Splinter bid
Encyclopedia
In contract bridge
, a splinter bid is a convention
whereby a jump bid in a side-suit indicates a trump fit and a singleton or void in the suit bid. For example, a 4 clubs response to a 1 heart
opening establishes hearts as trump suit and indicates a singleton or void in clubs. Most experts agree that a responder should have 10-12 high card points for a splinter. With a strong hand, a responder and opener may be able to make slam on sheer strength, so splinters by responder are normally restricted to hands containing 10-12 high card points and a void or a small singleton in the splintered suit. A singleton honor is frowned upon. Although they consume bidding space, splinter bids are very descriptive as they help partner to reevaluate his/her hand: soft honors (a king
, queen
or jack
) in the splinter suit lose value, while honors in the other three suits gain value.
In some positions if a simple bid of the suit would be forcing then a single jump can be a splinter. For example, in a system where 1–2; 2 is a forcing sequence, 1–2; 3 may be used as a splinter. (However, this approach would require a specific agreement in advance—many players use this sequence to denote a strong two-suiter.) Some partnerships use certain single jumps as "mini-splinters" that promise less strength, allowing partner to choose between part-score and game rather than between game and slam.
The short suit in a splinter hand is preferably a small singleton, though it can occasionally be a singleton honor or a void. The idea is that partner can easily tell if he has wasted values in the splinter suit; for example, Axxx is ideal whereas KJ9x is almost worthless.
The 4 diamond bids in the following bidding sequences (with East-West passing throughout) are generally agreed to be splinter bids establishing spades as the trump suit:
In particular auctions, a splinter may occur at the three level. Consider the following auction:
Here, South is showing acceptance of hearts and a singleton in spades.
Contract bridge
Contract bridge, usually known simply as bridge, is a trick-taking card game using a standard deck of 52 playing cards played by four players in two competing partnerships with partners sitting opposite each other around a small table...
, a splinter bid is a convention
Bridge convention
A bridge convention is a system of calls made during the auction phase of a contract bridge game which conveys a coded meaning about the players' card holdings...
whereby a jump bid in a side-suit indicates a trump fit and a singleton or void in the suit bid. For example, a 4 clubs response to a 1 heart
Suit (cards)
In playing cards, a suit is one of several categories into which the cards of a deck are divided. Most often, each card bears one of several symbols showing to which suit it belongs; the suit may alternatively or in addition be indicated by the color printed on the card...
opening establishes hearts as trump suit and indicates a singleton or void in clubs. Most experts agree that a responder should have 10-12 high card points for a splinter. With a strong hand, a responder and opener may be able to make slam on sheer strength, so splinters by responder are normally restricted to hands containing 10-12 high card points and a void or a small singleton in the splintered suit. A singleton honor is frowned upon. Although they consume bidding space, splinter bids are very descriptive as they help partner to reevaluate his/her hand: soft honors (a king
King (playing card)
The king is a playing card with a picture of a king on it. The usual rank of a king is as if it were a 13; that is, above the queen. In some games, the king is the highest-ranked card; in others, the ace is higher...
, queen
Queen (playing card)
The Queen is a playing card with a picture of a queen on it. The usual rank of a queen is as if it were 12 ....
or jack
Jack (playing card)
A Jack, also Knave, is a playing card with a picture of a man on it. The usual rank of a jack, within its suit, is as if it were an 11 ....
) in the splinter suit lose value, while honors in the other three suits gain value.
In some positions if a simple bid of the suit would be forcing then a single jump can be a splinter. For example, in a system where 1–2; 2 is a forcing sequence, 1–2; 3 may be used as a splinter. (However, this approach would require a specific agreement in advance—many players use this sequence to denote a strong two-suiter.) Some partnerships use certain single jumps as "mini-splinters" that promise less strength, allowing partner to choose between part-score and game rather than between game and slam.
The short suit in a splinter hand is preferably a small singleton, though it can occasionally be a singleton honor or a void. The idea is that partner can easily tell if he has wasted values in the splinter suit; for example, Axxx is ideal whereas KJ9x is almost worthless.
The 4 diamond bids in the following bidding sequences (with East-West passing throughout) are generally agreed to be splinter bids establishing spades as the trump suit:
| North | South |
|---|---|
| 1 | 4 |
| North | South |
|---|---|
| 1 | 1 |
| 4 |
| North | South |
|---|---|
| 1 | 1 |
| 1 | 4 |
In particular auctions, a splinter may occur at the three level. Consider the following auction:
| North | South |
|---|---|
| 1 | 3 |
Here, South is showing acceptance of hearts and a singleton in spades.