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Is this a splinter?


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I'm bidding 1 then jumping to 4 unless we are playing two-tier splinters.

(Too much for a preemptive raise to 4, and too little HCP for std. splinter).

 

Andrew Gumpez published a nice piece: http://bridgewinners.com/article/view/slam-bidding-limiting-your-hand-with-a-splinter/

 

Two tier splinters split the range as follows:

 

9-11 Working Points make a hidden splinter (3 of the other Major - partner asks shortness only if hoding sufficient strength to warrant divulging the information).

 

12-14 Working Points make a direct splinter:

1-3N(Showing short s), 4, 4

1 - 4, 4, 4

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I'm bidding 1 then jumping to 4 unless we are playing two-tier splinters.

(Too much for a preemptive raise to 4, and too little HCP for std. splinter).

 

Andrew Gumpez published a nice piece: http://bridgewinners...ith-a-splinter/

 

Two tier splinters split the range as follows:

 

9-11 Working Points make a hidden splinter (3 of the other Major - partner asks shortness only if hoding sufficient strength to warrant divulging the information).

 

12-14 Working Points make a direct splinter:

1-3N(Showing short s), 4, 4

1 - 4, 4, 4

 

 

Yeah - another way to show that is an under-jump shift, so a jump to 3 diamonds says "I have 9-11 points, at least four hearts, and a singleton or void somewhere. Opener can inquire about the void by making the cheapest call (returning to the major) and responder can either bid a suit directly which shows a singleton, or make the next cheapest call which shows a void which opener relays to allow responder to show.

 

As always, what bidding 4 of the major after the splinter inquiry, or 3NT means depends on partner agreement (which is another way of saying it's arbitrary). But this is the system I use, along with the stronger, game forcing splinter (they're both game forcing, but this one shows more points) by making an over-jump-shift.

 

 

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The thing is, you ought to give opener an option to not look at the splinter. If opener has a game-going hand with scattered honors in all four suits, a splinter is unlikely to show him whether he can make a slam or not. The splinter is often in a suit that the defenders would lead, and all showing it will do is warn them not to lead the suit, so you lose out on extra over-tricks.

 

That said, if I'm sitting down across from a partner I don't know, I'm going to make the 4d jump, since I don't know what system he plays - even if he uses Bergen raises, I've gotten into a lot of trouble by assuming my partner played the "opposite-major-shows a splinter somewhere" part of the system: we wound up playing in a 3 card trump.

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It is good enough for a splinter and not too good. In standard that's 4; for me it is 3 which shows a void splinter somewhere. On the subject of split-range splinters, once upon a time I also played the one-under jump shift like that. Then I realised that it is possible to include this into a 2M+1 (1 - 2 or 1 - 2NT) bid along with mini-splinters, thus giving 3 different splinter ranges below game. In turn the 3M-1 bid is freed up, for me as a mixed raise.

 

Note also that some 2NT structures can handle these kinds of hands quite well. Opener can show a shortage (clubs sounds good) or Responder can rebid a shortage. This is not the kind of structure I prefer though so it would not be an option for me.

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the downside of bidding splinter here is that we may not really want to

stop short of slam if p bids 4h over our 4d.

 

KQ

AKxxx

Kx

xxxx

 

Kx

Axxxx

Kxxx

Kx

 

are both minimum type hands where slam is practically a lay down

and p will not want to venture beyond 4h due to the "wasted" dia K.

 

 

The presence of a side 5 card suit (spades) takes away some of the

accuracy of splinter bids. I prefer to chase monarchs here and I will

start the proceeding with my response of

 

1s

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