The Proper Use of the Game-Forcing Jump Takeout

What is a "Jump Takeout"?

A "jump takeout" is a jump response in a new suit to an opening bid. For example, a response of 3♦ to a 1♠ opening bid, or a response of 2♠ to a 1♥ opening bid.

A jump takeout is forcing to game, and invitational to slam.

A Common Approach

Every bridge player knows that a jump takeout response shows a strong hand, usually 16+ hcp. Some players, having such a hand and hearing an opening suit bid from partner, will automatically make a jump takeout bid "to show my strength, partner".

Sometimes, as we will see, this will be the right bid. At other times, however, it will not and, on some of those occasions, it will lead to problems later.

The Proper Approach

The Reason Why a Jump Takeout is Necessary

If your partner opens 1♥, for example, there are three types of strong hand (16+ hcp) with which you must make a jump takeout:

1. When you have 4-card or longer trump support;
2. When you have a very good suit of your own (and no other suit);
3. When you have a balanced hand.

With type A, you cannot support partner immediately since any raise of his suit is non-forcing. If you were to bid another suit first (without jumping) and then support partner next round, this delayed raise of his suit is also non-forcing. You would find yourself in an impossible position: you need to show heart support but you cannot show heart support without risk of a premature pass by partner. By correctly making a jump takeout on the first round you enable yourself to support hearts safely on the second round.

With type B, you clearly want to bid your own suit (say spades, for sake of example). In fact, to show the spade length and suit quality, you will want to bid spades twice. But if you were to bid 1♠ first then any subsequent bid of spades is non-forcing (merely a matter of bidding what you think you can make). You would once again find yourself in an impossible position. By correctly making a jump takeout bid of 2♠ on the first round you enable yourself to rebid spades safely on the second round.

With type C, you must bid NT at some early stage, to show your balanced shape. You will not bid NT on the first round, since such a bid would either be non-forcing or artificial, depending on your system agreements, so you need to bid NT on the second round. But if you were to bid another suit first (without jumping) and then rebid NT next round, this delayed NT bid (of whatever level) is also non-forcing. Once again you would be in an impossible position: you cannot rebid NT without risk of a premature pass by partner. By correctly making a jump takeout on the first round you enable yourself rebid NT safely on the second round.

Your Rebid

After making a jump takeout with your first response, your rebid shows the reason why you made a jump takeout, i.e. which of the three types of hand you have:

1. If you have support for partner's suit, bid his suit;
2. If you have a very good suit of your own, rebid your suit;
3. If you have a balanced hand, bid NT.

There is another serendipitous possibility, which you will not have planned for but which may sometimes fall into your lap. With Type C (and sometimes with Type B when you have 6-4 distribution) you may have a 4-card suit that partner bids on the second round. You should now support that suit, agreeing it as trumps, rather than persue your original intention of rebidding NT or your own suit.

Note well: After starting with a jump takeout you cannot show a second suit of your own, so you should never make a jump takeout when you have a two-suiter or a three-suiter (unless you have support for partner's suit). In fact, any bid of a new suit on the second round is an artificial cue bid, agreeing partner's last-bid suit as trumps and showing a first- or second-round control in the cue-bid suit. Partner's last bid suit may be his original suit, if he rebid it, but it is his second suit if he has bid a second suit. See my article on Italian-Style Cue Bids for more information.

For example, after an auction starting 1♥, 2♠; 3♦, your next bid has the following meaning:

• 3♥ (Type A): You are agreeing hearts by bidding partner's first suit.
• 3♠ (Type B): You are showing a strong hand with good spades.
• 3NT (Type C): You are showing a strong balanced hand with your NT bid.
• 4♣ (Type B or C): By bidding a new suit you are agreeing diamonds as trumps, and your club cue bid shows a club control. You obviously do not have support for opener's suit, so your reason for making a jump takeout must be either a spade suit (Type B) or a balanced hand (Type C), most likely the latter, and agreeing a 4-4 or better trump fit in diamonds may enable an extra trick to be developed by ruffing a loser in the likely contract of 6♦ or 7♦.
• 4♦ (Type B or C): You are agreeing diamonds, so this is similar to the previous case. However, your failure to cue bid clubs suggests that you have two losers in the club suit.

When Not to use a Jump Takeout

Don't make a jump takeout when you have a two-suiter or a three-suiter unless you have support for partner's suit, even if you have 16+ hcp. If you do make a jump takeout, you will never be able to describe your hand properly.

As we saw above, the reason for making a jump takeout is so that you can rebid your partner's suit, your own suit, or NT on the second round (bids which would otherwise be non-forcing) while having shown a very strong hand with your jump takeout on the first round.

When you have a strong hand with two or three unbid suits, however, you can make a non-jump bid of a new suit on the first round and, if opener repeats his suit, you can follow that up with a natural bid of your second suit (using either a reverse or a bid of your new suit at the three-level, either of which is game-forcing) on the next round. You will never be stuck for a suitably-forcing bid on the second round when you have a two- or three-suiter, so there is no need to make a jump takeout on the first round.

If opener, instead of repeating his suit, bids a second suit himself, then you simply bid the fourth suit as cheaply as possible. This is an artificial Fourth Suit Forcing bid, and does not promise the fourth suit (but nor does it deny it either). You can follow this with a natural bid of your fourth suit on the next round, which is forcing to game.

Author: Chris Burton
Gravesend Bridge Club