In a minor fit auction, a three-level side-suit bid shows an empty suit, and it is often a try for 3NT. But it can be the first move on a slam hand – the negative information can often be as useful as a splinter bid.
| West | North | East | South | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
2 | pass | 2NT | pass | ||
3 | pass | 3 | pass | ||
| 3NT | pass | pass | pass |
In a major fit auction, a side-suit bid below 3NT is a splinter if it can be. Chilli splinters are used primarily for fit evaluation – a principle described well in Brian Senior's book Raising Partner under the name mini-splinters. On hearing a splinter, you can jump with joy holding three or four small cards in the suit, because you are now playing with a 30-point pack. Upgrade your hand generously. Holdings such as Axx are also good. But honour holdings such as KQxx, KJ10x or QJxx are bad news, suggesting wasted values. Downgrade the hand.
Partner's action after a splinter or unsplinter may depend on a re-evaluation of his hand, leading to a sign-off in the agreed suit at an appropriate level or a slam try. Another possibility is a return splinter, which is initially strength-neutral.
The splinter bid will nearly always be at the three-level, but it can be at the two-level in an auction like 1
1; 2 2.
You should almost never splinter with a stiff top honour, since partner may down-value soft honours when in fact tricks are being built. Conversely, partner is entitled to assume that the splinterer does not hold a stiff top honour. Almost never? There is one case where a stiff honour can be splintered: if it's their suit. Now we are unlikely to be building tricks, and the more important message is that of control.
| West | North | East | South | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | pass | ||||
| 2NT | pass | 3 | pass | ||
| 3 |
Sometimes the bidder cannot have a splinter in the suit, in which case it shows an empty suit.
| West | North | East | South | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | pass | 1 | pass | ||
| 2 | pass | 2NT | pass | ||
| 3 |