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Two-Suited Bids: Michaels Cuebids and the Unusual No Trump

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Two-Suited Bids: Michaels Cuebids and the Unusual No Trump Two-suited Bids: Michaels Cuebids and the Unusual No Trump Like a hand with a single long suit, a hand with two five card suits may take many tricks without many high card points. Use a convention to show these hands if: 1. Your hand is preemptive (usually). Be careful of vulnerability! 2. Your hand is very strong (very rarely). Otherwise overcall the higher suit and rebid the lower suit. Types of Two-suited Bids: • The Unusual No Trump is a jump-overcall in NT. It shows five cards in each of the two lower-ranking unbid suits. (Usually five | and five } .) • The Michaels Cuebid is a direct cuebid of opener's suit. The cuebid of a minor suit shows five ~ and five ♠ . The cuebid of a major suit shows five cards in the other major and an (unknown) minor. • There are also many systems over an open- ing 1NT which show two suits. (Cappelletti/Hamilton and DONT among others.) Example 1: Sitting South, not vulnerable vs. vulnerable opponents. ♠ 3 ~ T3 } KQ875 | JT543 East opens 1♠ . Your call? Example 1: Sitting South, not vulnerable vs. vulnerable opponents. ♠ 3 ~ T3 } KQ875 | JT543 East opens 1♠ . Your call? 2NT Five } and five | . Your hand is a good preempt at favorable vulnerability. Example 2: Sitting South, no one vulnerable. ♠ KJ763 ~ QT983 } 5 | J4 East opens 1| . Your call? Example 2: Sitting South, no one vulnerable. ♠ KJ763 ~ QT983 } 5 | J4 East opens 1| . Your call? 2| Five ~ and five ♠ . Your hand is a good preempt not vulnerable. Example 3: Sitting South, all vulnerable. ♠ 7 ~ 83 } AK754 | KQJ42 East opens 1~ . Your call? Example 3: Sitting South, all vulnerable. ♠ 7 ~ 83 } AK754 | KQJ42 East opens 1~ . Your call? 2} Your hand is too good to preempt; overcall and plan to rebid | the next time around. Example 4: Sitting South, vulnerable against not vulnerable opponents. ♠ Q9842 ~ QT832 } 54 | 2 East opens 1} . Your call? Example 4: Sitting South, vulnerable against not vulnerable opponents. ♠ Q9842 ~ QT832 } 54 | 2 East opens 1} . Your call? Pass. Your hand is too weak at unfavorable vulnerability. Remember down two doubled and vulnerable is 500. 3NT not vulnerable is only 400. Example 5: Sitting South, vulnerable against not vulnerable opponents. ♠ AKQ52 ~ AKT82 } K4 | 2 East preempts 3| . Your call? Example 5: Sitting South, vulnerable against not vulnerable opponents. ♠ AKQ52 ~ AKT82 } K4 | 2 East preempts 3| . Your call? 4| . You have an excellent hand with five ~ and five ♠ . (The strong version of the Michaels Cuebid occurs most often when the opponents preempt.) Even if you don't play these conventions you will play against them. I suggest the Unusual Vs Unusual Defense. • Double: Penalty against (at least) one of their suits. • Cuebid of the lower suit: Limit raise or better of partner's suit. • Cuebid of the higher suit: Competitive bid of the 4th suit. • Raise of partner's suit: competitive (not invitational). • Direct bid of the 4th suit: forcing Example 6: Sitting South with no one vulnerable. ♠ K75 ~ AJ93 } T83 | 543 West North East South 1~ 2NT ?? Your call? Example 6: Sitting South with no one vulnerable. ♠ K75 ~ AJ93 } T83 | 543 West North East South 1~ 2NT 3~ Your call? 3~ . Solid four-card support, but not enough for a limit raise. Partner must have extras to go on to 4~ . Example 7: Sitting South with no one vulnerable. ♠ KT9752 ~ J9 } K83 | 543 West North East South 1~ 2NT ?? Your call? Example 7: Sitting South with no one vulnerable. ♠ KT9752 ~ J9 } K83 | 543 West North East South 1~ 2NT 3} * Your call? 3} . Cuebid of the higher of East's suits shows the 4th suit: ♠ . Remember 3♠ directly is forcing. If partner has an indifferent hand with indifferent ♠ support, then you want to play 3♠ . (Partner can still bid 3~ with a singleton ♠ and six ~ .) Example 8: Sitting South with all vulnerable. ♠ KQT2 ~ A8 } Q873 | 543 West North East South 1} 2} ?? Your call? Example 8: Sitting South with all vulnerable. ♠ KQT2 ~ A8 } Q873 | 543 West North East South 1} 2} dbl Your call? Double. You would like to beat 2♠ . If they bid 2~ and partner doesn't double, then bid 3} . Whatever West's bid, North should almost always either pass or double. If North passes then South cannot pass. Example 9: Sitting South vulnerable vs not vulner- able opponents. ♠ QT92 ~ A873 } 3 | K543 West North East South 1♠ 2NT ?? Your call? Example 9: Sitting South vulnerable vs not vulner- able opponents. ♠ QT92 ~ A873 } 3 | K543 West North East South 1♠ 2NT 3| * Your call? 3| , the lower of East's suits. This is a limit raise of partner's spades. Example 10: Sitting South all vulnerable. ♠ 2 ~ A83 } Q73 | AKJ543 West North East South 1} 2} ?? Your call? Example 10: Sitting South all vulnerable. ♠ 2 ~ A83 } Q73 | AKJ543 West North East South 1} 2} 3| Your call? 3| , forcing! You would bid 2♠ (the higher of East's suits) to try to play 3| ..
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