BASIC SPLINTER BIDS

Splinters by Responder After a 1 or 1 Opening

After a 1 or 1 opening bid, responder Splinters by making a double jump into a new suit where he has shortness.  Responder’s Splinter raise shows:

• 4+ card trump support
• a small singleton or void (1)
• 9 to 12 hcp (~13 to 15 dummy points) (2)

The direct splinter auctions are:        1 : 3!          1 : 4!          1 : 4!
                                                            1 : 4!          1 : 4!          1 : 4!

Splinters by Opener After a 1 or 1 Response:

Opener can also show a Splinter raise of partner’s 1 or 1 response by making a double jump into a new suit (as above). (4)  The bid forces to game and shows:

• 4 card trump support
• a small singleton or void
• 19+ dummy points (16/17+ hcp) 

Don’t be too aggressive with this bid: responder has only promised a four card major suit (so you aren’t guaranteed a 9-card trump fit) and might only have 6-7 hcp.

• Any new suit bid is a slam try, showing a control in the bid suit. Partner may cooperate with a cuebid of his own, or return to the agreed trump suit to sign-off.
• 4NT by either partner is (RKC) Blackwood (a Splinter sets p’s suit as trump).

Hand Evaluation after a Splinter Raise

• xxx(x) is an optimal holding opposite a Splinter raise: the partnership’s honors are all located in the remaining 3 suits where they will complement each other, and slam is likely even without 31 hcp.
• The ace in the Splinter suit is good, but not as valuable as the ace of another suit.
• Other honors (especially queens and jacks) in the splinter suit are mostly useless.

NOTES ON SPLINTER BIDS:

1. Avoid splintering with a singleton honor. Splinters show a limited number of hcp, and partner will expect those values in the other suits. It can also cause partner to misevaluate his honor holdings, as he will devalue honors opposite the shortness. 
    
2. A hand with 13+ hcp, good trump support and a singleton has definite slam interest, but isn’t strong enough to guarantee safety at the 5-level. Start the auction at a lower level (do not Splinter) in order to gain information about slam below the game level.
    
3. Bid a strong 5-6 card side suit in preference to making a Splinter Raise; it will be valuable to partner as a source of tricks. You may get to cuebid your shortness later. 
    
4. Established partnerships can refine opener’s Splinter bids by using certain single jumps as Splinter raises:

• If the splinter suit ranks lower than opener's original suit, the Splinter will be a double jump
• If the splinter suit ranks higher than his original suit, the Splinter will be a single jump.

Example: 1 : 1 : 3! = splinter in support of s. Since a rebid of 2 would be natural and strong (a Reverse Bid), 3 is free for use as a Splinter raise.

Your partnership may agree that if the bid is below 3 of responder’s major suit, opener can Splinter with 14+ hcp (extra values, but not game forcing).

5. Splinter raises of a 1/ opening are rare. The auctions are:

            1 : 3/3/3!               1 : 3/3/4!

Responder promises:

• 6+ card support
• No 4+ card  major suit
• small singleton or void
• 11+ hcp

If opener has a strong holding in the splinter suit, the final contract is often 3NT.