Weekly Hand Analysis - Vic Johnson - August 28, 2023 - Cue bid

 

Question:  Is North's 3 club cue bid correct?  If so, should South have gone to 4 Hearts?

Vic:

Well, 3C in this case is not just a "simple" (lowest available level) cue bid. It is a "jump" cue bid. I am curious if the "jump" was intentional. If so, I am curious if North had any idea what a jump cue bid means. 

Bridge expert, Larry Cohen, defines a jump cue bid as a  "Mixed Raise" which promises 4-card trump support and more than a preemptive raise, but less than a limit raise. Actually, that is an aggressive, but certainly reasonable, description of the North hand.

 So if a mixed raise is what North meant to show, then Yes their bid was correct. If North had no idea what a jump raise promises, then No it was not correct. And if North had no idea what it meant, then I suspect South had no idea either.

 A less aggressive, but also reasonable, description of the North hand would be that shows preemptive support of hearts in which case the proper bid would be 3H.

 Over a mixed raise, it would be tempting for South to raise to game. Over a preemptive raise, I would expect South to Pass 3H.

 Good defense will hold NS to nine tricks in hearts. 

 Ain't bridge a great game?