a problem

[han]

I had this infuriating hand last week playing live bridge in New York:

 

[hv=d=n&v=n&s=s10xxxhkjxdxcakqjx]133|100|Scoring: IMP[/hv]

 

1H - (p) - 2C - (2S)

3S - (p) - ??

 

Knowing that this particular partner can have just about anything except what you would expect, what would you bid?

 

Perhaps more interesting, what would 3S mean if you were playing with your favorite partner, and what would you bid?

[Guest Jlall]

3S is an empathetic splinter

[pclayton]

3S is an empathetic splinter

obv

[SoTired]

3S is an empathetic splinter

How does an "empathetic" splinter differ from a regular splinter?

 

4 possible meanings of the 3S q-bid:

1) General strong hand

2) Asks for stopper

3) Strong club raise

4) splinter in support of clubs

 

#1 is ridiculous. It wastes a whole level of bidding without saying anything.

#2 cannot be, because opener can achieve the same result cheaper by making a descriptive call. Plus, opener cannot know that 3N is the best spot.

#3 Opener could just bid 3C saving space or 4C unambiguously.

 

By process of elimination #4, splinter, is the only meaning that makes sense.

 

So we are headed for slam. We have controls in all side suits, so time for RKC. If 4C or 4D is RKC and opener shows 3 keycards, then 5H will ask for ♥Q for grand.

[ArtK78]

It is likely that partner intends 3♠ as a splinter.

 

Unfortunately the auction has prevented me from being able to support partner's hearts in a forcing manner. So partner believes that clubs is the agreed upon suit.

 

Nevertheless, I will bid RKCB in clubs in whatever manner the partnership has agreed.

[Winstonm]

Rolling Keycard Gerber

[Finch]

Depends how far 2C was forcing and what double would have meant.

If it was game forcing it agrees clubs and shows a spade control.

[whereagles]

4NT, wtp?

[han]

2C was gameforcing.

 

So far nobody has conjectured partner's hand, and nobody has really said what they would do with this partner.

[han]

Depends how far 2C was forcing and what double would have meant.

If it was game forcing it agrees clubs and shows a spade control.

A spade control as in Kx AQJxx Kxx xxx? Surely partner would bid just 3C with that, 3S should be better defined. I think it should show shortness with club support.

[pclayton]

2C was gameforcing.

 

So far nobody has conjectured partner's hand, and nobody has really said what they would do with this partner.

Good question. Since pard could have raised clubs (forcing), pard has a good hand with no clear direction: Axx, AQTxx, AKx, xx.

[Finch]

2C was gameforcing.

 

So far nobody has conjectured partner's hand, and nobody has really said what they would do with this partner.

Good question. Since pard could have raised clubs (forcing), pard has a good hand with no clear direction: Axx, AQTxx, AKx, xx.

Now we know that 2C was game forcing, we can say that (at least in my 2/1 partnership):

 

- Pass shows a hand that doesn't know what to do

- Double is penalties

- 2NT is natural, positional, non-encouraging

- 3C, 3D, 3H are all natural and show a positive desire to bid the suit

 

When I said spade 'control' I didn't mean Kx, I meant first round control.

 

I think 3S definitively agrees clubs and shows significant extra values. Personally I don't think it has to be a singleton but that is certainly a possible agreement.

 

It's not a spade void - 4S is a spade void (or 3C followed by 4S if partner is weaker and may want to play 3NT).

 

Anyway, we have a slamforce now, I'll just bid 4C and see if partner can cue the ace of diamonds. If we play mixed cues I'm stuck, that's why I don't play them(!)

[bhall]

With such partners, I return the favor: 5♦

 

3♠ would be a chicken splinter. I wonder what he might plan to do over my likely 3N call, looking at bad ♣. If he wasn't intending to pass 3N, then 4♠ immediately seems a better choice. With a good partner, I have to rate 3♠ as first-round control, possibly ___ AQ10xxx AQx 10xxx, when 7 is cold.

 

I had a pickup partner once who treated me to the following auction in IMPs:

(P)-P-(1♥)-P

(P)-X-(P)-1♠

(P)-2N!

I tried to construct some reason for his actions, but couldn't. It wasn't 3=0=5=5. Now I know what to do against this type of bidder: Cue 3♥!

[mike777]

Yes partner may have a splinter but I would have just guessed 3s is a general force, tell me more partner bid.

 

I would now bid 4H. 4 clubs is my second choice.

 

bidding 3c and not 3s may have made things clearer for me, anyway.

 

2clubs in my partnerships would already promise or imply 14+ hcp..not a random 12.

 

Funny enough I have 14 hcp in my bids suits, clubs and hearts. I hope this does not confuse partner.

[Winstonm]

It's a forcing auction so partner could have passed - he elected to bid 3S.

I'm now going to confuse the auction even more and get my revenge by

bidding 5N - pick a slam.

[kenrexford]

Anyway, we have a slamforce now, I'll just bid 4C and see if partner can cue the ace of diamonds. If we play mixed cues I'm stuck, that's why I don't play them(!)

You are not "stuck" unless partner is a raving lunatic.

 

Partner's 3♠ is a splinter in support of clubs. He is making a splinter bid with at best 10-high. He must have four of them or he is sick beyond redemption.

 

So, the worst pattern partner can have is 1-5-3-4, right?

 

Next, we know that partner's hearts are not great. Maybe AQ10xx at best. So, we can add in some additional picture:

 

x-AQ10xx-???-10xxx

 

That's 6 HCP's, and partner is splintering. What, he has x-AQ10xx-KQJ-10xxx? I don't think so. I cannot fathom a hand without the diamond Ace. Maybe void-AQ10xx-KQJ-10xxxx, but that makes the slam easy enough. It seems that you need to know whether partner has the diamond Ace and a void, or not. That seems rather easy. Ask for Aces. If he has a void and show it immediately, great. If not, some LTTC call somewhere will surely suggest "bid seven with the spade void," no?

 

The question I see is how to focus clubs clearly and how to refocus back to hearts. This is where partnership understandings might help. For example, I play that 4♣ in this auction would focus clubs and 4NT immediately would be RKCB for hearts. After 4♣, which I think is right, and 4♦ by Opener (he cannot have NO diamond control), 4♠ as RKCB for clubs would yield either a void-showing jump or, if not used, then 5♦ when it matters (two without). 5♠ seems to then unambiguously invite 7♣ if Opener holds a void in spades.

 

Undiscussed, this is a problem if Responder wants to refocus hearts. Perhaps 4♦ would operate as a heart flag, sort of a LTTC bid with hearts. Makes some sense.

[CSGibson]

Help! What's LTTC? Is the concept important enough that I should research it?

[jdonn]

Help!  What's LTTC?  Is the concept important enough that I should research it?

It's a cuebid that shows further interest without necessarily showing a control in the bid suit. It is pretty much always in the suit right below trumps, where there is no more room. There are often situations where it in fact shows a control in a different suit.

 

1♠ 2♦

2♠ 3♠

4♦ 4♥

 

would for many pairs specifically promise a club control (by implication, since for many/most 4♦ denies one) but not promise a heart control.

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Last_Train_to_Clarksville

 

For a more detailed, better, and more advanced explanation,

http://www.bridgebase.com/articles/fg/2over12.html

(hey my example is the same as his very first example, nice :D)

[P_Marlowe]

4H, time to show the support, and

if 3S was agreeing clubs, no problem,

in this case 4H should be a cue showing

an top honor.

 

3S is asking primarily for a spade

stopper.

If partner wanted to set clubs, either

by bidding 3C (if this would be forcing)

or 4C (if 3C would be nonforcing).

 

With kind regards

Marlowe

[helene_t]

5♥, maybe p will take it as a general invite, maybe as asking for a spade control, in both cases we may land on our feet.

 

I really don't know what 3♠ should mean. In one pship I play it as a club raise (3♣ would be nonforcing), in another I think I play it as a strong flexible hand that don't want to double (typically 0643) but maybe I'm making this up.

[han]

I bid 5H for the same flexible reason as Helene bid it. Partner passed and made 5H on the nose.

[Fluffy]

but what was 3♠?

[cherdano]

but what was 3♠?

Transfer to 3N, of course.

[bhall]

I bid 5H for the same flexible reason as Helene bid it. Partner passed and made 5H on the nose.

So what was his hand? I still think you should have bid 5♦, and watched the sweat break out on his forehead...

[ASkolnick]

5H to me is the right call.

 

I am not convinced that 3S has to be a splinter. 5H says, I have heart support two spade losers and you know about my clubs, I think partner is in very good shape to place the contract.