# Splinter bid
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{{Short description|Convention in contract bridge}}
{{Main|Contract bridge|Bidding system|Bridge convention|Glossary of contract bridge terms}}
In the [card game](/source/card_game) "[contract bridge](/source/contract_bridge)", a '''splinter bid''' is a [convention](/source/bridge_convention) whereby a double jump response in a side-suit indicates excellent support (at least four cards), a singleton or void in that side-suit (but preferably not the ace or king), and at least game-going strength.[{{cite book |last1 = Seagram |first1 = Barbara |author-link1 = Barbara Seagram |last2 = Smith |first2 = Marc |author-link2 = Marc Smith (bridge) |title = 25 Bridge Conventions You Should Know |publisher = Master Point Press |location = Toronto |year = 1999 |page = [https://archive.org/details/isbn_9781894154079/page/89 89] |isbn = 1-894154-07-X |url = https://archive.org/details/isbn_9781894154079/page/89 }}, {{ISBN|978-1-894154-07-9}}] Some partnerships agree that the maximum strength can be only that necessary to reach a game contract; stronger holdings with major suit support instead might temporize with a [Jacoby 2NT](/source/Jacoby_2NT) bid.
The idea was developed independently in 1963 by David Cliff, the first to write about it, and [Dorothy Hayden Truscott](/source/Dorothy_Hayden_Truscott); it grew out of two earlier bidding tools, the [Fragment bid](/source/Fragment_bid) and the Void-Showing bid.[{{OEB|7|318}}]
==Examples==
For example, a four clubs (4{{clubs}}) response to a one heart (1{{hearts}}) opening establishes hearts as trump suit and indicates a singleton or void in clubs. Different bidding systems may specify different strengths for responder's hand, e.g. 10-12 high card points (HCP), 10-14 or 11-15, 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 best restricted to hands containing a fairly narrow HCP range 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](/source/King_(playing_card)), [queen](/source/Queen_(playing_card)) or [jack](/source/Jack_(playing_card))) 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{{Hearts}}–2{{Clubs}}; 2{{Diams}} is a forcing sequence, 1{{Hearts}}–2{{Clubs}}; 3{{Diams}} 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.
Opener can also make a splinter bid to agree responder's suit if he is strong enough to be able to force to game if responder was minimum for his bid; see example 2 below. Typically, opener would have 15-18 points for this sequence.
The four 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:
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center; float:left; margin-right:1.0em"
!North||South
|-
|1{{Spades}} || 4{{Diams}}
|}
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center; float:left; margin-right:1.0em"
!North||South
|-
|1{{Clubs}}||1{{Spades}}
|-
|4{{Diams}}||
|}
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center; float:left;"
!North||South
|-
|1{{Clubs}}||1{{Hearts}}
|-
|1{{Spades}}||4{{Diams}}
|}
{{clear}}
A splinter may occur at the three level. In the following auction, South is showing acceptance of hearts and a singleton in spades.
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center; float:left; margin-right:1.0em"
!North||South
|-
|1{{Hearts}} || 3{{Spades}}
|}
{{clear}}
==Further reading==
* {{cite book |last= Hardy|first= Max|authorlink= |author-mask= |title= Splinters and Other Shortness Bids|edition= 1st|publisher= Max Hardy|location= Las Vegas|pages= |series= |year= 1987 |doi= |lccn= |oclc= |isbn= 0-939460-34-3}}
==References==
{{reflist}}
{{WPCBIndex}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Splinter Bid}}
Category:Bridge conventions
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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Splinter bid](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Splinter_bid) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Splinter_bid?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.