Multi-Landy (Woolsey)

Multi-Landy (Woolsey) is a convention used after the opponents open 1NT. It gets its name from the use of the Landy 2 overcall and Multi 2 convention. The "Woolsey" aspect comes from the multiple possible meanings of a double, as invented by Kit Woolsey.

It should be noted that Woolsey uses this approach against a strong 1NT only. His weak 1NT defense includes natural penalty doubles, among other differences.

The 2-level overcalls are the same as Cappelletti, except that the meanings of the 2 and 2 bids are reversed.

Playing Cappelletti, overcaller might bid 2 with 4 hearts and 5 spades. Then with 3-3 majors, responder signs off in 2 and misses the spade fit. Playing Multi-Landy, responder has an extra bid — 2 — to ask for opener's major suit preference.

In ACBL events, the Multi-Landy double and overcalls are all alertable.

Overcall	Meaning
Double	Varies by partnership agreement. Here is a comprehensive method outlined by David Oakley in "Multi-Landy: The Killer Defense Versus One Notrump":1 A 4-card major with a 5+ card minor. A 6+ card minor. A 5+ card major. A strong balanced hand (19+ HCP vs. strong no-trumps, and 15+ HCP vs.weak no-trumps). Alternatively in "The Mysterious Multi", Mark Horton and Jan van Cleef propose double as the major-minor hand type vs. strong no-trumps, and simply penalty vs. weak no-trumps.2
2	At least 5-4 or 4-5 in hearts and spades; rarely 4-4. (This is the Landy aspect of the convention.)
2	6 hearts or spades (rarely 5) without a side suit. (This is the Multi aspect.)
2	5 hearts and a 4+ card minor. (This is the Cappelletti aspect.)
2	5 spades and a 4+ card minor. (This is also the Cappelletti aspect.)
2NT	At least 5-5 in clubs and diamonds.

Response	Meaning
2	Tolerance for both minors (at least 3-3). Asks partner to pass or correct. Partner will: Pass with a one-suiter in clubs, OR with clubs + a 4-card major Bid 2 with a one-suiter in diamonds, OR with diamonds + a 4-card major Bid 2 or 2 with a strong single suiter Bid 2NT with a strong balanced hand
2	Tolerance for both majors (at least 3-3). Asks partner to bid his major suit. Partner will: Pass with a one-suiter in diamonds Bid 2 or 2 to show 4 cards in that suit Bid 2NT with a strong balanced hand Correct to 3 with a one-suiter in clubs
2	Natural, 6+ hearts, nonforcing.
2	Natural, 6+ spades, nonforcing.
2NT	Varies by partnership agreement. According to Horton and van Cleef, this is artificial and forcing with at least 4-4 in the majors. Asks the overcaller to clarify his hand.3 Overcaller's responses are: 3  Natural, minimum strength. 3  Natural, minimum strength. 3  Natural, maximum strength. 3  Natural, maximum strength.
3	Natural, 6+ good clubs, nonforcing.
3	Natural, 6+ good diamonds, nonforcing.

Response	Meaning
Pass	Natural, 6+ good clubs, nonforcing.
2	Equal length in the majors. Asks partner to pick one. With 5-4 in the majors, for example, partner will correct to the 5-card major.
2	Natural sign-off, showing a preference for hearts even if partner is 5-4 in spades and hearts.
2	Natural sign-off, showing a preference for spades even if partner is 4-5 in spades and hearts.
2NT	Varies by partnership agreement. Horton and van Cleeff propose that 2NT is strong, artificial, and forcing. Overcaller can rebid as follows.4 3  Better hearts, not minimum. 3  Better spades, not minimum. 3  Longer hearts (or 4-4), minimum. 3  Longer spades, minimum. 3NT  5-5 or better, maximum. Alternatively, British expert Neil Rosen simply proposes that 2NT is simply natural and balanced with 12-14 points, nonforcing.5

Response	Meaning
2	Natural signoff if overcaller has hearts. However, this bid may also be made with game-invitational values in spades. If overcaller corrects to 2, then partner is allowed to raise to 3.
2	Natural signoff if overcaller has spades. However, this may also show game-invitational values in hearts. If overcaller corrects to 3, then partner is allowed to raise to 4.
2NT	Artificial, forcing. Asks the overcaller to clarify his hand. Overcaller's responses are: 3 shows 5+ hearts, maximum strength. 3 shows 5+ spades, maximum strength. 3 shows 5+ hearts, minimum strength. 3 shows 5+ spades, minimum strength. (Some pairs may switch the minimum and maximum meanings, but "fast arrival" seems a bit more appropriate with the weak hands.)

Response	Meaning
Pass	To play.
2	Natural, 6+ good spades, no heart support, nonforcing.
2NT	Artificial, no heart support, asks partner to bid his minor.
3	Natural, 6+ good clubs, no heart support, nonforcing.
3	Natural, 6+ good diamonds, no heart support, nonforcing.
3	Preemptive, 3+ hearts. Nonforcing.
3	Natural, preemptive, 6+ good spades, no heart support. Nonforcing.
3NT	To play.
4	To play.
4	To play.

Response	Meaning
Pass	To play.
2NT	Artificial, no spade support, asks partner to bid his minor.
3	Natural, 6+ good clubs, no spade support, nonforcing.
3	Natural, 6+ good diamonds, no spade support, nonforcing.
3	Natural, 6+ good hearts, no spade support, nonforcing.
3	Preemptive, 3+ spades. Nonforcing.
3NT	To play.
4	To play.
4	To play.

Response	Meaning
3	To play.
3	To play. Tends to deny club support.
3	Natural, 6+ good hearts, no support for either minor, nonforcing.
3	Natural, 6+ good spades, no support for either minor, nonforcing.
3NT	To play.
4	3+ clubs, invitational to 5.
4	3+ diamonds, invitational to 5.
4	To play.
4	To play.

What if the opponents compete over the Woolsey action? For instance:

West 1NT

North Dbl*

East 2-any

South ?

West 1NT

North 2-any*

East Dbl

South ?

West 1NT

North 2-any*

East 2-any

South ?

Oakley suggests the following scheme in these auctions:⁶

Response	Meaning
Raise of partner's suit	Natural.
New suit	Natural.
Double / Redouble	Showing interest in one of partner's suits, with emphasis on a major.
2NT	Showing both minors (opposite a Woolsey double), or asking for overcaller's strength.

Additionally, if the opponents specifically redouble a Woolsey double:

West 1NT

North Dbl

East Redbl

South ?

...Horton and van Cleeff state:⁷

Woolsey recommends agreeing that pass here is to play, and otherwise ignoring the redouble (i.e. bids mean the same as if East had passed). There are other things one can do of course, but it is not a bad philosophy to ignore enemy doubles and redoubles in conventional situations and have bids mean what they would have meant had the enemy passed — much easier on the memory.

In comparison, Oakley recommends:⁸

Response	Meaning
Pass	Support for partner's minor.
2	Artificial relay to partner's major OR 2.
2	Natural.

The following hands come from Kit Woolsey and Bart Bramley in the 2019 Open USBC.⁹

Vul: E-W		Ginossar
Dlr: East		A85
		J73
Woolsey		J87		Bramley
63		T652		KQT42
KQ95				864
A93		Willenken		KT65
K873		J97		4
		AT2
		Q42
		AQJ9

Willenken 1NT1 All Pass

Woolsey Pass

Ginossar Pass

Bramley Pass 2

1. Strong 1NT (14-16)
2. Spades and a minor

Bramley balanced with 8 HCP at unfavorable vulnerability, but emerged with an overtrick.

Vul: E-W		Ginossar
Dlr: East		AKJ3
		A32
Woolsey		A42		Bramley
QT65		542		2
KT94				QJ87
KT7		Willenken		J953
J8		9874		KT76
		65
		Q86
		AQ93

Willenken Pass Pass Dbl

Woolsey Pass 22 Pass

Ginossar 1NT1 Pass 2NT

Bramley Pass 23 All Pass

1. Strong 1NT (14-16)
2. Showing majors with only 4-4 shape in the balancing seat
3. Taking a preference

Woolsey-Bramley pushed the opponents into 2NT, just making.

Vul: E-W		Ginossar
Dlr: East		6
		Q62
Woolsey		9732		Bramley
AQJ972		65432		T84
J9				KT843
KQJ		Willenken		654
KT		K53		Q8
		A75
		AT8
		AJ97

Willenken 1NT1 All Pass

Woolsey 22

Ginossar Pass Pass

Bramley Pass 23

1. Strong 1NT (14-16)
2. A major suiter
3. Taking a preference; happy if partner corrects to hearts

South led a trump. Bramley managed to successfully finesse both majors, finishing with two overtricks.

Multi-Landy has a multi-generational history. It's based on the original Landy convention from the 1950s whereby a simple 2 overcall of 1NT showed both majors. Since then it's inherited aspects of the Cappelletti convention, Muiderberg Two Bids, Multi 2 and the Woolsey Double.

• ¹, ⁶, ⁸ Oakley, David. Multi-Landy 2nd Edition. Toronto, Master Point Press, 2018.
• ², ³, ⁴, ⁷ Horton, Mark and Jan van Cleeff. The Mysterious Multi. Toronto, Master Point Press, 2010.
• ⁵ Rosen, Neil. (2012, October.) Multi-Landy. English Bridge, Issue 243.
• ⁹ 2019 Open USBC Results.