[michel444]

the unusual 2NT

IMHO Unusual 2NT is a bad tool of the defensive biding
you are going to try to find a fit with 2 suit of 5
to play at level 3
half of the time in a 5-2 fit
The 5-5 distribution is not common
for 9 HCP

5521 3022.88 TO 1 MILION
5530 861.61
6520 641.61
6511 691.83
---- 5217.78


for 9 HCP the probality to get a 5-5 Distribution is 0.5%
if you add the 8 HCP and 10 HCP
YOU GET 1.5%

This number don't take in acount the possibility that 1 of your 5(6) cards
is the suit of the opener
or the 2 suit you bid with Michael cuebid
so the result is divide by 6
in Michael cuebid you divide by 3
a stiff Honor K Q J should not be counted
information on satistic are from the translation of
a strange system called Mutos



https://bridge-tips....utosEnglish.pdf


Michel

[awm]

First, I'm not sure what this business of "9 hcp" is about. Most people play unusual 2NT as having a pretty wide range of values.

Beyond that, frequency is not the best way to think about bids of 2NT+ in competitive auctions. Making such a call is somewhat dangerous (it gives opponents the chance to double you at the three-level if there's no great fit, it tells opponents a lot about your hand if they end up declaring, etc). The set of hands where it's a good idea to bid to the three level or beyond is not that large -- most hands have no business jumping in at this level after the opponents open! So "frequency" needs to be looked at relative to the set of hands where bidding makes sense (there are LOTS of balanced hands for example but almost none of them have any business forcing to the three-level here).

The hands where bidding 2NT+ after the opponents open makes sense are basically either hands with a very long suit (minimum six cards, more often seven) or hands with a lot of cards between two suits (typically 5+/5+ hands) which do not include opener's suit. There are only really six hand types (three one-suiters, three two-suiters) so devoting 2NT to a particular two-suiter is not a terrible idea. There are (of course) other structures available too.

[michel444]

awm, on 2022-September-24, 03:57, said:

First, I'm not sure what this business of "9 hcp" is about. Most people play unusual 2NT as having a pretty wide range of values.

Beyond that, frequency is not the best way to think about bids of 2NT+ in competitive auctions. Making such a call is somewhat dangerous (it gives opponents the chance to double you at the three-level if there's no great fit, it tells opponents a lot about your hand if they end up declaring, etc). The set of hands where it's a good idea to bid to the three level or beyond is not that large -- most hands have no business jumping in at this level after the opponents open! So "frequency" needs to be looked at relative to the set of hands where bidding makes sense (there are LOTS of balanced hands for example but almost none of them have any business forcing to the three-level here).

The hands where bidding 2NT+ after the opponents open makes sense are basically either hands with a very long suit (minimum six cards, more often seven) or hands with a lot of cards between two suits (typically 5+/5+ hands) which do not include opener's suit. There are only really six hand types (three one-suiters, three two-suiters) so devoting 2NT to a particular two-suiter is not a terrible idea. There are (of course) other structures available too.

9 HCP is close to average as the average hand have 10 point
a hand like ♠ xx ♥ x ♦ K Q J T X ♣ Q J T 98 HAVE 6 loser and is good enaught for a unusual 2 NT even Vulnerable
add the A or King of ♣ and you are too good to use the Unusual 2NT
Goren say i don't use the unusual 2 NT
If i unestand you corectly the unsual isn't very good but fill a gape in your defensive biding ..

Michel

[awm]

Not sure what you mean by "it isn't good" -- I'd summarise as follows:

1. Does it come up often? Over all possible hands, it's not very frequent. But it's not much rarer than jumping to three of a suit.
2. Do I get good results when it does come up? Usually yes, but I don't have detailed statistics on this.
3. Is there some other hand type that I have difficulty showing, which would be a preferable use for 2NT? Not really, keeping in mind that there aren't all that many hands where I want to be at the three level. The best candidate that comes to mind is some sort of 4-6 hand (with four in the other major and a six-card minor) but these hands often survive by bidding 2m and they won't be much more frequent than unusual 2NT.

[michel444]

there is a diferent school for using 2nt as defensive bid
on level 1 2nt show :
(1 x )2 N 5-5 in any 2 unbid suits, ≤4 1/2 losers.

4.5 loser or less make it 5 for starting point.
it leave us with 8 winner 2-3 trick from partner and game is cold
nothing 1 down advancing is "simple"

on weak 2 opening its an over call of a minor or a strong major T/O
with a 4M and 6m i prefer a canape overcall bid the Major first and maybe the minor later
like
1 ♦ 1♥ X (negative double ) pass
1 ♠ (or 1NT or 2 diamond ) 3♣
if partner support the MAjor the minor is irelevant

[awm]

michel444, on 2022-September-24, 15:41, said:

there is a diferent school for using 2nt as defensive bid
on level 1 2nt show :
(1 x )2 N 5-5 in any 2 unbid suits, ≤4 1/2 losers.

4.5 loser or less make it 5 for starting point.
it leave us with 8 winner 2-3 trick from partner and game is cold
nothing 1 down advancing is "simple"

on weak 2 opening its an over call of a minor or a strong major T/O
with a 4M and 6m i prefer a canape overcall bid the Major first and maybe the minor later
like
1 ♦ 1♥ X (negative double ) pass
1 ♠ (or 1NT or 2 diamond ) 3♣
if partner support the MAjor the minor is irelevant

Most people play that 2NT includes such hands with the minors (i.e. minors weak or strong). This is more frequent than the usage you mention (weak hands are much more common than strong hands, especially after opponents open) and also leaves you better placed after an auction like (1♠)-2NT-(4♠) since partner knows your suits (2NT bidder can balance with a double to show the strong hand, or try 4NT/5♣ with extra shape and unwilling to defend). The strong hands with the other major and a minor start with a cue bid.

TBH playing an artificial 2NT over a 2M preempt has not occurred to me, and I have not seen anyone besides beginners do this. You very much need a call with a strong balanced hand here (very common hand type to hold when opponents are weak) and doubling on these hands without a good fit for the other major is a recipe for disaster.