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BR 26.1 - Splinter raises by Responder
When your Partner has made an Opening bid, it usually does not pay to make a double or
triple pre-empt style jump in your 7-card suit (and with 6-10 points). Much better to
bid your long suit up the line and try to determine Partner's strength and distribution
before going "all out".
There is a much better use for such large jumps : the so-called splinter bid.
How often is it not that you have found the point values for Slam (in the combined
hands), but once committed to it and Dummy's hand goes in the table, you see to your
horror that 5, 6 , 7 or even more HCPs of Dummy are in the very suit you hold a
singleton or void in. Wasted points, which could have been so much more useful in
another suit.
This is what the Splinter bid can prevent.
When Partner opens (or responds in) a (usually) major suit in which you have 4+
card support, while you also hold a singleton or void in one of the side
suite, don't raise Partner's suit directly (eg. 1♥ - 3♥), but make
a double jump into your singleton or void suit.
For example :
1♥ - 4♣
or
1♥ - 3♠
or
1♠ - 4♥
or
1♣ - 1♥ - 1♠ - 4♦
For example : your Partner opened 1♥ and you responded 4♣ with this hand :
(E) ♠ - K 10 6
♥ - K 10 9 2 ♦ - A Q J 6
♣ - 7
If Opener holds a hand like this :
(W) ♠ - A 3
♥ - A Q 8 4 3 ♦ - K 9 8
♣ - 8 5 3
He will immediately check out your Aces through Blackwood :
1♥ - 4♣ - 4NT - 5♦ - 6♥
Whereas with the hand
below he will stop in 4♥, because most of your side suit points are in Partner's short suit and therefore next to useless.
(W) ♠ - J 3
♥ - A Q J 4 3 ♦ - 9 8 2
♣ - K Q 4
The Splinter bid is always above the Game force level, but below the actual Game bid
itself.
The Splinter bid shows :
- The values for Game and possibly Slam, usually 11+ points
- 4+ card support for Partner's suit
- A singleton or void in the bid suit
- Normally 6 or 7 losers
The Splinter bid is in first instance a warning to Partner that if he holds HCPs
in the specified suit, they are wasted, unless it is the Ace.
Three or four small
cards in the suit on the other hand, are a positive sign for they can be ruffed,
providing extra tricks. Also Partner's high cards are therefore located in the more
useful suits.
After Partner's splinter bid take the following action :
After a first positive response to the splinter bid has been made, both players
may continue with Cue bidding or Blackwood as they wish.
(Down - Up -
Top)
BR 26.3 - Slam Trial bids
A Slam Trial bid is very similar to a Long
Suit Trial bid except in this case the bidder is not aiming for a Game contract, but
investigates the possibility of Slam instead.
A Slam Trial bid is the bid of a
new suit after a trump suit agreement in a major suit has been
reached, either via a Game force or Invitation bid has been reached. For
example :
1♥ - 3♥ - 4♣ - ?
or 1♥ - 1♠ - 3♠ -
4♦ - ?
Provided you have agreed this with your Partner the 4♣ and 4♦ are
Slam Trial bids and not Cue bids showing 1st round control (as normally would be
the case).
The Trial bidder is asking Partner for strong support in the Trial suit of K J
x or better (or having 1 loser or less in the suit).
The response options after a Slam Trial bid are :
After a first positive response to the Slam Trial bid has been made, both players
may continue with Cue bidding or Blackwood as they wish.
(Down - Up -
Top)
BR 26.4 - Game force in Minor suits
The main strategy during the auction is to
find an appropriate contract either in one of the two major suits or in No
Trump, and all bidding is aimed at achieving that purpose.
Consequently when a
minor suit is raised by Partner, he sees little prospect for a contract in a major suit.
But in some cases there may still be hope of finding a contract in 3NT.
Therefore (unless the Partnership has decided otherwise) when a new suit is bid after a
minor suit Game force it is not a cue bid showing 1st round control and it
is not a Slam Trial bid.
1♦ - 3♦ - 3♠ - ?
Opener holds for example the hand below :
♠ - A J 10
♥ - 8 2 ♦ - A J 10 9
♣ - K J 9 4
Opener is showing his stoppers in an attempt to find a contract in 3NT rather
than in 5 Diamonds.
His 3♠ bid shows a stopper in Spade and denies one in Hearts, because he skipped that suit.
Likewise a bid of 3NT is "to play", and decidedly not 3NT Blackwood :
1♣ - 3♣ - 3NT !
Opener may hold :
♠ - A J 10
♥ - K Q 9 2 ♦ - A 10 9
♣ - 7 4 2
For Roman Key Card asks for minor suit contracts see Lesson 34.4, because 4NT RKC Blackwood is not appropriate.
Splinter raises however can be used with minors.
(Down - Up -
Top)
BR 26.5 - Deal 109 - 116
Deals 109 - 116 are examples of bidding as outlined in this
lesson.
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Copyright © 2011 Michael Furstner (Jazclass). All rights
reserved.
