Andrew:

The Differences between Weak & Strong NT

Advantages of Weak Notrump (12-14)

(a) Auctions that start with a 1 NT opener are good ones — describing your hand well to partner, while making life awkward for the opponents. A Weak Notrump occurs nearly three times as often as a Strong Notrump.
(b) Because all minimum, balanced hands are opened 1 NT, the opening bids of One-of-a-Suit show extras — either in terms of high-card points (15+) or shape (being unbalanced).

Advantages of Strong Notrump (15-17)

(a) The 1 NT opener is safer — you will not go down 1,100 in 1 NT doubled — as all Weak Notrumpers have done.
(b) You will start low with minimum balanced hands, so will locate 4-4 major suit fits on part-score deals. You’ll bid eg 1 ♣-1 ♠-2 ♠, whereas the Weak Notrumpers will bid 1 NT-Pass. Playing Strong, you have more safety and flexibility with marginal balanced opening hands. It’s not pass (supine) or 1 NT (dangerous) as it is with Weak. Take our deal.

North Deals
None Vul

♠	A 10 9 2
♥	K J 10 4
♦	6 3
♣	K 10 4

♠	K 8 6
♥	Q 8 6 3
♦	K Q 9
♣	9 6 2

N
W		E
S

♠	Q 7
♥	A 7 5
♦	J 8 7 4
♣	A J 7 5

♠	J 5 4 3
♥	9 2
♦	A 10 5 2
♣	Q 8 3

West	North	East	South
	1 ♣1	Pass	1 ♠2
Pass	2 ♠	Pass	Pass
Pass

Playing Weak, you’d have to pass North’s hand. You have no rebid if you open One-of-a-Suit. Your only real option is to open 1 NT but you’ll miss a 4-4 major-suit fit that way. [1 NT would not make, assuming East led a diamond, the choice of most experts — unwilling to give away a club trick by leading the stronger suit.]
Playing Strong, you open a short 1 ♣, planning to raise 1 ♥/♠ to 2 ♥/♠ — happy days. If partner responds 1 ♦, she won’t have a four-card major unless she has game values (see (2)); you’ll rebid 1 NT “12-14” — the hand looks like 12 given the ♥ J10, ♠ 109 and ♣ 10).
Playing Acol and Four-card Majors, you would respond 1 ♦, cheaper of fours. One of several important changes necessary to play Five-card Majors is to bypass diamonds (even with longer length) to bid 1 ♥/1 ♠ with a non-game-forcing hand; this means, as mentioned in (1), that a 1 ♦ responding hand won’t have a four-card major unless game-forcing values are present. We’ll be discussing this much more later.

Weak Notrumpers won’t find the 4-4 spade fit. As usual, it plays very well. Duck West’s ♦ K lead and win (say) ♦ Q with ♦ A. At trick three, run ♥ 9. East wins ♥ A and (say) leads ♦ J (nothing better). Ruff and lead ♣ 4 to ♣ Q. Now finesse ♥ J, cash ♥ K discarding ♣ 3 and ruff ♥ 10 (East discarding ♦ 8).

At trick nine, lead ♠ 4 to ♠ 9. East wins ♠ Q and can do no better than return ♠ 7. This runs to dummy’s ♠ 10 and you now lead dummy’s ♣ K. Let East win ♣ A, for you can ruff his ♣ J return with ♠ J and score the last trick with dummy’s ♠ A, beating West’s ♠ K. Nine tricks made.

This article is first deal in Andrew's Yellow Book - "Strong NT and Five-card Majors" (shop here) and is also this Monday's deal on BridgeCast's "Strong & Fives" channel (subscribe here)

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Andrew:

The Differences between Weak & Strong NT