diff -r b2c17681404f Modules/_sre.c
--- a/Modules/_sre.c	Fri Nov 07 22:33:19 2014 +0200
+++ b/Modules/_sre.c	Sat Nov 08 10:53:30 2014 +0200
@@ -893,14 +893,6 @@ pattern_split(PatternObject* self, PyObj
             goto error;
         }
 
-        if (state.start == state.ptr) {
-            if (last == state.end)
-                break;
-            /* skip one character */
-            state.start = (void*) ((char*) state.ptr + state.charsize);
-            continue;
-        }
-
         /* get segment before this match */
         item = getslice(state.isbytes, state.beginning,
             string, STATE_OFFSET(&state, last),
@@ -926,6 +918,15 @@ pattern_split(PatternObject* self, PyObj
 
         n = n + 1;
 
+        if (state.start == state.ptr) {
+            if (last == state.end)
+                break;
+            /* skip one character */
+            last = state.ptr;
+            state.start = (void*) ((char*) state.ptr + state.charsize);
+            continue;
+        }
+
         last = state.start = state.ptr;
 
     }