Bridge - The Scotsman 25/04/2012

The great advantage of a Splinter Bid is that it allows partner to revalue his hand opposite trump support and a shortage.

If he has length but no strength in your short suit there is a good fit. He can ruff losers in your hand, and if there are adequate controls in the other suits he may make slam on minimum values. Axxx is a particularly good holding since the suit will play for no losers.

But if partner is also short in the same suit, there may be mirror distribution and he needs extra values in the suits where you too have length. And if he has high cards other than the ace opposite your shortage these are wasted values and slam is a long way off.

On this deal South opened 1C, and North could imagine slam if South had a perfect minimum opener such as Axxx/Kx/x/KQxxxx. Over one of a minor, a response of 1S is natural and forcing for one round; a jump to 2S is natural, strong and game-forcing; and the jump to 3S is a splinter. But it was not a bid South particularly wanted to hear.

He knows the hands fit badly, so he wants to slow the auction down. He does this by bidding 3NT, which shows this sort of spade holding – confident that he has spades well stopped opposite a singleton or even a void. North does not have enough to look for slam now, so he passes 3NT – just as well when 5C has three top losers.