Is it a singleton (you want to admit)?

[nielsfoged]

When the partnership has a major-fit, do you then admit to holding a side-suit singleton, when it is the K or A bare?

[mikeh]

Yes. Why not?

 

If he has xx or xxx, how does denying a singleton, when holding the K, advance the auction intelligently?

 

As for the stiff A... you may well have a chance to cue-bid this suit later, and partner will usually be delighted to learn that you have NO losers...again, imagine xx or xxx or equivalent.

 

About the only time I would not show a stiff K would be when I was truly ashamed of my opening bid.... maybe I only have 9 or a poor 10 hcp outside of the K. If I have even a borderline opening bid without the K, I will show it.

 

Edit: I didn't read all of the poll options: I would not splinter into a stiff A (there are always other ways to bid the hand) and I would only splinter into a stiff K if it seemed the most logical way to probe, and if my hand without the K was worth the bid.

[Echognome]

I put down "yes" but that was for my favorite system and there's a caveat. We show our shape exactly, but then when showing our controls, we do not count a singleton K (but do count a singleton A). Having bid many hands with this approach, this can be a positive or negative. It can be a positive, when partner knows that all of my controls are outside of my singleton (and stiff A's are easy to infer when I don't show other controls elsewhere). It can be a negative when my stiff is a K and it fills in partner's suit nicely. For example if he has AQJxx or Axx and knows the K will be useful.

 

In a standard system, I will generally not splinter into a stiff A or stiff K, although with a stiff K, I imagine it's a judgment issue. If partner opened 1♠ and I held AQxxx QJx JTx K I would splinter as I will have difficulty cue-bidding the hand. So why not get across that feature of my hand in one bid?

[Apollo81]

depends on situation

[Guest Jlall]

it always depends but usually I would not show stiff king and would often show stiff ace.

[mr1303]

I would try not to, but if I didn't have much other choice then I would.

[Halo]

I recently had smeone in conversation say you shouldn't splinter A singelton.

 

Why not?

[blackshoe]

Look at it from partner's viewpoint. If you had KQx in a suit, and partner splintered in that suit, would you upgrade or downgrade your hand?

[ricardoz]

depends on situation

Have you any that you could share?

[cherdano]

I almost always sell my hand as semi-balanced in those cases. Splintering with ace works badly when partner has KQx (he should devalue them, but not as much as the splinter suggests). Splintering with the king seems worse, as the king pulls value when partner has honors in the suit - exactly when partner will devalue his honors.

 

I would never splinter with Matt's example hand AQxxx QJx JTx K, no matter where you add the 13th card, instead just make a forcing raise. Isn't it more interesting to get to know if partner has shortness? Or whether he has a second suit in hearts (excellent), diamonds (bad) or clubs (good)?

 

Arend

[Echognome]

I almost always sell my hand as semi-balanced in those cases. Splintering with ace works badly when partner has KQx (he should devalue them, but not as much as the splinter suggests). Splintering with the king seems worse, as the king pulls value when partner has honors in the suit - exactly when partner will devalue his honors.

 

I would never splinter with Matt's example hand AQxxx QJx JTx K, no matter where you add the 13th card, instead just make a forcing raise. Isn't it more interesting to get to know if partner has shortness? Or whether he has a second suit in hearts (excellent), diamonds (bad) or clubs (good)?

 

Arend

Perhaps a better (if not more extreme) example:

 

AKJxx xxx xxxx K

 

13 cards for you this time. :)

 

Here you know partner has bad trumps. You have nothing to cue bid. So you find out partner has shortness: in hearts (good), in diamonds (good), in clubs (do opps have a pulse?). Now what? You can cue bid once in clubs, but that's it. If partner shows you a second suit (even clubs), you have nothing to say. So I think that a splinter would get the hand off your chest and leave it up to partner to do the rest.

[000002]

yes on 2cases,assume pd open 1♥

1)hurried .

for instance:i hold 1444 facing an overcall 1♠

2)a lot of need on side.

example:

A

AQxxx

Qxx

Qxxx

 

REGARDS 000002