[Hanoi5]

♠A9xxx
♥J9xxx
♦---
♣Axx

1♥-???

[ColdCrayon]

A splinter implies a game going fit. The best way to show your hand would be to bid 4d, unless you use under-jump-shifts or bergen raises to show different point ranges.

[SteveMoe]

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♥

[ColdCrayon]

SteveMoe, on 2012-July-14, 13:10, said:

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.

[aguahombre]

The HCP are plenty enough to show Game-forcing support. This hand rates at around 14, but "looks" too strong for a splinter. Will use whatever shows a full splinter raise in our methods.

[ColdCrayon]

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.

[mike777]

Hanoi5, on 2012-July-14, 11:30, said:

♠A9xxx
♥J9xxx
♦---
♣Axx

1♥-???

yes, show your void splinter.

7(adjusted 6) loser hand 4 or 5 hearts..

[the hog]

I would certainly bid 4D on this. Bidding 1S is chasing butterflies.

[Yu18772]

Looks like 4♦ to me
Yu

[Zelandakh]

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.

[gszes]

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

[rmnka447]

A splinter shows shows approximately 11-15 points, 4+ card trump fit, and singleton or void in suit bid. You've got 9 HCP plus 5 distributional points, so this is a clear 4 ♦ splinter.

[ahydra]

Put me down for 4♦ also (I play my splinters 11-14 or slam force, but the nice shape + void + two aces + extra trump make up for the lack of HCP).

ahydra