TWENTY-SIX SMALL SLAM SPLINTER RULE-TSSSSR

By Harold Schogger 

If your partner makes a splinter bid, if you can add up all your points outside the splinter suit and it comes to 26 or more you should consider bidding a slam. e.g

S AK873 S QJ65
H 52 H AK643
D AQ6 D K83
C 432 C 7

If the auction proceeds 1S 4C: Then West should immediately add his points outside the splinter suit to a known guarantee of 13-15 points. Since his points total 14 and his partner is promising 13-15 then she knows the total is 26 and he should immediately be interested in a slam as 6S is an easy make. West should therefore make suitable overtures either by cue bidding or ace asking. However if the hands are now as follows:

S AK873 S QJ65
H 52 H AK643
D Q2 D K83
C KQ62 C 7

If the auction proceeds 1S 4C- Now you add your points outside the splinter suit (i.e. only 9) to the guaranteed 13 and now the total only amounts to 22 and although you now have 27 points between the 2 hands the slam is now impossible. The rule can also be applied in other splinter bid situations. e.g.

S KQ72 S AJ863
H AK754 H Q86
D A82 D K4
C 4 C 762

If the auction proceeds 1H 1S 4C now East adds his 10 points (all outside the splinter suit) to the known total of at least 18 by opener totaling 28 points and should certainly make a move forward as 6S is an easy make, but with

S KQ72 S AJ863
H AK754 H 862
D A82 D 93
C 4 C KQ2

If the auction proceeds 1H 1S 4C Now East's 5 points outside the splinter suit added to the known 18 will only make 23 points and now no interest in the slam should be shown! The reason this rule works is that once the partnership can ignore one whole suit then the partnership can expect to make small slams on 26+ as opposed to 33+ when you have to take into account all the suits! Also it is a good idea to have a partnership agreement that you will not splinter in suits where you have a singleton king or ace (as part of the points promised).