Larry Cohen
23-time National champion

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Jump-Cue Mixed Raise

A good addition to anyone's bidding would be to define a "jump-cue." This is exactly what it sounds like. You are "cue-bidding" the OPPONENT'S suit -- but via a jump. For example:

OPP.   PARTNER    OPP.    YOU
1♦              1♠            Pass       3♦

Your 3♦ bid is a "jump-cuebid." Any time the opponents open and your partner overcalls, you can make such a jump-cuebid. What does it mean? We'll get to that in a moment. For now, let's do what we should do for all conventions. Make sure we know when it is on.

A jump-cue to show a mixed raise is defined as follows:

Any time the Opponents open the bidding and our side makes an overcall: Regardless of what their responder does, the partner of the overcaller jumps in the opener's suit. Sounds like a mouthful, I know. Just look at the example auction above if you are confused. (A jump to the 4-level should be a Splinter Bid -- so we are talking here only about a jump-cue on the 3-level).

Okay. So we know what a jump-cue is. What does it show? It should be played as a "Mixed Raise." What's that? This term is growing in popularity. It means: "4-card trump support and more than a preemptive raise, but less than a limit raise." For example, on the auction above, the jump-cue-bidder might hold:

This is a hand that wants to go to the 3-level (Law of Total Tricks) and do so quickly. However, it is too good for a preemptive raise of 3♠ (which would be made with the same hand but no ♥KJ). Meanwhile, this hand is not strong enough for a 2♦ cue-bid, which would promise 10+ (limit or better). A "single" cue-bid (2♦) should show at least a limit raise (with 3 or more trump). The jump-cue always delivers that 4th trump, but is lighter than limit (yet more than preemptive).

This convention is easy to use and easy to remember. Even if partner "forgets," it is unlikely he will take your jump-cue as natural. This method comes up quite frequently. Observe that the "jump cue-bid" says absolutely nothing about the suit you are jumping in (you could have three little, you could have the ace). Got it? If not, here are a few examples:

Jump-Cue to show Mixed Raise:

OPP.   PARTNER   OPP.    YOU
1♣             1♥           Pass       3♣

---------------------------------------------------------

OPP.   PARTNER   OPP.    YOU
1♥            2♣            Dbl       3♥

------------------------------------------------------------

OPP.   PARTNER   OPP.    YOU
1♦             1♥            1♠         3♦

Notes:

1) Don't mix this up with auctions where WE open.  This is on only when THEY open and we overcall. For example, the following auction is NOT a "jump-cue mixed raise:"

PARTNER   OPP.    YOU
    1♥            1♠           3♠

2) This article assumed that you are using the modern method of a jump-raise in competition as preemptive. Any time partner overcalls, you should use a jump raise as weak. However, even if you are using the old-fashioned method of all jump raises in competition as limit, that won't preclude you from using the jump-cue as mixed.

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