[kgr]

Suppose you decide to play
1NT-3X
1NT = 15-17
3X = tranfer to splinter and 4-4-4-1 or 5-4-4-0; GF

And you want to play the following sequence as Slem force (if all controls and 4 of 5 aces):
1NT-3X
3Y (Y=short suit of partner=acceptance of transfer)

How many points outside suit Y do you need to play at 6-level:
1) if partner has singleton
2) if partner has renonce
3) If opener has A in short suit Y then this is not completely lost. Should you count it for f.i. 2 pts?
4) any other remarks (f.i. count points without J's...)

What do you think about:
1) 3X shows 12+ if singleton and 10+ if renonce in suit Y
2) 3Y by opener shows 15+ outside suit Y (counting A in short suit Y for 2 pts)

Thanks,
Koen

PS: If you have more details about follow-up bids for splinter transfers then I'm interested.

[Fluffy]

The cut-deck theory said that you need 28 HCP outside the suit if you are losing the singleton, or wanna play 7 with void, or have the ace, and 26 otherwise.

But this theory was for splinter bids, where 9 trumps were promised already, here you have only 8 on most cases, I supose that will variate then.

[kgr]

Fluffy, on Aug 5 2005, 05:07 PM, said:

The cut-deck theory said that you need 28 HCP outside the suit if you are losing the singleton, or wanna play 7 with void, or have the ace, and 26 otherwise.

I try to understand this. Is it the following?:
You need outside the short suit:
- 28 HCP/singleton for 6
- 28 HCP/void for 7
Remark: Ace in singleton suit counts full.
but what do you mean with "26 otherwise"?

[awm]

The principle I've always used for this (from Ron Klinger's book "Bid better over 1NT") is that of missing points. To make a small slam, at most 7 points should be missing (this is why 33 hcp for 6NT). For a grand slam, at most 3 points (thus 37 hcp for 7NT).

When there's a singleton and a fit, cards in the short suit other than the ace don't count. So you're playing with a 34 hcp deck, and you need 27 hcp for small slam and 31 for grand (obviously this is without counting any points for K/Q/J of the short suit).

With a void, you're playing with a 30 point deck. So you need 23 hcp for small slam and 27 for grand, again not counting any of the A/K/Q/J of the short suit.

Of course, this is just a rough guideline but it's worked well for me in the past.

[Fluffy]

26 if you wanna make 6 with no loser on the shortness, with 25 you should stay out of slam.

[han]

I like to use the same rule as awm, it's easy to remember and makes sense.

However, these rules only apply if you have a good fit. Suppose you open 1NT and partner bids 3C, showing a singleton diamond and (I presume) at most 4 card in a major. If you hold AQx AQx xxxxx Ax then you have 16 points outside of diamonds, but since you know you don't have a fit (and you will be ruffing in the hand with long trumps) you also know that there is very little potential for a slam.

[kgr]

Fluffy, on Aug 6 2005, 02:05 AM, said:

26 if you wanna make 6 with no loser on the shortness, with 25 you should stay out of slam.

This is how I understand this. If partner has a singleton in eg ♣ and I have 15 HCP then hand 2 is better then hand 1. Opposite hand 1 partner needs 12 HCP and opposite hand 2 partner needs 11 HCP.
1) KQxx Axx AQx xxx
2) KQxx Axx Qxx Axx
Is this correct? I would think that it is better to have the A in a side suit then in the short suit because in the side suit it can help to develop that suit?

And it will certainly loose value if partner appears to have a renonce?

[luke warm]

the way i learned is sorta like fluffy's... the rule of 26... after partner splinters, add your hcp outside the splinter suit to his hypothetical 13... if the total is 26 you have a good play for slam

[whereagles]

If 1NT is 15-17, then 8-9 hcp is enough for me.