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Swiss Pairs and Swiss Teams Events

These may sound a bit continental but the Swiss idea comes from chess. As there is insufficient time to play against everybody there has to be a sensible way of finding opponents other than by drawing lots or tossing a coin.

Starting positions.  In the first round it is decided by drawing lots.  You play a match (usually of seven or eight boards) against your opponents which is more than you play in the club where rounds are normally two or three boards. But it means you get the chance to learn more about your opponents - whether they are any good. At the end of the round the final score is calculated.  A ranking list is produced based on your total score for all matches so far.

Now this is where the Swiss element comes in - for the next round you are matched against a pair/team with the same score as you. Now you play another match and carry on for as many matches as there are in the tournament, moving up or down the field at the end of each round. The higher you get the tougher your opponents should be.

The other element in a Swiss event is that you only play against another pair/team once; so even if you are leading the field you cannot place against the pair/team lying second if you have played them before. You will be drawn against the leading contestant you haven't previously played.

At the end of the tournament the pair/team with the highest score wins.

Scoring

Scoring in Swiss Pairs events is done by the TD and the official scorers; scoring in Swiss Teams is easily done by the players. But in either case each match is played for 20 Victory Points. You share the 20 VPs between you and your opponents. You might win your match 20-0 or 14-6 or lose it 1-19.

You might even draw it 10-10. To win 20-0 in Swiss Pairs you have to score about 66% of the available Match Points whilst in Swiss Teams you have to win by 30 or more IMPs.

Swiss events are great fun and even if you are fairly new you will soon find your own level in the field.

Bridge Terms for Beginners

Attitude signal

As defender, playing a high card to say ‘I like this suit’ or a low one to discourage or deny values in the suit.

Auction

The first stage of the game in which all four players may speak, one at a time, competing for the final contract (the bidding).

Balanced hand

One with a relatively equal number of cards in each suit. No void or singleton, not more than one doubleton.

Bid

A call made during the auction in a suit or in no trumps.

Biddable suit

A suit with four or more cards in it.

Bidding box

A way of making bids without actually speaking.

Blackwood

An artificial bid of 4NT asking partner how many aces he holds.

Board

The container which holds a deal. Boards come in numbered sets and show who is dealer and vulnerable. For instance on board 1, North deals at Love All.

Bonus

Extra points for making a contract, like 50 for a part score.

Buy

In a competitive auction, the side playing the hand is said to buy the contract

Call

A bid, a pass, a double, a redouble made when it’s your turn to speak.

Cash

To play a winning card or cards. Cash out is to take all your winning cards.

Chicago

A social form of bridge for four players, scoring very like duplicate. Each rubber consists of four deals with pre-determined vulnerability

Claim

When the play is clear-cut, declarer shows his hand, claiming the tricks.

Clear a suit

To force out the high card held by the opponents and set up winners.

Competitive bidding

An auction in which both sides take part.

Contract

The final bid in the auction which determines the denomination (suit or no trumps) and the number of tricks to be won by declarer.

Convention

An artificial bid with an agreed meaning, e.g. an opening 2§= big hand.

Count signal

Play by defender of a higher then lower ranking card to show an even number of cards (called a peter), or low then high to show an odd number of cards.

Covering honours

When an honour is led and the next player plays a higher honour, this is said to be ‘covering an honour with an honour’.

Cross-ruff

Sequence of tricks in which a player and his partner score trumps separately by alternately ruffing side suits.

Deal

Fifty-two cards distributed so each player has thirteen cards.

Dealer

The player who makes the first call on a deal.

Declarer

The player on the side winning the contract who first bid the suit or no trumps and who thus has the right to play both his hand and dummy.

Defeat the contract

To win, in defence, enough tricks so that declarer fails to make the contract. The score is 50 points for each non-vulnerable undertrick and 100 if vulnerable.

Defence

The line of play adopted by the defenders.

Defenders

The two players in opposition to declarer. Often referred to as RHO (right-hand opponent) and LHO (left-hand opponent).

Defensive bidding

Bidding by the non-opening side.

Denomination

Clubs, diamonds, hearts, spades or no trump.

Discarding

When unable to play a card in the suit lead, playing another suit, preferably throwing a card that gives helpful information to partner.

Double

Originally, a bid to extract a larger penalty. But at low levels a request for partner to bid – a take-out double.

Double dummy

A play which could not be bettered even if declarer could see all four hands.

Doubleton

A holding of two cards in a suit, shown by either leading the higher or playing the higher one before the lower.

Drawing trumps

Continuing to lead trumps until opponents have none left, involves counting the cards played to make sure all opposition trumps have been drawn.

Ducking (hold-up)

Deliberately withholding a high card which could have won a trick.

Dummy

Declarer’s partner whose hand is tabled after the opening lead.

Duplicate bridge

Where the score is determined by comparison with other scores on the same deal.

Duplication

Duplication of distribution is when both players in a partnership have the same length in each suit. Duplication of values is when strong holdings in one hand are facing strong values in the same suit in partner’s hand, like AQ opposite KJ.

Eight-card fit

A combined holding of eight cards in a suit between the two partnership hands.

English Bridge Union

The governing body for the game of duplicate bridge in England.

Entry

A card that enables access to a particular hand.

Establishing

Setting up a specific card or cards as winners by forcing out high cards.

Etiquette and Ethics

Good manners and good behaviour at the bridge table,

Exit

Get off lead by playing a card you expect to be won by the other side – trying to do so without giving away a trick.

Finesse

A technique of card play to try and win a trick with a card, when opponents hold a higher card in the same suit.

Fit

A fit is holding adequate supporting cards in a suit bid by partner.

Flat board

In duplicate, a hand where the same result was scored by all contestants. In teams both sides recorded the same score.

Flat hand

A balanced hand, particularly 4 3 3 3 pattern.

Following suit

Playing a card in the same suit.

Forcing bid

A bid which tells partner to bid again.

Forcing to game

or Game forcing, is demanding that the partnership does not stop short of game.

Fourth highest

Lead in a suit of the fourth card from the top, e.g. K J 9 6 4 lead the 6.

Free bid

A bid made in a situation where there is no obligation to speak.

Game

Contract whose trick score is 100 points or more, e.g. 3NT, 4©,4ª,5§,5¨.

Get a count

Discover the distribution of the unseen hands

Give count

Make a distributional signal.

Go down

or Go Off. Make fewer tricks than you said you would.

Grand slam

A contract to make all thirteen tricks.

High card points

Values given to high cards to help decide what to bid (ace=4, king=3, queen=2, jack=1). There are 40 high card points (HCP) in the pack.

Honours

The five highest cards in a suit (ace, king, queen, jack, ten).

Intermediates

Middle-size cards like tens, nines and eights that might win tricks.

Intervention

A bid made after the opponents have opened the bidding, an overcall.

Invitational bid

Invites partner to continue bidding with a bit extra.

Jump bid

A bid at a higher level than required to name the denomination of the bid.

Jump overcall

A single jump bid made as an overcall.

Jump shift

A bid in a new suit higher than necessary to beat the previous bid.

Kibitzer

An onlooker at the card table, from the Yiddish for a kiebitz bird.

Laws

The Laws of Duplicate Bridge, 1997 version, describe the game you are playing.

Laydown

A contract that is so certain that declarer can claim at trick one

Lead

The first card played to a trick.

Limit bid

A bid that limits the strength and distribution of the hand within precise bounds.

Long suit

A suit of four or more cards in the same hand.

Major suits

Spades and Hearts whose tricks score 30 points each.

Match-point scoring

The way the results are usually determined in a pairs competition.

MiniBridge

A bridge-like game, where the contract is chosen by the side with the most HCP.

Minor suits

Diamonds and Clubs whose tricks score 20 points each.

Non-forcing

A bid which does not require a response from partner.

No trumps

A contract played without trumps (the highest card in the suit led wins the trick).

Opening bid

The first call in the auction other than ‘Pass’. Made by the ‘Opener’.

Opening lead

The card led to the first trick before dummy is seen.

Overbid

A call for which the bidder has insufficient values.

Overcall

Bid made by the opponents after the bidding has been opened.

Overtrick

A trick made by declarer above the number required for the contract.

Pair

The partnership of two bridge players.

Part score

A contract below the level of game, the trick value is less than 100.

Pass

Or ‘No bid’ indicates the caller has nothing worth saying at this stage.

Pass out

All four players pass without anybody bidding, or three passes after a bid.

Passive lead

A lead which tries not to give away a trick to declarer.

Penalty

Points scored by defenders when declarer fails to make a contract.

Play

The part of the deal after the bidding, where declarer tries to make the contract.

Pre-emptive bid

Obstructive bid, made at a high level, usually a weak hand with a very long suit.

Protection

Re-opening the bidding in the pass out seat, because it is clear partner must have some values, e.g. after 1ª pass pass.

Quit a trick

To complete the trick by turning over the cards after all players have played to it.

Raise

A responding bid in a denomination bid by partner.

Rebid

The second or subsequent bid made by a player. To rebid a suit already bid, promises extra length, five or more cards.

Redouble

An expression of confidence that a contract would make despite being doubled for penalties. Redouble increases the stakes. Sometimes used conventionally.

Responder

The partner of the player who started the partnership’s bidding.

Reverse

The rebid in a new suit, after a one-level opening, higher than two of the first suit bid. Shows extra strength and distribution.

Revoke

Failure to play a card of the suit led when it is possible to do so. Can be corrected if the trick has not been quit. Otherwise ask the director for help.

Ruffing (trumping)

When holding no card of the suit led, playing a trump to win the trick.

Rule of Twenty

A formula for deciding if a hand is worth an opening bid.

Ruff (or To Trump)

To play a trump on the lead of a side suit in which you are now void.

Sacrifice or Save

Bidding a contract expecting it to go down but hoping for a smaller minus score than letting the opponents play the contract.

Second hand

The player on left of the leader to the current trick who plays second. ‘Second hand plays low’ means that the second hand often does not try to win the trick.

Sequence

Three or more touching cards in the same suit, e.g. J 10 9.

Side suit

Any suit other than trumps.

Sign off

A bid which asks partner to stop bidding.

Singleton

Holding of only one card in a particular suit.

Small slam

Contract for twelve tricks, hoping to get the slam bonus.

Standard English Acol

The bidding system we use. Similar to Acol – another popular English system.

Stayman

An artificial bid after partner opens 1NT, asking if a four-card major is held.

Stop or Stopper

A card, or cards, held in a suit which prevents the opponents from running the suit. Also called a guard.

Tenace

A combination of cards held in a suit which is not a sequence, because there are gaps, e.g. A Q or K J 10.

Third hand

The partner of the player who led to the trick, normally ‘Third hand plays high’.

Touching suits

Two suits adjacent in ranking order e.g. Hearts and Diamonds.

Traveller

A piece of paper for recording scores that moves with the board.

Trick

Four cards, one from each player, played in clockwise rotation.

Trump

A card in the suit the suit named as trumps during the last bid in the auction.

Two-level

Contracts or bids of 2§, 2¨, 2©, 2ª or 2NT. Similarly, three-level, four-level.....

Unbalanced hand

Contains a void or singleton or two doubletons.

Unbid suit

One that has not been shown during the auction.

Vulnerable

A designation that on this deal a side will have bigger pluses for making a game or slam contract and larger minuses for failing in a contract.

Void

Holding no cards in a particular suit.

Weak take-out

Bidding in response to a 1NT opening on a weak hand with a long suit.

Weak no trump

Another name for the opening bid showing 12-14 points and a balanced hand.

Wide open

A suit in which declarer has no stopper when playing in no trumps.

Winners

Cards that may reasonably be expected to win tricks.

x

Used to describe unimportant small cards, e.g. A K x x.

x

A shorthand way of writing ‘Double’ on the score card, e.g. 4©x.

xx

A shorthand way of writing redouble, e.g. 3NTxx.

Yarborough

A hand with no card higher than a nine.

Zero

The lowest score possible on a board at duplicate.

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