Unusual NT for
Lower 2 Unbid

An Unusual NT is normally a 2NT overcall of a 1-level opening bid. If the opening bid is a major, the Unusual NT promises at least 5-5 in the 2 minor suits.

If the opening bid is a minor, you can either agree to play the Unusual NT to show the 2 lower unbid suits or the 2 minors. Since most people play 5-card majors, they often have to open the bidding 1 or even 1 with a 3-card suit. Therefore, it is very possible for overcaller to have 5 of the opening minor suit.

Then if you do have a 2-suited hands with Hearts and a minor, you can start by overcalling Hearts and bid the minor later if you get the chance.

However, the majority of people play Unusual Notrump for the lower 2 unbid suits.

After the opponents have both bid, it is possible to play a non-jump NT bid as Unusual. If you are a passed hand, the assumption is that it is Unusual. If you are not a passed hand, you must alert the bid as being Unusual.

When 1N would be unusual showing 5-5, then 2N can be used to show even more distributional hands - at least 6-5. So then you have Double to show 4-4 or 4-5, 1N to show 5-5, and 2N to show 6-5 or more.

When LHO has opened, 2nd chair has passed, and RHO makes a 2-over-1 bid promising 11+ HCPs, you must have a very shapely hand to make any kind of call since the opponents clearly have the majority of HCPs. For example, after 1H-P-2D, a double should show 5-5 or more in the unbid suits, per Mike Lawrence in his book, Takeout Doubles.

Since Double shows 5-5 or more, you don't need to use 2N for the unbid suits. This also saves you space after something like 1D-P-2C, since if you double, partner can respond on the 2 level versus the 3 level if you bid 2N.

2N is not "Unusual" over a Weak Two bid; instead, it shows a normal notrump hand with the point range you usually show when you open 1N.

Unusual vs Unusual:

The ACBL emails It's Your Call hands and bidding to members which included the hand 872 KJ7532 AT83 with bidding of 1-2N (5-5 minors)- ??.

8 experts bid 3, 3 bid 3, 3 bid 3, 2 doubled, and one bid 4.

The reason give for bidding 3 was that a direct 3 bid would just be competitive (non-forcing) when game is a good bet to make.

In Unusual vs Unusual, 3 shows the lower unbid suit and 3, the higher one.

Bobby Wolff's 01-15-2023 Aces column shows Q8 2 KQT98 J9542 with RHO opening 1. Wolff says that with such a weak hand and thus little chance to win the bidding, it is better not to show your hand to the opponents.

BidBase goes with the experts who say to bid 2N with such a hand, so if you agree with Wolff, it will be necessary to add an appropriate entry.

Oct. 2018 Bridge Bulletin, It's Your Call, p.40, #2. The hand is JT4 - KJ743 AQ752 with bidding as
Pass-1- ??, vulnerable and IMPs scoring.

Six bid 2NT, but nine just made a takeout double rather than force partner to the 3 level with 2NT because partner is a passed hand and the quality of the minor suits is referred to as "meager" to "they stink" and because of the vulnerability.