[broze]

A lot of systems over 1NT now use 2♣ and 2♦ as artificial. Most popular in the UK is to play 2♣ as Landy (Majors) and 2♦ as Multi (either Major). This means that with natural minor-suit hands you can either bid 3m or pass.

Against a strong NT 3m can be wide ranging, since your side is not too worried about missing game. You might bid 3♣ with Qx xxx KQJ9xxx x or Ax Qxx KQJ9xx xx. However, vs a weak NT it hurts your constructive bidding to lump the preempts in with the constructive hands. You can't pass with the second hand for fear of being shut out, but you'd also like to eat your cake and preempt with the first.

So I suggest using 2NT as a preempt in either minor, keeping the 3m bids for the constructive hands with a 6+ card minor. At least against a weak NT.

The rationale behind having it this way round is that the opps are more likely to want to penalise you when you have the constructive hand (since they may not have a game). It also hurts their constructive auction when you "preempt" with 2NT by taking away the opps' cue bid.

You will lose the ablity to show a hand with both minors (most people's use for 2NT) but this is not a particularly important or common hand type.

[hrothgar]

In my experience, most folks use a 2NT overcall as some kind of strong 2 suiter and use 3♣ to show both minors

[awm]

Howard and I are doing a bit the opposite, with 2NT as a "sound 3♣ bid" and 3♣ as weak. A 2♦ overcall would be natural.

Unlike hrothgar (apparently) I don't think being able to show both minors over a hand that most of the field will open 1m is particularly high priority.

[trevahound]

 hrothgar, on 2014-August-21, 09:47, said:

In my experience, most folks use a 2NT overcall as some kind of strong 2 suiter and use 3♣ to show both minors

I thought this was "bridge", but I was informed that this isn't GCC legal, as bids higher than 2♣ over their "natural" NT opening must have at least one known anchor suit. Absolutely ridiculous, of course.

[Vampyr]

 broze, on 2014-August-21, 09:38, said:

So I suggest using 2NT as a preempt in either minor, keeping the 3m bids for the constructive hands with a 6+ card minor. At least against a weak NT.

...

You will lose the ablity to show a hand with both minors (most people's use for 2NT) but this is not a particularly important or common hand type.

You also lose the ability to show a GF 2-suiter, but then again, when's the last time that came up?

I like this idea and will probably try it.

[gordontd]

 broze, on 2014-August-21, 09:38, said:

So I suggest using 2NT as a preempt in either minor, keeping the 3m bids for the constructive hands with a 6+ card minor. At least against a weak NT.

I play this the other way around with two of my partners.

[FrancesHinden]

I've been playing this the other way round (2NT a good 3m bid and 3m pre-emptive) for a few years now. You'll even see it written up (in passing) in the October EBU magazine...

[gnasher]

I play it the other way around too.

[PhilKing]

I've been playing it the other way round for a couple of years but have just swiched to direct = good.

[Vampyr]

 PhilKing, on 2014-August-21, 13:35, said:

I've been playing it the other way round for a couple of years but have just swiched to direct = good.

Either way, you can put other hand types into 2NT. Can any of you tell me what you do?

[PhilKing]

 Vampyr, on 2014-August-21, 14:58, said:

Either way, you can put other hand types into 2NT. Can any of you tell me what you do?

Just the weak minor.

[broze]

Ok, so not so new. Always the way - had never come across it before. I clearly need to read my magazine more carefully!

However it does much seem better to me to have the 2N as the weak hand. You lose the ability to have pard crank up the auction but you avoid giving the opps a cue bid, which seems more valuable to me.

Do all you people who use it also employ against a strong NT?

[Zelandakh]

If you are using this then it might make some sense to play that 2NT is the range that corresponds to the 1NT opening, so that 3m is weak over a strong NT and strong over a weak NT.

[gnasher]

 broze, on 2014-August-21, 16:34, said:

However it does much seem better to me to have the 2N as the weak hand. You lose the ability to have pard crank up the auction but you avoid giving the opps a cue bid, which seems more valuable to me.

Bidding only 2NT is quite bad when you have diamonds, because you allow them space for Stayman, transfers, and a balanced-values double

Quote

Do all you people who use it also employ against a strong NT?

Yes.

[SteveMoe]

With 2 partners we play Meckwell over strong NTs (Any NT with 15 in it's range is strong for us).
2N is a single suited preempt, puppeting partner to 3♣.
3-bids are Meckwell calls promising a 4-loser hand.

[steve2005]

i hate to spoil the fun for those in ACBLland but...
GCC requires a known suit for overcalls other than 2♣.
So, 2N as unnamed minor or as unspeciiied 2 suiter are out.

too bad 2♦ as a unnamed major would be nice.

Note: balancing seat anything is ok.

Maybe 2N as a cuebid then ok!? Ask the lawyers lol

[mikestar13]

So these methods are for saner games than ACBL GCC games:

• Games in almost any other country.
• WBF games.
• ACBL Mid-Chart or higher games.
• GCC+ games in some districts of the ACBL.

Usual tournament advertising in Orange County, California for sectionals and regionals is "GCC+any no trump defense "--also common in various other districts.

[mycroft]

Unlike other restrictions on the GCC, I've never figured out why this went from being "any defence to NT" to this "2♦ or higher must promise a known suit". Must have been somebody with bad experience with "well it's this or this" (or natural, because partner always forgets; I play him to forget frequently, but don't tell my opponents about it) - but I don't know *what*.

I have had several players play "Suck-tion" against my weak NT at Mid-chart; "the next suit up, or the other two, or, yeah, I guess it was the suit bid, because he forgot again", for instance.

[Free]

When you play Landy and Multi (and maybe even an artificial Dbl), you can put some strong hands in those as well. 2NT for me is both minors, any strength.