[hrothgar]

In many ways, this thread seems to be less about "what call would you make with the hand in question" but rather do you like playing U2NT over a 1♣ opening.

I wouldn't quite call this a textbook U2NT, however, its pretty damn close.
Yes, I have a sixth heart which makes 2♥ or 3♥ a bit more attractive, still, if I'm playing the convention, I'm gonna use it.

[mike777]

"The Unusual Notrump. Thank Al Roth for this convention. It is at the same time one of the best and the worst of conventions. All depends on how you use it."

In trying to find a textbook example for this bid over 1club I found this quote by Mike Lawrence.

Surprisingly I did not find online or in my books one example of what a textbook unusual nt bid looks like in this exact situation. I did find many warnings about using it. .

Here is the Bridge Encyclopedia on unusual 2nt after a major:
5...4...KQ952....QJ9763

Hardy in Standard Bridge Bidding calls this a classic two suited preemptive bid of unusual two notrump:
7...84...KJT94....QJ987

He bids unusual nt here:
(1d)=2nt with:
85...QJ974..5....KJT85

(1C)=2nt=9....KJ972....QJT87....J2

[keylime]

I don't bid 2NT here. Hand has scattered values. Furthermore, if I trot out 2NT I don't think pard is going to go right on this hand at all for these reasons:

1. The two main suits are porous. No substantial suit quality.
2. I hold the Q-x of clubs. That might take a trick.
3. I am not going to hang pard if their five card suit is spades.
4. Against good opps, I'm going to get my lunch handed to me. For some reason, last few times I bid U2NT I get to play it doubled on my 5-2 fit with trumps 5-1 offside and pard having the wrong values. It's as if they are taking the sure money more often.
5. This in the hands of a good declarer, knowing my hand, is lethal for us.

My call - pass.

[Winstonm]

1H for me also. The lack of heart interiors and the fact I'm playable in 2 suits along with partner being unpassed all indicate to me that slow is best. Although a truly bad hand, the shape indicates I need to get in now while I can do so cheaply.

Quote Keylime: My call - pass.

This is my second choice, and third, and fourth, and......

[pclayton]

1♥ is fine; no reason to get excited now. I know there's a lot of spades out there and I know RHO (probably) doesn't have 5.

2N is silly with 6♥'s.

Pass is a mastermind .

[pigpenz]

yes to me this hand is one of either tactics or sensibility, i see nothing wrong with 2nt if one chooses that and nothing wrong with 2♥ nv ....but the merits of 2nt it does show both of your seats. I would assume 1♥ would be the consensus answer but i could never see where passing is a winning action.

[whereagles]

In a european championship, I once held a hand similar to the one here: weakish two-suiter with broken suits. The vulnerability was favorable, so I bid 2NT...

Opps doubled that and when the smoke cleared, pard was 800 down.

Not all was lost, though. Teammate on the other room played the hand brilliantly in 3NT, gaining a nomination for best declarer play

[pigpenz]

sure there will be hands where you get doubled and go for a number....but i wonder the frequency of success is by bidding 2nt on these type of hands

[Blofeld]

whereagles, on Jun 5 2006, 11:54 AM, said:

In a european championship, I once held a hand similar to the one here: weakish two-suiter with broken suits. The vulnerability was favorable, so I bid 2NT...

Opps doubled that and when the smoke cleared, pard was 800 down.

We are 6-5 here, which has to count for something. Or perhaps I overestimate the strength of 6-5s.

Also, it's considerably harder for them to penalise a 3♥ bid than 2NT.

[keylime]

Q-8-7-6-x-x. Um what happens if they declare 3NT and pard leads to me with this junk? I wonder what the odds are of playing 2/3♥ with xx opposite this for the max number of tricks...

I wish that queen of clubs was the queen of diamonds - then I might consider a 2 suited takeout.

I still like pass.

[pigpenz]

not any worse than opening one of a minor on 8xx or one of a major on 87654....hmm makes me wonder then if 6-5 with a good suit we want led makes more sense to bid that suit as opposed to bidding 2nt...just a thought