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SHiCe

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SHiCe bids, like SHiD bids, serve the same purpose as splinter bids. As a responder you need strong hands, >=12 HCP's, to be allowed to use the convention. The follow up differs the splinter bid follow up because the trump suit still has to be established. Therefore it will have to be natural at first.
There are three special properties/conditions:

• SHiCe-bids are done on a lower level than splinter bids are done commonly. Only three SHiCe responses are possible:
  • 2ª, with the S of Spades
  • 2©, with the H of Hearts
  • 3§, with the C of Clubs
  The name of this convention has been derived from these three capitals. We have added two small vowels to facilitate memorizebility and pronouncebility (it sounds like the German "Scheisse ", transl: shit)
• a SHiCe-response is always done to an opening bid of 1¨ and shows, like the splinter, a void/singleton in the suit bid, but also some support (4-card) in ¨
  After a SHiD response on 1§ opening bid, the trump suit still has to be established (that's shit)
• Above the diamonds, a SHiCe responder must possess a second potential trump suit.
  • either: 5-card major suit
    rebid: a common bid in this major suit
  • or: 4-card clubs
    rebid: 3§, the opener in his rebid has to allow for this bid. So the only opener's rebid which is not forcing is 3¨, which shows he want to play 3¨ and nothing else or more. An opener's relay may lead to anything and 2NT shows the 4,3,3,3 with the 4-card clubs
  REM. Holding 5,5 in the majors the WHIMS convention has to be applied. As there is no 4-card ¨ SHiCe is not allowed; it would not have been efficient either.

In MAF it is general practice to splinter at a lower level after a major suit opening. There we still talk of splinter-bids. The conventional meaning of the minor suit 1-level openings, as well as the differences between SHiD and SHiCe, made me decide to create two new names for the convention.
There is only one SHiCe convention. After a 1¨ opening bid it is impossible to show a major suit void/singleton in the first rebid. Only a void/singleton in clubs can be shown. This works in a quite different way and has got therefore a different name: MaD+++.

In case of a void/singleton in a suit of an overcall, this is shown by doing a cue bid similar to the splinter splinter cue.

If you want to see examples of bridgames, in which the matter, treated above, is practiced, you should click on examples and choose for the appropriate convention or for any other typical call.

Remark:
This convention is part of the MeRDe-complex ("MeRDe "= "Mean Repulsive Devices ", 'merde ' also is the french translation of 'shit '; it is used quite often by angry Frenchmen).
This complex consists of the next, void or singleton showing, conventions: SHiD+, SHiD+++, splinter, MaD+++, CUE, WievandeDrie and SHiCe