My RHO opened 1H. With a balanced hand and 20 high card points, I had been ready to open 2NT. Now what? Well, why not overcall 2NT, I thought. That will tell my partner exactly what I have. So I did. My LHO passed, my partner responded 3 clubs and RHO passed. Hmm, I thought. My clubs are pretty good; maybe I should go for it. Then a buzzer went off in my brain--she's not bidding clubs, that's Stayman! Whew, missed that bullet, I thought, and bid 3 diamonds to show that I did not have a 4 card major. Everyone passed, including my partner.
What?!?
"What does her 2NT bid mean?" one of the opponents asked my partner before the play began.
"It means she has both of the minors" Julie confidently replied. She told me later that she was quite proud of herself for remembering this bid, since we've talked about it a lot but had never actually used it. However, she did wonder why I bid diamonds over her clubs, since she clearly told me that her clubs were better.
"Oh yes, the unusual 2NT. That's a very useful bid," the opponent commented.
I kept a straight face while I looked at the two little diamonds in my hand and an even straighter face when dummy came down with its pitiful diamonds. You can figure out the rest of the story for yourself.
The good news is that we did much better the next day, when I actually did put into practice some of the things I learned last week.
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