[Shugart23]

so, I open 2NT with 11-15 HCP and at least 5-5 in the minors (which I suppose is 'old-school ') . A few questions are coming to mind with this approach, and I'd like to see a discussion on it. 1) would it make more sense to use 3NT as an opening bid to show minors so that opponents are forced to be at the 4 level to find a Major fit and then use 2NT opening to show 5-5- in the Majors? Is 11-15 the optimal range? Would it make any sense for the strength to be unlimited and not capped ? Should the lower bound of the range be lower than 11 ?

I'd be i=very interested in hearing about other's approaches to the 2NT and 3NT opening bids under a precision system

[mw64ahw]

2N as both minors is relatively easy to defend against so you could try switching 2N and the 3♣ pre-empt. This then gives you 2N-3♣-3♦ as both Majors.
I'm not sure what is optimal in a Precision sense, but I treat the 2N/3C as purely pre-emptive.

[awm]

In general opening 2NT (or above) leads to an auction with significant amounts of guessing for both sides. You don't really have a way to invite game or sensibly investigate fits outside opener's suit(s). Of course, opponents are under a lot of pressure also, so we want to reserve these openings for times when either:

1. The hand is much more likely to belong to the opponents (so they are the ones guessing).
2. Our side's best suit and level is usually easy to determine.

11-15 with both minors seems to fail on both counts; we could easily belong in 4M if responder has the right hand but there is no sensible way to explore. It's also fairly likely that we want to play game opposite a max opener and 3m opposite a minimum. I'd prefer a weaker range if I'm playing this opening. In fact, Sam and I use:

2NT = 5+/5+ minors and weak (like 5-9)
3NT = 7+ in a major, better than 4M preempt but not enough to open 1♣ (typically 4-5 losers, 11-15 high card points).

[awm]

Our 3nt bid is actually quite valuable; say you pick up a hand like:

♠KQJxxxx
♥x
♦AQxx
♣x

If you open one spade, your chances of missing a game are quite a bit more than in standard, because partner may pass your limited opening with some 6-8 point hands. You have the playing strength for 1♣ but very little defensive value and it’s easy to imagine a bad result (or getting into trouble with directors for “upgrading”). The 3nt bid pressures the opponents and still makes it possible to find out spade slam if partner has some controls.