Weak Jump Shifts

This question was asked to: David Stevenson

Question

Hi David, I understand that weak jump shifts a should be alerted, so 1H – 2S (no opps bidding) should be alerted? Do you still alert after intervention, 1D – 1H (overcall) – 2 or 3S should the two or three spades be alerted?

Answer

The answer for 2S is yes, definitely, since the Blue book which regulates alerting says so. For the technically minded the relevant section is 4H2D. While I think it would be very unusual to find anyone who plays this as a strong jump these days it is not helpful to make exceptions to general rules. The wording of that section makes it less clear whether 3S should be alerted. I think it fair to say that there is no generally accepted meaning for 3S on the sequence. It could be weak, splinter or a fit jump. Nevertheless, if you play this as weak, I suggest you alert it to avoid arguments.

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