[Plate Competition TBA]

Rules
The Winter Knockout is a Rubber Bridge tournament played over 24 hands. If all players pass, redeals are not permitted, nor are Goulashes. Rubber Bridge score pads must be used and all four players should agree and keep the score at the end of each rubber. Bidding boxes must be used if at least one pair requests them. ALERT and STOP cards are not permitted. Declarer must play dummy’s cards. Matches must be played strictly in accordance with the timetable and any pair that cannot manage this must give a ‘bye’ to their opponents. If pairs disagree about the result of their match, the Chairman of Bridge will decide the outcome that could result in a replay. Rubber Bridge is a far more tactical game than duplicate. Keep track of the scores below the line so you know how far you need to bid to reach a game and whether it will pay to push your opponents to keep them from achieving a game. Doubled sacrifices when vulnerable can be very expensive. Play safe to make your contract as overtricks are not important. In difficult contracts take risks to make it.

Conventions for Winter Knockout
The Winter Knockout uses the same system that is allowed for the Devonshire Cup
Declare your basic system at the start
4 card Majors (or 5 Card Majors and either ‘Better Minor’ or ‘Phoney Club’)
1NT Opening any 3 point range between 12-18. Strong 2 Bids
Weak pre-emptive 3 bids  
Gambling 3NT Opener
Stayman only. No Transfers
Unusual No Trump: Lowest two suits, 10+ HCP i.e. NOT weak
Jump Overcalls: Natural 6+ card suit, 11+ HCP i.e. NOT weak
Cue Bids: ‘General Force’ showing relative strength
Splinter Bids
Blackwood 4NT: Simple version or Gerber 4C over NT
Negative Doubles: up to 3S level
Fourth Suit Forcing: Only as a non-specific ‘general force’
Defence to One No-Trump Opening: NATURAL only
LEADS. From long suits, 4th or 2nd
Top of honour and internal sequences
Ace for attitude, King for count
From short suits, ANY: smallest, top of nothing or MUD
CARDING (Signals): Standard attitude or count. NOT ‘Reverse Attitude’ or ‘Reverse Count’. High to indicate like and Low to indicate dislike
DISCARDS: High = encouraging or even, Low = discouraging or odd. Hi-Lo to suggest a switch as appropriate
Nothing else is allowed

Scoring
Winning a rubber if opponents have not won game: 700 points
Winning a rubber if opponents have won one game: 500 points
Tricks bid and made towards a game are scored below the line. 
Game is 100 or 120 points below the line. Any overtricks, honours or slam bonus are scored above the line
There is no 50 point bonus for a part score. However, an unfinished rubber can earn a pair a premium score. If only one game has been completed, the winners of that game are credited with 300 points. If one pair only has a part score the premium score is 100

Overtricks
Undoubled overtricks score the trick value (20 or 30 each trick)
Each doubled overtrick is 100 non-vulnerable and 200 vulnerable
Each redoubled overtrick is 200 non-vulnerable and 400 vulnerable
For making any doubled contract add 50 and any redoubled contract add 100 (‘for insult’)
Example: 3SX, vulnerable, made with two overtricks: 90 +90 + 200 + 200 + 50 = 630, of which 180 are below the line and the remainder above the line