Wednesday, March 23, 2005 7:30 AM

Splinters - Majors

PITBULLS:

Splinters over the major are a fine tool for getting to good slams. The problem with splinters is that they violate the “principle of concealment” and give too much information to the enemy for opening leads and defensive purposes. The best way to solve the problem is to play a jump to 3♣ as any splinter ( including voids ) showing limit raise values + . This gives opener the opportunity to leap to game without asking where the splinter is located.

If partner is interested about the singleton , he makes the same asking bid of 3♦ that is used over our Jacoby 2NT . After 3♦ , the other major is a stiff in that suit . A return to our trump suit shows the stiff in the asking suit ( diamonds ) and 3NT shows a stiff club. Like our Jacoby counterpart , the stiff is known while still at the 3 level. If responder has a void , he shows it at the 4 level instead of the 3 level. 4♣ , 4♦ is a void in those suits after the 3♦ inquiry. With spades trump , a jump to 4♥ shows a heart void. With hearts trump , a jump to 3♠ originally shows a spade void. A bid in the void suit at the 5 level or 4 level in the case of a spade void is Exclusion Blackwood.

Since the 3♣ splinter is virtually unlimited , if opener tries to sign off either in a partial or game , responder can now bid his singleton for slam exploration. x Axxx AQxx KQxx Partner opens 1♥ so you bid 3♣ and partner signs off in 3♥ or 4♥ . You can bid spades over either of these bids as a slam try. A 3♣ bid shows a void also and same procedures apply.

If after opener has used the 3♦ inquiry to find the singleton , a 3NT bid is the “serious 3nt” and not suggesting duplication of value. Duplication of value is shown by retreating to the trump suit. We do not play the Bergen 3♣ treatment because we have transferred limit raises in the majors to the Jacoby 2NT.

This opens up a handy 3♣ bid which affects the rest of our major suit structure. 1♠-P-3♥ is natural and shows a standard American 2♥/3♥ sequence since we have a heart splinter covered by other means. 1♥-P-2♠ is a weak jump shift as we have the spade splinter covered by the 3♣ jump.

None of this applies in competition or a passed hand. In competition , all jumps are natural and weak. As a passed hand , jumps are a fit showing jump. Over opponents takeout doubles , jumps are direct splinters as they may set up a defense with the opponents in the auction.