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My left hand opponent opened one diamond. Partner doubled. Right hand opponent passed. I was sitting in fourth seat with eight points, and something like

(s) KJxxx (h) Jxx (d) xx (c) Kxx.

I "jumped" to TWO spades (instead of bidding the minimum one spade). With Qxx in spades and 13 points, partner took us to four, which went down two.

Partner said, "I thought your jump meant you had an opening hand. That, opposite my 13 means game." My opponents were also confused by the sequence.

My reply was that since I was forced to bid one spade with "nothing," a jump to two spades (which was the right level), meant that I was making a "non-forced" bid with a real (intermediate) hand of 7-10 points. Given that he had a minimum takeout double (and a minimum spade holding), I expected partner to pass.

Opposite a takeout double, does a jump bid of "one more than necessary" in a suit indicate moderate values? Or was partner right to expect an opening hand?

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I believe you're correct, and your partner is talking nonsense when he says "I thought your jump meant you had an opening hand". Everything I can find on the subject suggests that the jump is appropriate for a hand with 8+ HCP, or perhaps 9-11 modified HCP as per this bridge tip from pro player Eddie Kantar:

When responding to a takeout double, add one extra point for an unbid four card major and two extra points for an unbid five card major. Then if your total comes to 9-11 working points ( do not count anything for jacks or queens in any suit bid by an opponent) make a single jump response, not forcing. With less than 9 working points, make a non-jump response. With more than 11 revalued points, cuebid the opponent's suit.

With 8HCP and a diamond doubleton, you might be borderline, but you're still within your rights to test the waters. Tell your partner (and opponents) to read up on responses to takeout doubles!

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  • With five cards in the spade suit, I'd add two points for a total of ten, right?
    – Tom Au
    Oct 4, 2011 at 15:09
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    Not sure if I'd add value to a hand for both length and shortages, but maybe some people do...
    – thesunneversets
    Oct 4, 2011 at 15:25
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Your response was quite correct. With an opening hand ceteris paribus, you would cue bid (unassuming), then mention your suit on the next round of bidding.

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