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 (see topic 1.9).

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, ueen=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 ontract.

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.