Splinters by Foxymoron

“I had a splinter once," Shallan noted. "It eventually got out of hand".- Brandon Sanderson from the fantasy novel Oathbringer. 

Lt. Col. Beasley played for England in the very first official Bridge World Championship in 1933. In one game against the American team, Beasley made (in the middle of the auction) a bid much like a modern Splinter, a double jump showing a shortage, and this enabled Beasley to arrive at a good Slam contract with only 22 HCP in the combined hands. The American "Bridge Hall of Fame" player Dorothy Truscott is generally credited with having developed the idea of Splinter bids, but only much later in 1964.

On the following hand, Andy Conway used a splinter bid.

Many would play that 3H here was a splinter bid, as 2H would have been forcing, in which case 4H can show a void. Of course one needs to agree this in advance. The simple agreement that a double jump is a splinter works quite well. Although the king of hearts was likely to be wasted, having six spades when partner promises four is a good thing. It is vital that a splinter always promises four trumps, as that increases the value of a singleton or void considerably. 

The king of hearts is not completely wasted although here it is not needed. The defence makes the ace of hearts, but only if South cashes it on the go. Rachel, South did that, as did I as South on a different auction, but that was only one match point and a joint bottom. This should be a fairly easy slam to bid. The other bid West could consider is 4D, showing  good diamonds and four spades, and that should get to the easy slam as well.