Blum on Bridge Unusual Defense- Unususual No Trump
	You've arrived at the game just late enough that everyone at the table has picked up his or her hand, but before you can arrange yours, partner has started the offense by opening one spade. Your rho throws flak into the auction by his call of 2NT. While still checking whether you have the near or far-sighted glasses in your hand, you should analyze who has what. No need to rush to look at the cards. That can come later. What do we know? Don't make it difficult. Just give the simple answer before continuing. OK! Partner has an opening 13 or better count with five or more spades and rho is more than likely to be 5-5 or longer in the minor suits. Sure, this has to be simple to overcome. It is after all a most common auction. Regardless of the unseen holding, as long as you have values you plan to take a bid. Suppose you will want to raise to 3 spades. Will partner know you have 6-9 points or will he think you have 10 or more? Suppose you have no support but a self-sufficient heart suit. We'll bid 3 hearts, right? Does partner know I have 6-9 points and no fit or 10 points or more? Can he or will he pass my bid? I could double. What is that, negative or penalty? I don't even know which minor the opponents are going to find. How can it be penalty? Ah, shoot, I'm giving up this stupid game. Hey, let's not go that far yet. We must counter their defense with a better offense. Ah, but as you must have guessed by now, we have an answer to the problem that truly is awesome. It is called "unusual over unusual" and here's how it works. When you bid a minor at the 3-level after that Unusual 2NT it will be obvious to partner that you do not hold the minors. As a result he must take it as a "cue" bid for the majors. If you bid 3-clubs you announce your suit is hearts. If you bid 3-diamonds you announce your suit is spades. With this in mind let us more clearly define by example what each bid means. Partner has opened his spade suit. If you have four-card support and a limit raise or better, bid 3-diamonds. If you have 6-9 points bid 3-spades directly. Holding K764-6432-543-K6 simply bid 3-spades directly over the opponent's 2NT. However, change your hand to KQ54-Q643-543-KQ bid 3-diamonds, telling partner to transfer to spades and you have a limit raise or better. Without spade support and a five card heart suit, the minor suit and direct heart response take on a bit of a different meaning due to the fact that unless opener is fortunate enough to have a fit in your heart suit, there is no fit. Suppose you hold 53-KQ6432-532-KQ. Not bad, unless partner opened 1 spade with something like AK953-7-K6-J432. Our answer to the misfit probability is bidding the "other" minor (clubs for a relay to hearts) announces a limit raise specifically and a direct bid in the heart suit is forcing. All of this is necessary because without a fit more values are needed to reach game. {Editor's Note: Some texts treat the lower of the cue bids as showing the limit raise in partner's suit, the higher of the cue bids as a forcing bid showing the fourth suit, and the direct bid of the fourth suit as non-forcing. Either approach is appropriate, provided the partnership is on the same page.} To double the opponent's 2NT directly you tell partner that you can set one of the minor suits lho will bid, not necessarily both. After the minor has been named and partner does not double that minor, you will if it is the minor you hold. If not, you cannot double again. 3NT by you directly over rho's unusual 2NT implies a three-card fit in partner's suit and stopper's in both minors. This allows partner the choice of returning to 4-spades if he so desires. Our article has been predicated on the basis that spades was the opening major suit. Had hearts been opened instead everything above applies. Only flip-flop the majors and assume you are supporting hearts.