Bidding conventions have minor impact

I believe that bidding conventions have only a minor impact on a partnership’s results. Winning players have solid fundamental skills and keep avoidable errors to a minimum.

Still, I’m not anti-convention. New methods have improved constructive bidding. I would cite fitshowing jumps in competition, exclusion Blackwood and, especially, “splinter bids.”

A “splinter” is an unusual jump to show shortness in the bid suit plus a fit for partner’s suit. The idea is to let partner judge whether he has a useful holding opposite your shortness. In today’s deal, North’s jump to four clubs showed a singleton plus a spade fit. South had no “wasted” club honors and knew North’s values would be helpful. So South and North cue-bid their aces and reached six spades.

It was a fine slam, but South didn’t make it. He took the ace of hearts, drew trumps with the A-K, cashed the A-K of diamonds and ruffed a diamond. When West discarded, South led a trump to dummy and ruffed a diamond high. He led a trump to dummy to discard his heart loser on the good fifth diamond. But then South had no more trumps in his hand, and dummy had a losing heart and losing club.

South must draw only one round of trumps, then start the diamonds: A-K of diamonds, diamond ruff high, trump to dummy, diamond ruff high. He can return a trump to dummy, pitch his heart loser on the good diamond and still ruff two clubs in dummy.

Bidding gadgets may reach good contracts, but you still need basic play skills and focus.