name that tune

[mcphee]

I have asked many of my friends what this convention is called, no one can remember. Hard to believe I have to enter that group who plays a convention and does not know the name of it. Kokish also claims not ot know.

 

After opening 1NT a jump to 3 of a major is short and shows 3 of the other major with 5-4 minors either way, game values or better. The NT hand reacts in various ways to play in the best contract.

 

So name that tune

[pclayton]

I have asked many of my friends what this convention is called, no one can remember. Hard to believe I have to enter that group who plays a convention and does not know the name of it. Kokish also claims not ot know.

 

After opening 1NT a jump to 3 of a major is short and shows 3 of the other major with 5-4 minors either way, game values or better. The NT hand reacts in various ways to play in the best contract.

 

So name that tune

LOL, if it has a name, I don't know it.

 

Lets call it Bobbo :P

[Guest Jlall]

Ive never heard it called anything even though I've played it forever.

[hrothgar]

The convention is mentioned (Briefly) in "Bridge - Classic and Modern Conventions" v2. The section that normally provides a name - Stayman, Jacoby transfers, etc - simply says "Splinter's to avoid NT".

 

If it were me, I'd called this "VIS", (Short for "Very Infrequent Splinter")

[SoTired]

I have simply heard it called "splinters", also. Some play it in all 4 suits.

[skjaeran]

I've never heard any name for it, except Splinter.

I play it in all four suits.

[Fluffy]

I've never heard of it at all

[SoTired]

i play it in major suits only. along with other common conventions... it means that:

2C thru 2H are majors oriented, and

2S thru 3S are minors oriented...

 

isn't that interesting

[starfruit]

The guy who taught me this called it a "tracer bid", but I'm not sure where he got that from.

A quick search on google reveals that there is an article from The Bridge World magazine named "The Tracer Bid", written by Krishna Vahalia.

It's the Februrary 1987 V 58 N 5 issue btw.

Unfortunately I don't have that issue. . . (I'm only 4 that year lol) so maybe someone else can check this out.

[vang]

polish 5431

[Mcauley]

Never named this...We use it as a mild slam try with values in major suits, without the values we prefer using MSS...

[Fluffy]

polish 5431

If this is the name, then definetelly I have heeard of it, my polish friend told me that is the only convention to be alerted when playing wj, because all the others are just standard.

[jdonn]

I have only heard it called a splinter before, but to me that is totally inaccurate and like Justin despite often playing it never really gave it a name.

 

I love that bid, some people don't want to use it without slam interest but I use it every chance I get, with generally very good results.

[helene_t]

Chris Niemeijer refered to it as "fragment bid" in an article in the Dutch BF magazine some four years ago, but I don't remember if he was refering to the version described here or the alternative version in which the 3-card is bid. The latter makes more sense to call "fragment".

 

That is somewhat ambigous. Maybe it should read "fragment jump responses to 1NT" or some such.

[SoTired]

I always thot that a "fragment bid" is bidding a 3 or 4 card suit with honors.

[han]

They call them wizard splinters over here.

[Jboling]

A guy from Poland taught me this convention, he said it is named 5431 in polish. I don't speak polish, and I can't remember how it was pronounced, but I do remember that it was quite difficult.

[Fluffy]

A guy from Poland taught me this convention, he said it is named 5431 in polish. I don't speak polish, and I can't remember how it was pronounced, but I do remember that it was quite difficult.

I guess something like 'pyunch-stere-tse-yeden' :blink:

[Vilgan]

I played this with one of my partners. With us, and with everyone else I know who plays it.. it was always referred to as a fragment bid. 1NT 3H = 3 spades, 1 heart, 5/4 in minors.

 

Eric

[Al_U_Card]

Now, in 20,000 hands or so (man, maybe 50,000 or more) I have played both 3 something as the slam invite with a 6 card suit or the fragment version......and it has never come up!

 

Surely there are hands with a higher frequency that could be better served by using those 4 (almost totally) idle bids.....

[Gerben42]

I've always called it the 5431 convention (in Dutch, English, German, whatever) after the Polish name. I don't think it has another name.

 

As for keeping score: It came up twice for me.

 

They call them wizard splinters over here.

 

All that time I thought you were at a prestigious American university and it turns out you are studying Thaumaturgy...

[jtfanclub]

Now, in 20,000 hands or so (man, maybe 50,000 or more) I have played both 3 something as the slam invite with a 6 card suit or the fragment version......and it has never come up!

 

Surely there are hands with a higher frequency that could be better served by using those 4 (almost totally) idle bids.....

Seems like you could replace other bids with them, for example.....

 

3♣=4♣ Gerber. If you're missing two aces, you can stop at 3NT.

3♦=miniTexas...you can raise it to 4 for standard Texas, or pass for a simple pre-empt. Unlikely the opponents are going to want to come in at the 4 level!

3♥=miniTexas

3♠=a 4NT raise. Partner bids 3NT if he'd pass a 4NT invite, and otherwise bids as he would over 4NT, just one level lower. It also has the advantage that it can be used to decide between 6NT and a 7 bid, since it's absolutely forcing.

[Fluffy]

I know of people who play 3♥/♠ showing 4 cards in the other major and balanced.

 

I am pretty sure this comes more often.

[Al_U_Card]

Now, in 20,000 hands or so (man, maybe 50,000 or more) I have played both 3 something as the slam invite with a 6 card suit or the fragment version......and it has never come up!

 

Surely there are hands with a higher frequency that could be better served by using those 4 (almost totally) idle bids.....

Seems like you could replace other bids with them, for example.....

 

3♣=4♣ Gerber. If you're missing two aces, you can stop at 3NT.

3♦=miniTexas...you can raise it to 4 for standard Texas, or pass for a simple pre-empt. Unlikely the opponents are going to want to come in at the 4 level!

3♥=miniTexas

3♠=a 4NT raise. Partner bids 3NT if he'd pass a 4NT invite, and otherwise bids as he would over 4NT, just one level lower. It also has the advantage that it can be used to decide between 6NT and a 7 bid, since it's absolutely forcing.

This I like, but surely there are even better uses like puppet asking about 5 card majors with 33 hands in the majors or preemptive bids instead of transfer relays...the 4 suit transfer bid to a minor HAS come up about 5 times in those 50,000 or so....

[Al_U_Card]

Or even 3♣ is keycard for ♥ (you have 4+) and 3♦ is keycard for ♠ and any bid of NT by responder is then to play (He will pass 3NT when that response is correct too)

3♥ is the Quantitative invite with a good minor

3♠ is the Quantitative invite with a balanced hand.

 

Any other ideas?