Improve Your Play #23

IMPROVE YOUR PLAY #23 with Larry Matheny

I continue to receive questions regarding the splinter bid so here is another example. Remember it shows support for partner's suit along with shortness in the suit bid.

VUL: E-W
SCORING: Matchpoints

Hand #23
Dlr	S
Vul	E-W

	A10987
	K6532
	K106

	K6
	104
	J954
	AKQ64

	J
	J987
	83
	J109732

	Q5432
	AQ
	AQ72
	85

West	North	East	South
			1
2	4*	5	5
Pass	5	Pass	5
Pass	6	Pass	6
All Pass

*Splinter Bid

BIDDING: Little did South know when he opened the bidding how good his 14 high card points would become. After West's overcall of 2

, North jumped to 4

to show spade support with game values and club shortness. Even though the vulnerability was wrong, East could not resist sacrificing in 5

. South realized his partner must hold some red honor cards to justify his jump to the four level, so he cooperated by cue bidding the ace of diamonds. North loved his hand and made a cue bid in the heart suit. South now slowed the bidding with 5

but North wasn't to be stopped and bid 6

. His first club bid showed a singleton so this promised a void. South signed off in the small slam hoping his spades were good enough..

PLAY: Declarer ruffed West's club lead in dummy. South could see that his only concern was holding his spade losers to one. At trick two declarer led a heart to his hand followed by a small spade. After West played the six, declarer took the safety play by covering with dummy's ten. East won the trick but that was it for the defense. It's nice to bid and make a slam with only twenty four high card points.

A further note on the play: declarer could have led the spade queen from his hand and lost no tricks, but if the KJ6 were all in the East hand, the slam would fail. Notice the safety play works against any distribution of the spade suit.

Copyright ©2007 Larry Matheny.