Improve your slam bidding
Introduction
Providing you have enough points, bidding small slams in No Trumps is relatively straightforward. If you have no fit, make sure you have 33 to 36 points and bid 6NT.
e.g. You hold and your partner opens the bidding 1D : -
ª AKJ5 1D 1S
© KQ8 2H 4NT
¨ J7 5S 5NT
§
KQ83 6C 6NT
The same thing would apply if you had 33 points, balanced hands and a 4 – 4 suit fit.
e.g. You hold and your partner opens the bidding 1D : -
ª AKJ5 1D 2C
© K8 2S 4NT
¨ J7 5S 5NT
§
KQJ83 6C 6S
However, many suit slams do not require 33 points. The most famous example is the hand played by James Bond in Ian Fleming’s Moonraker.
Bond played in 7
XX
Even
though Drax sitting West held 31 points, 7 by N was cold on any lead.
|
|
Bond |
|
|
Drax |
|
Mayor |
|
|
M |
|
This previous example shows us that with the appropriate distribution you do not need anything like 33
High Card Points to bid and make a slam in a suit.
One of the most frequently occurring situations when we can
bid a suit slam without needing the 33 HCP is when one of the hands includes a
singleton. When this occurs we can often bid a slam with about 28 points or
less, but it is important there are no wasted values in the same suit in the
hand opposite the singleton.
e.g. if partner held © QJ8 opposite your © 6 it would be almost impossible to set up a trick in hearts and the 3 points in partner’s hand are wasted.
However if partner holds © 853 opposite your © 4 there are no wasted values and it is the opponents K, Q and J that are worthless.
When you have found a 4 – 4 fit or better and you have a hand where you have the values for game and you have a singleton, now is the time to make a SPLINTER bid.
Splinter bids
Definition A splinter bid is normally a double jump made in a new suit after partner has bid a suit. It promises a hand good enough to play in game in partner’s suit plus a singleton (occasionally a void) in the suit bid. As you must play in game at least, the bid shows interest in a slam.
It can be made after partner has opened the bidding
e.g 1S 4D or 1C 3H
(a singleton in D and H
respectively)
With ª K975 you should jump to 4C over partner’s
© KJ82 opening bid of 1H or 1S
¨ AQ64 showing a singleton club and
§
3 a
slam interest`
or it can be made by opener after partner has bid a new suit
e.g. 1D 1S or 1S 2C
4C 4D (a singleton in C and D respectively)
With ª KQ75 You open 1D, partner bids 1S
© A82 you should jump to 4C agreeing spades
¨
AKQ64 showing a singleton club and
§
3 a
slam interest
In all the above sequences a double jump is necessary because a bid at one level lower is a natural force. E.g. as in the first example, 1S 3D is a force in diamonds.
There is one further situation where you can make a splinter bid and one where only a single jump is required, and this is when a bid in a new suit would have been a reverse (played by almost everybody as forcing) or is a new suit at the 3 – level.
e.g 1D 1S
3H is a game force in spades and
a singleton Heart
You can even make a splinter bid in a suit bid by the opponents
e.g 1D (1H) 3H is a game force in diamonds and a
singleton Heart
When you have a choice of bids
You will sometimes have to choose between bidding a side suit (delayed game raise) and showing a splinter. If the suit is good (e.g. 2 of top 3 honours), bid the suit first and if you can splinter later.
If the side suit is poor, ignore it and splinter straight away.
Some Examples
YOUR
HAND
ª A853 Your partner opening the
bidding 1S and it goes: -
© K82 1S
2C you
bid your good suit first and then
¨ 7 2S 4D your
singleton Di and your slam interest
§ KQJ83 ( note – 6 losers, better than minimum game raise)
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
PARTNER’S HAND No 1
ª KQJ94 If this is opener’s hand.
Only 28 points
© A9 but
an easy 6 spades, bidding proceeds
¨ 9832 4NT 5D
§
A2 6S
PARTNER’S HAND NO 2
ª KQJ94 On the other hand, this
could be opener’s hand.
© A9 The
same number of points, but no chance of a slam
¨ KJ7
§
954