weak jump shifts

Weak Jump Shifts,
When partner opens say 1§ or 1¨, then a jump to 2© or 2ª is normally played as strong - a good hand with a good suit; forcing to game and slam seeking. However, there is an alternative to the traditional strong jump shift: -

Consider this hand, partner has opened 1¨. You have totally insufficient values to bid, but wouldn’t it be nice to be able to stick your oar in?

ª Q97542 © 5 ¨ 42 § 7653

If you could safely bid 2ª without exciting partner, that would be super.

And how about this hand? Partner has opened 1§. You do not really want to pass, but you ‘know’that if you bid, then partner will jump in a black suit.

ª 42 © KJ9652 ¨ 9542 § 7

Is there a solution? Enter the (very) weak jump shift.

After a 1§/¨ opening, a jump to 2©/ª may be played as a weak hand, too weak for a 1-level response; with a 6 (possibly 7) card suit and typically 2-5 pts. Now this has numerous advantages, you have described your hand perfectly and the only person who really knows what is going on is your partner!