Without Honor

[uva72uva72]

My link

 

IMPs, ACBL robot individual

 

I try hard to avoid slams off two cashing tricks, even though I know the robots won't actually cash- I don't want to develop bad habits that will infect my real-world play. This hand happened for two reasons:

 

1. In the real world, when my partner splinters in a suit in which I have "wasted values," I resist slam tries. In BBO, where everything is counterintuitive, I push to reach slams when I have wasted values.

 

2. I thought everyone had long-ago agreed that you don't splinter in a suit in which you have a singleton Ace or King, so I was certain that North held the 3 Aces outside the ♦ suit. Now I'm wondering if this is one of those delightful, one-off BBO treatments (like lebensohl) or if the agreement about splinters timed out during the 30 years that I was away from bridge.

[lycier]

[hv=http://www.bridgebase.com/tools/handviewer.html?bbo=y&lin=pn|uva72uva72,~~M54699,~~M54697,~~M54698|st%7C%7Cmd%7C4S2367HQKD26QKC7QK%2CS9KH47TD479JC2489%2CS5TH25689JADAC5TA%2C%7Crh%7C%7Cah%7CBoard%206%7Csv%7Ce%7Cmb%7Cp%7Cmb%7C1N%7Can%7Cnotrump%20opener.%20Could%20have%205M.%20--%202-5%20%21C%7Cmb%7Cp%7Cmb%7C2D%21%7Can%7CJacoby%20transfer%20--%205%2B%20%21H%20%7Cmb%7Cp%7Cmb%7C2H%7Can%7CTransfer%20completed%20to%20H%20--%202-5%20%21C%3B%202-5%20%21%7Cmb%7Cp%7Cmb%7C4D%21%7Can%7CSplinter%20--%201-%20%21D%3B%206%2B%20%21H%3B%2014-15%20total%20points%20%7Cmb%7Cp%7Cmb%7C4N%7Can%7CBlackwood%20%28H%29%20--%202-5%20%21C%3B%202-5%20%21D%3B%202-5%20%21H%3B%7Cmb%7Cp%7Cmb%7C5C%7Can%7CZero%20or%20three%20key%20cards%20--%201-%20%21D%3B%206%2B%20%21H%3B%2014-15%20total%20points%20%7Cmb%7Cp%7Cmb%7C6H%7Can%7C2-5%20%21C%3B%202-5%20%21D%3B%202-5%20%21H%3B%202-5%20%21S%3B%2017-%20HCP%3B%7Cmb%7Cp%7Cmb%7Cp%7Cmb%7Cp%7Cpc%7CC2%7Cpc%7CCA%7Cpc%7CC3%7Cpc%7CC7%7Cpc%7CH2%7Cpc%7CH3%7Cpc%7CHK%7Cpc%7CHT%7Cpc%7CHQ%7Cpc%7CH4%7Cpc%7CHA%7Cpc%7CS4%7Cpc%7CHJ%7Cpc%7CDT%7Cpc%7CS2%7Cpc%7CH7%7Cpc%7CDA%7Cpc%7CD8%7Cpc%7CD2%7Cpc%7CD4%7Cpc%7CC5%7Cpc%7CC6%7Cpc%7CCQ%7Cpc%7CC8%7Cpc%7CDK%7Cpc%7CDJ%7Cpc%7CS5%7Cpc%7CD5%7Cpc%7CDQ%7Cpc%7CD9%7Cpc%7CST%7Cpc%7CD3%7Cpc%7CCK%7Cpc%7CC9%7Cpc%7CCT%7Cpc%7CCJ%7Cmc%7C13%7C]499|350[/hv]

 

 

I try hard to avoid slams off two cashing tricks, even though I know the robots won't actually cash- I don't want to develop bad habits that will infect my real-world play. This hand happened for two reasons:

 

1. In the real world, when my partner splinters in a suit in which I have "wasted values," I resist slam tries. In BBO, where everything is counterintuitive, I push to reach slams when I have wasted values.

 

Here my question is how to evaluate your hand?

Even though you have 15hcp,but without any Ace,it can decrease one point,so its right value is 14hcp,merely.If it is me,I never open strong 1N.

 

2. I thought everyone had long-ago agreed that you don't splinter in a suit in which you have a singleton Ace or King, so I was certain that North held the 3 Aces outside the ♦ suit. Now I'm wondering if this is one of those delightful, one-off BBO treatments (like lebensohl) or if the agreement about splinters timed out during the 30 years that I was away from bridge.

 

Of course,it should do splinter biddng only with singleton Ace,but from the point of the fair,splinter only with singleton Ace is allowed,that is just a bidding style.

As we know,the hand evaluation is very important.You know you have some wasted values,you should rebid 4♥ after jump 4♦ to show singleton in it,both of ♦Kand ♦Q are just wasted values,why rebid 4N agressively?

[uva72uva72]

The Wikipedia article defines a splinter bid as "a singleton or void in the side suit (but not the Ace or King)." Given the popular nature of the source, it's clear that the idea that singleton Aces and Kings were excluded was widespread at some time. Whether it is current practice is my question. The current version of the ACBL Encyclopedia seems to allow for singleton Aces, but provides that a subsequent cue bid of the suit shows a singleton Ace or void. What is not clear in the context of the article is whether this means that you only splinter with a singleton Ace if you intend to follow through with a cue bid on the next round. As usual, I am out of step with BBO practice; I think that splintering with a stiff Ace defeats the purpose of the convention, which is to allow partner to evaluate his/her hand with a view to wasted values (or not) in the splinter suit.

[iandayre]

I would say there is no hard and fast rule. There are good players who would splinter with a stiff A or K and some who would not. Obviously GIB makes no distinction so we must adjust.

 

Your Blackwood bid was an atrocity of course. GIB undoubtedly would have bid Blackwood anyway on this hand though. Then you can blame it if the opponents cash 2 tricks.

[1eyedjack]

I would say there is no hard and fast rule. There are good players who would splinter with a stiff A or K and some who would not. Obviously GIB makes no distinction so we must adjust.

Not only does GIB show no reticence in splintering with an honour, it does not in any way re-evaluate its honour holdings opposite a splinter. At least it did not up to version 30 inclusive, and I ranked it as a high priority for correction. More important, in my view, than the practice of whether or not to deny an Ace or King in the splinter suit. Whether in the two recent upgrades any improvement has been made is yet to be seen.

[uva72uva72]

My Blackwood bid was, indeed, an atrocity. I have learned that to be competitive on BBO, particularly at IMPs, you need to be willing to commit the occasional atrocity. In this match I was down a good many IMPs, in no small part because two participants had bid and made an even worse slam. I expect I'll be committing a good many more atrocities in 2015.