[EUVID]

My question is for those who play splinters: when responding with a splinter bid, what is the appropriate point count? Barbara Seagram and Andrew Bernstein in their publications recommend 13 to 15 or 16 points. Max Hardy, in Standard Bridge Bidding for the 21st Century, responds with a splinter with anything 13 points or above. Of course you must also have 4+ trump support and a singleton or void. Barbara say with more than 15 points use the Jacoby 2nt or some other forcing bid. I don't see the reason for the cutoff. However, with an unlimited splinter, such as Max suggests, I don't know when you would use that convention to show support and slam interest and when you would use Jacoby 2NT.

I realize the value of a splinter is to get to slam on less than 33 points, but rather, based on hand shape. But if that were the determining factor, you should use the splinter up to a responding hand of 19 points.

[the hog]

The appropriate range is whatever you and your partner have agreed to play, and what fits nicely into your system. It is due to the problems that you mention that quite a few pairs play variable splinters eg

1H-2S & 1S-2N as 6-9 spilnter
1H-3S & 1S 3N as 10-12
1H-3S/4C/D & 1S-4C/D/H as 13-15 splinters

Stronger hands generally go through some artificial bid.

[Free]

A splinter shows shape of one hand in one bid: short in some suit, and support. This is actually asking partner to go further when he has no HCP in that suit, in other words, the opener is leader of the bidding. And that's the reason why it's better to limit your splinter bids.

After some sort of Jacoby-2NT, both can become the leader of the bidding, so unlimited hands are better off there.

[Trpltrbl]

What the Hog suggested works well, I play something like that.

1M-3m = 4+ card support and 6-9 HCP
1M-4m = 4+ card support and 10-13 HCP
1M- J2NT = 14+ and 4 + trump, reason why I put strongest one in Jacoby 2 NT is because the J2NT bidder is in charge with the bidding after hearing pd's response. And it is all fairly simple, which I like

Mike

[Rado]

Hi all friends,

As far as I know the modern trend is to have:
1M - double jump in new suit as 10-12 p and 4+ fit
while with 13+ to make some artificial FG raise (2NT, 3♣..) or just start with simple 2/1

Anyway for direct splinter the limits must be quite narrow (1-2 max 3 points) in order the opener to make immediate decision whether slam will be good or not and to avoid useless cue-bids just in case partner might be 4-5 points above his agreeded minimum, dancing at level 5 :-)

Regards,
Rado

[mishovnbg]

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Hi EUVID!
You can read more discussion here in BBO forum from:
http://bridgebase.lunarpages.com/~bridge2/...findpost&p=7454

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Misho