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BLUE POWER 4. Multi Cues - Control Asking bids Multi Cues Slam Trial bids Control Asking bid bids The Kabel 3NT Convention Bidding Guide - Practice Kabel 3NT + Long Suit Trial bid

We dealt with the convention of Cue bidding to locate 1st and 2nd round controls for a Slam contract in Lesson 23.3. This is a good method, especially if your hand contains a singleton or void, but it can eat up considerable bidding space and become at occasion rather awkward. Many experienced players have therefore ceased using this method, replacing it with bidding multi cues.

After a trump suit has been confirmed the bid of a new suit (usually at the 4 level) is a multi cue, showing 1st round or 2nd round control. The multi cue therefore shows (in the suit bid) :

Bypassing a suit denies 1st round and 2nd round control. As a consequence uncontrolled suits are quickly identified.

After multi cue bidding has confirmed that all suits are controlled you can use RKC Blackwood to check on the key cards.

Here follow two examples.

Slam Trial bids are a useful alternative for Multi Cues.
Make sure to agree with your Partner which one to use !

A Slam Trial bid is very similar to a Long Suit Trial bid except in this case the bidder is not aiming for a Game contract, but investigates the possibility of Slam instead.
A Slam Trial bid is the bid of a new suit after a trump suit agreement in a major suit has been reached, either via a Game force or Invitation bid has been reached. For example :

Provided you have agreed this with your Partner the 4♣ and 4♦ are Slam Trial bids and not Multi Cue bids showing 1st or 2nd round control.

The Trial bidder is asking Partner for strong support in the Trial suit of K J x or better (or having 1 loser or less in the suit).
The response options after a Slam Trial bid are :

After a first positive response to the Slam Trial bid has been made, both players may continue with Cue bidding or Blackwood as they wish.

Example 3	Opener (W) ♠ - A K J 9 5 ♥ - A 6 ♦ - A 9 8 6 3 ♣ - 6		Responder (E) ♠ - Q 10 8 2 ♥ - K 4 ♦ - K J 5 ♣ - A 7 5 4		Comment With strong support for Opener's Diamond suit Responder makes a positive reply of 5C, showing his Club Ace. After that Opener has no hesitation in going for 6S.
	Bidding : (W) 1S - 3S - 4D - 5C - 6S

Example 4	Opener (W) ♠ - A K J 9 5 ♥ - A 6 ♦ - A 9 8 6 3 ♣ - 6		Responder (E) ♠ - Q 10 8 2 ♥ - K Q ♦ - 7 5 2 ♣ - A Q J 4		Comment With no support for Opener's Diamond suit Responder signs off in 4S.
	Bidding : (W) 1S - 3S - 4D - 4S - Pass

After a Roman keycard enquiry the bid of a new suit (other than the ask for the trump Queen) is a Control Asking bid.   Controls of the suit bid are shown as follow :