Don't Jump

[jh51]

Last weekend I played with a less experienced partner in the pairs games at a nearby sectional tournament. In one event we twice failed to bid cold grand slams after she made jump rebids. We were playing 2/1 Game Force. In each case my response to her 2nd seat opening bid was 2 of a new (lower) suit, establishing a game force.

 

After the game, I discussed this issue with her. I suggested that once we were in a game forcing auction, she did not need to jump to show a good hand. I suggested that in this situation, it is really only necessary to jump to show specific kinds of hands. I cam e up with a list and would like to see if others agree or can add to my list.

 

1. To show a soldid suit
   
2. To deny slam interest. (Perhaps opener made a rule of 20 opening bid and responder bid her second suit.)
   
3. To show shortness (a splinter bid). Need only be a jump (not a double jump), since you don't need this bid to create a game force.
   
4. To ask for keycards or Aces. This possibly includes Exclsion Blackwood, Kickback, and other such bids you have agreed to play.
   

 

Any thoughts on my list?

[aguahombre]

Eliminate number two, above and think about staying out of responder's way on opener's first rebid. The other three are fine, except the premature leap to Wood shouldn't happen very often.

 

Fast arrival has limited value, but not on opener's second round.

[Zelandakh]

Have her read this. Point 2 is that jumps show specific hands and should be rare. It also has a good overview of 2/1 more generally and might make for a good refresher course on how 2/1 auctions should develop.

[jh51]

The other three are fine, except the premature leap to Wood shouldn't happen very often.

Oddly enough, I included this item specifically because ERKC (had we been playing it) would have been the perfect rebid. Partner had a pretty good hand with a club void, but was missing the KQ of my heart suit and the K of her 6 card spade suit. I had those 3 cards. With ERKC she could have asked for keycards and would have given the "1" response. The Q ask would have revealed the other two.

 

As it was, she could have raised my hearts. With no Aces to cue bid, my next bid would be 4♥. If she understands that I would have cue bid with something to cue bid, she could use regular RKC knowing that the club Ace was not in my hand. She would then find I had the relevant missing honors.

 

Once she knows of the missing honors, she knows we have the top 4 spades, top 3 hearts, and top 2 diamonds. Assuming normal breaks, there should be 6 spade tricks, 5 heart tricks, and 2 diamond tricks. Her hand will likely ruff a club at trick 1, so that's 14 tricks. (What she does not know is that I have a 7 card heart suit and the Q of diamonds, so there are 16 tricks if I don't have to ruff a club. And that assumes that spades are breaking no worse than 4-2. In any case, there are tricks to burn.)

 

Alas, partner decided to jump to 3♠. None of the items in my list seemed likely, so I decided that she had jumped becauase she had 6 spades and 17+ HCP, and fewer that 3 hearts. Since I had 7 hearts, I tried 4♥, which she raised to 6.

[RSClyde]

I agree, natural jumps are pretty silly.

So yeah, a solid suit or a splinter is my preference.