Splinters in partner's suit

[1eyedjack]

Over the last few years I have encountered several hands (sorry no examples here, but I expect that other good players will remember some of their own) where the auction goes off the rails because one partner has a shortage in a suit bid naturally by the other, and consequently devalues his hand, only later to discover that partner's suit was not that good, or maybe headed by Ace alone, and the shortage opposite it is an asset when playing in a different suit. Nearly all systems that I have played have no facility to show shortage in partner's suit as a constructive try for slam in an alternative strain. Have any others taken this on board and set up some meta agreements for this?

 

 

[Free]

After 1NT-2♣-2M I have a way to show shortness in opener's Major (3♣ is a puppet to 3♦, after which we show the shortness), this can be useful when we're looking for slam.

 

In natural auctions it's a lot more difficult, but when a suit is set we can jump in any suit to show shortness (this is usually voidwood though).

 

That's pretty much it for me.

[semeai]

This is a good question. I don't do so myself, but I've seen some play e.g. 1♦-1♠;2♠-4♦ as a splinter.

[Flameous]

I use short suit trials in sequences like 1m - 1M - 2M, and in 1M - 2♣ - 2red - 2M so I have them available in some places but usually not.

This situation is often handled with opposite way of using bluhmer/empathetic splinter to show a suit that works well opposite shortness.

I have that tool in 1m - 1M - 3NT - 4M sequence. (3NT shows solid suit and sidestoppers)

[Cascade]

We play:

 

1x 1y

2y 4x as a splinter

 

1x 1y

1z 4x as a splinter

 

1♣ 1♠

1NT 2♥ (transfer)

2♠ 3♣ as shortage (and similar auctions)

 

There are probably some other auctions too.

[Gerben42]

[hv=pc=n&n=sakq85hkqj9742djc&d=n&v=0&b=1&a=1hp2cp2sp3cp3sp4hp]133|200[/hv]

 

I had this problem recently playing 2/1. Well?

[dake50]

"I had this problem recently playing 2/1. Well?" -- Gerben42

 

** Exclusion 5C? After 4H accepted.

** But I do see your point. After a reverse + rebid 3S,

** can 5C agree clubs? Bizarre! Yet, what if 5=6=0=2? 5D exclusion?

[skaftij]

Having bid 3 suits, we play jump in 4th suit as splinter in openers 1st suit. This is more frequent than splinter in openers suit. Admittedly, we give up showing a 2 suiter.