Contract bridge words · Intermediate

The words that make the commentary make sense. They build on the beginner words.

I · Intermediate · 46 words · Step 2 of 2

General terms

Regulating Authority

The body that sets supplementary rules for a tournament: the World Bridge Federation for its own events, the zonal authority for zonal events, and the national bridge organisation for others. It can, for example, set the form of alerts and the system card.

Tournament Organizer

The body, recognised by the Regulating Authority, that arranges a tournament: appoints the Director, fixes the playing quarters and times, sets the conditions of entry and publishes the conditions of contest.

Session, round and event

A session is an extended period of play with a set number of boards, a round is the part of a session played without players moving, and an event or tournament is a contest of one or more sessions.

Contestant

The unit that enters an event: a single player in an individual event, two partners in a pairs event, and four or more team-mates in a team event.

The auction

Insufficient bid

A bid that does not outrank the one before it. It is an infraction. The player on the offender's left can accept it, otherwise the offender must correct it, and the rectification depends on how.

Call out of rotation

A call made at the wrong turn. The next player in rotation can accept it, which forfeits any rectification; otherwise it is cancelled and the auction goes back to the player whose turn it was, with penalties depending on the kind of call.

See also: Rotation, Auction, Call, Rectification

The ruleWhat happens after an insufficient bid in bridge?

Change of call

A player who did not make the call they meant may replace it until their partner calls, but only for a slip of the tongue or a mechanical error, not a loss of concentration. Otherwise the original call stands.

See also: Call

Comparable call

A call that replaces a withdrawn call and has the same or a similar meaning, a subset of its meanings, or the same purpose (such as an asking bid or a relay). Substituting one means the auction and play go on without further rectification.

Disclosure and information

Partnership understanding

An agreement between partners, explicit or arising from experience, on what calls and plays mean. A partnership must make its understandings available to opponents, and a call's agreed meaning cannot depend on which partner makes it.

See also: Call

Artificial call

A bid, double or redouble that conveys information beyond a willingness to play in the denomination named, or a pass that promises more than a stated strength or values other than in the last suit named.

See also: Denomination, Double, Redouble

Special partnership understanding

An understanding the Regulating Authority designates as one that many players may not easily understand, which by default includes any call with an artificial meaning. The Regulating Authority can allow, disallow or restrict it.

System card

A sheet listing a partnership's understandings, which the Regulating Authority may require. A player may not consult their own card during the auction and play (except declaring-side players during the clarification period) but may look at the opponents' card at set times.

Alert

A notice, whose form is set by the Regulating Authority, that the opponents may need an explanation of a call.

Explanation of calls

At their own turn to call a player may ask what the opponents' calls mean, and is entitled to know the calls made, relevant alternatives not made and inferences from the choice where these are partnership understandings. The answer comes from the partner of the player who called.

See also: Call

Review of the auction

At their turn to call, a player may ask for all earlier calls to be repeated, but not just some. After the final pass, declarer or a defender may ask at their first turn to play.

Misinformation

Failure to disclose accurately a partnership understanding when the laws require. A player who acted on a wrong explanation from an opponent may be allowed to change a call, and the Director adjusts the score if the offenders gained and the other side was damaged.

Mistaken explanation and mistaken call

If the agreement differs from the explanation given, that is an infraction and the explainer's side must correct it at the proper time. If the agreement was explained correctly and it was the call that was wrong, there is no infraction and the result stands.

See also: Call

Psychic call

A deliberate and gross misstatement of strength or length in a suit. A player may deviate from announced understandings if partner has no more reason than the opponents to know of it, but repeated deviations become an implicit understanding that must be disclosed.

Authorized and unauthorized information

Authorized information comes from the legal calls and plays of the board, and information from withdrawn actions is authorized for the non-offending side. Anything from partner outside the calls and plays, such as a remark, hesitation, emphasis, gesture or an unexpected alert, is unauthorized, and the player must not use it.

Logical alternative

An action that a significant proportion of players of that class, using the partnership's methods, would seriously consider and some would choose. A player may not pick the call or play that unauthorized information suggests over a logical alternative.

See also: Call

Tempo and deception

Partners may communicate only by calls and plays, made without undue emphasis, hesitation or haste. A player may try to deceive opponents through a call or play, but not by tempo, remarks or gestures, and not with a hidden partnership understanding.

The play

Dummy's rights and limits

Dummy may give information on fact or law (with the Director present), keep count of tricks, play the cards as declarer directs, ask declarer whether a failure to follow suit was a revoke, and may try to prevent an irregularity. Dummy may not take part in the play, look at a defender's hand, leave the seat to watch, or draw attention to an irregularity before the play ends.

See also: Declarer, Dummy, Defender, Revoke, Director

The ruleWhat can dummy do in bridge?

Playing a card

Everyone but dummy plays by detaching a card and facing it in front of them. Declarer plays a card from dummy by naming its suit and rank. Incomplete calls are interpreted by fixed rules, such as high meaning the highest card of the suit led and low the lowest.

Arrangement of tricks

Each player turns their card face down in front of them after a trick, pointing it lengthwise toward their own side if it won, or toward the opponents if it lost, and keeps the cards in order so the play can be reviewed.

Revokes, penalty cards and irregular leads

Established revoke

A revoke that can no longer be corrected, because the offender or their partner has led or played to the next trick, named a card for it, or made a claim or concession. The trick on which it occurred stands.

See also: Trick, Revoke, Claim, Concession

The ruleWhat is a revoke in bridge?

Revoke trick adjustment

After an established revoke, one trick is transferred to the non-offending side at the end of the play; if the offender won the revoke trick, that trick and one later trick won by the offending side are transferred. Several exceptions mean no adjustment, such as a revoke on the twelfth trick.

See also: Trick, Revoke, Established revoke

The ruleWhat is a revoke in bridge?

Penalty card

A card a defender has exposed prematurely, left face up on the table. A single unintentionally exposed card below an honour is a minor penalty card; an honour, or a card exposed by deliberate play, is a major one. Declarer may require or prohibit a lead of that suit.

See also: Honour, Declarer, Defender, Lead

Lead out of turn

A lead from the wrong hand. The next player in rotation may accept it as correct, or it must be retracted and the lead made from the correct hand. A faced opening lead out of turn can be accepted by declarer or refused, in which case the card becomes a major penalty card.

Claims and concessions

Claim

A statement that a side will win a stated number of tricks, or a suggestion to stop play, or showing the cards. A claim should come at once with a clear statement of the line of play, in order, and the claimer faces their hand.

Concession

A statement that a side will lose a stated number of tricks. A claim of some tricks concedes the rest, and abandoning a hand concedes all the remaining tricks. A concession stands once made, except that within the correction period the Director cancels one for a trick actually won, or that could not be lost.

Agreed claim

A claim is agreed when the other side assents and raises no objection before calling on the next board or before the round ends. The board is then scored as if played out.

Contested claim

When a claim is doubted, play stops and the Director rules as equitably as possible, resolving any doubt against the claimer. The Director will not accept a line of play not in the claimer's statement if a normal (even careless) alternative line would do worse.

Scoring

Premium points

Points other than trick points: for game, partscore, slams, overtricks, and for making a doubled contract (50) or a redoubled one (100).

Total point scoring

A contestant's score is the net total of points across all boards played.

Conditions of contest

The rules published in advance by the Tournament Organizer on entry, scoring method, how winners are determined and ties are broken. Other methods, such as victory points, may be used if the Regulating Authority agrees.

Tricks won and the correction period

The number of tricks won must be agreed before the hands are returned to the board, and a player must not knowingly accept a trick that was not won. A scoring error can be corrected within the correction period, normally 30 minutes after the official score is available.

The Director and rectification

Irregularity

A departure from correct procedure, including but not limited to a player's infraction. Any player may draw attention to one, and the Director is summoned. A player has no duty to point out their own side's infraction (except a mistaken explanation).

Rectification

The remedy for an irregularity, which only the Director determines. The Director rules doubtful points in favour of the non-offending side and seeks to restore equity.

Adjusted score

A score the Director awards to redress damage to a non-offending side and take away any advantage an offending side gained. It is assigned (the likely result without the infraction) or, when no result is possible, artificial: average minus, average or average plus.

Artificial adjusted score

Average minus (at most 40 per cent of the matchpoints in pairs) to a side directly at fault, average (50 per cent) to a side partly at fault and average plus (at least 60 per cent) to a side in no way at fault. In IMP play average minus and plus are 3 IMPs down and 3 IMPs up.

Procedural penalty

An extra penalty the Director may give for an offence that delays or obstructs play, inconveniences others, breaks procedure or needs an adjusted score. Examples are arriving late, slow play, discussing a board where it can be overheard, and handling another player's cards.

See also: Board, Director, Adjusted score

Disciplinary penalty

A penalty in points, or suspension for part or all of a session, which the Director can impose to maintain order. The Director may disqualify a player or contestant for cause, subject to the Tournament Organizer's approval.

Right to appeal

A contestant or captain may appeal any Director's ruling at their table, always through the Director, within 30 minutes after the official score is available unless the organiser sets another time. In pairs, both partners must agree to appeal.

Fouled board

A board in which a card was displaced, or copies differed in dealer or vulnerability, so the contestants who should be compared did not play it in the same form. The Director scores the correct and changed forms in separate groups.

See also: Board, Vulnerability, Director

Conduct and etiquette

Players must be courteous, follow uniform procedure and avoid remarks or actions that annoy others. Examples of improper conduct include showing approval of a call or play, looking intently at another player's hand, varying tempo to disconcert an opponent, and folding the cards to show lost interest.

See also: Call

Spectators

Anyone in the playing area other than a player or tournament official. A spectator may not look at more than one player's hand unless allowed, may not show any reaction to a deal in progress, and may speak on fact or law only when the Director asks.