two remaining suits. All that is left is to examine is the quality of partner's trump suit, and thankfully you are playing Roman Key Card Blackwood which you choose for the next step.
The only key cards missing are the A and K of hearts - you have the other three. His response will show whether he has one or both of them. If he bids 5 diamonds showing one key card, you will settle for 5 hearts. However, partner indicates two key cards - no trump queen, so his hand contains the maximum nine points, the ace and king of hearts and the queen of diamonds.
What a good fit!
You count four/five diamond tricks, a club, maybe a club ruff, a spade and five heart tricks as at least 12 tricks. It may well be six heart tricks, making 13 tricks, but that depends on hearts being equally divided, or a singleton queen. A 4 - 0 heart break would of course make it difficult but if you worried about that kind of break every time you played bridge, you'd never bid any slams, and never enjoy the game. There are plenty of ways of reaching 12 tricks, but 13 requires luck in trumps, so the grand slam is not a consideration. You close the auction by bidding 6 hearts knowing its not stiff, but guess at the table that it must be better than 70%.
Here is the bidding in full
| NORTH | EAST | SOUTH | WEST |
| - | - | 2 | PASS |
| 2NT | PASS | 3 | Pass |
| 4NT | Pass | 5 | Pass |
| 6 | Pass | Pass | Pass |
West leads a small spade. These are the two hands.
| A965J84AK1083A
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| 73AK9752Q7626
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Well, the theory was right, 6 hearts is an excellent contract since it would definitely make on any other lead assuming reasonable distributions. However, the opponents have made an excellent start here. There are still 12 or 13 tricks, but you're hoping for an easy life with hearts 2 - 2, or 3 - 1 with a singleton queen.
Why?
Well, if LHO has Qxx in hearts, then you need him to have Jxxx in diamonds. He is then forced to follow to four rounds enabling you to pitch your spade loser on the fifth diamond before he can ruff. This being the case, you would cash the ace of diamonds first and then the queen, in order to finesse the 10 wouldn't you?. If RHO has Qxx in hearts and four diamonds, you will not succeed as you cannot avoid conceding a diamond and a spade. If you cash the ace of hearts and LHO plays the 10, what now? are you brave enough to finesse RHO's Qxx? This is a tricky one. The odds say take the finesse because a 3 - 1 break is more common than a 2 - 2 break, but if RHO has three hearts, then what kind of hand does LHO have not to make a squeek? Surely with ten black cards or a three suited hand, he would have piped up over 2 hearts? It doesn't sound like RHO has Qxx.
Thinking over, you start by winning the spade in dummy, RHO plays the king - encouraging the suit, and promising the queen. It won't be a singleton king otherwise West would have led the Q from QJ10xxx. You cash the ace of hearts, both opponents follow small. Now playing the heart king is the only option, but you receive bad news. Q10x was offside, so you start to cash diamonds as described, hoping for a 4 - 0 break. However, both opponents follow to the first round and to the second.
You almost concede one off, but play the diamonds anyway. LHO ruffs the third round and exits.......... with a club!
What a relief, you can pitch your losing spade after all and make the contract. Mindful not to gloat over a defensive error, you point out to West that playing another spade would defeat the contract. West, clearly not happy with your good fortune, informs you he had no second spade! East has KQJ10xx and has kept quiet throughout.
My partner's comment at the table when this happened? "What rediculous good fortune!" or words to that effect. Six hearts proves an excellent if not fortuitous result, since only one other pair has bid it. East's lack of competitiveness proved costly against those pairs who only went to 4 hearts, since a sacrifice in either 4 spades or 5 clubs played well for the opposition.
On this deal, I would want to be in 6 hearts every time with partner's known values complementing mine. So it shows, if nothing else, that slams can be bid and and quite often made (even with some luck on this occasion) with minimum values. Here there is 16 points opposite nine. Equally, if you have some way of gleening extra information about partner's hand, and it doesn't cost, then it is worth utilising it, since this can make the difference between an average board and a good one.
| A965J84AK1083A
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| 2Q103J9Q1097543 |
Dealer S | KQJ1084654KJ82 |
| 73AK9752Q7626
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| BACK |