Jump Shifts
     
 
to conventions this page was last updated: 7-June-2007
 
     
 
 
If you wish you can download the Word Doc file for printing.
 
     
     
     
 

The Jump Shift - weak or strong?

 
 
Hand A Hand B Your partner opens 1♦, with which one of these hands
        would you respond with a jump to 2♥?
♠ AK6 ♠ 76 If it's Hand A then you play strong jump shifts.
♥ KQJ1097 ♥ KJ7654 If it's Hand B then you play weak jump shifts.
♦ K86 ♦ 82  
♣ 7 ♣ 732  
 
     
 

The Strong Jump Shift

  
 

The strong jump shift is absolutely game forcing and usually interested in slam. The suit should be robust and self sufficient, usually 6+ cards. If it's a major suit then the jump shift strongly suggests that suit as trumps, if it's a minor suit then a No Trump game/slam or a minor suit slam is the usual outcome.

 
     
 
Hand A  
     
♠ AK6 Partner has opened the bidding with 1♦.
♥ KQJ1097

Hand A is a typical strong jump shift of 2♥. The ♥ suit is solid and will stand up opposite a singleton or void and you probably want to play in a ♥ game or slam.

♦ K86
♣ 7  
     
Hand C Partner has opened the bidding with 1♦.
   

With Hand C you make a strong jump shift of 3♣. This does not necessarily fix ♣'s as trumps but shows the suit as a source of tricks. The bidding could continue in any number of ways but if partner bids 4♣ then that is showing slam interest. RKCB should establish if partner has the ♣K and you'll probably end up in a No Trump slam.

♠ K6
♥ K4
♦ K82
♣ AQJ1096
     

The Weak Jump Shift

This is the complete opposite, it is a pre-emptive bid. I play that a weak jump shift is a weak hand with a 6 card suit but usually insufficient values to respond at the one level (so about 2-6 points). If playing weak jump shifts, I only play them in major suits at the two level.

     
Hand D

Partner has opened the bidding with 1♣. This hand comes from news-sheet 240 and the holder responded 2♥.

   
♠ 86

This is a typical weak jump shift – worse than a weak two opener and very often a lot worse.

♥ K87654
♦ 54 For more about weak jump shifts, refer to that page.
♣ 1094  
     
Hand E Suppose you hold this hand and open 1♦ and partner responds 2♥.
    Do you go to game or not?
♠ A2

My answer is to play Ogust 2NT to ask how good partner's hand is and if his points are inside or outside the trump suit.

♥ Q32
♦ AKQ76 Ogust with weak jump shifts is explained on that page.
♣ QJ2  
     
 
 

So which treatment is best; weak or strong jump shifts? It's probably up to your personal style. Strong jump shifts make bidding simpler for less experienced pairs and I would not recommend weak jump shifts to any but very experienced players. If you play two-over-one then there is a better case for playing weak jump shifts.

 
     
 
  Pattaya Bridge Club - www.pattayabridge.com
 
     
 
to conventions