JustaDummy, on 2012-March-10, 15:58, said:
OK, I've been encouraged in another post to ask questions (sorry if this bores Aguahombre).Please explain what you mean by "scrambling if you have it"
Where a no-trump bid is unlikely to be natural, it is "scrambling" usually showing minor suits. Consider this sort of auction :
[1
♥]-p-[2
♥]-X
p- 2NT
With the opposition having shown a heart fit, 2NT is unlikely to be the best spot for your side, so after partner doubled and forced you to bid, you can bid 2NT here which is often played as the scrambling no-trump. It denies spades and shows length in both minors, asking doubler for her better minor. Doubler will definitely have spades here but may not have both minors, so 2NT is better than just bidding a suit as it should ensure you find a good fit.
The post you referred to implied that having passed earlier (twice), if your partner's 2
♥ bid was doubled and came back to you, like this :
p-p-[1
♠]-2
♥
p-p-x-p
p-??
it seems unlikely that you could want to play in 2NT as a natural contract, so again 2NT could be "scrambling", showing both minors.
I'll admit that I haven't seen it played much in this particular situation, as you could also "redouble for rescue" here, again showing both minors. Ahydra also said you might bid 2S to do the same thing.
If you haven't discussed these things with your partner, then you can use whichever one you think partner is most likely to interpret correctly.