What, When and How to ALERT or ANNOUNCE

Convention card items in Blue should be ANNOUNCED - that means immediately explained. Convention card items in Red are ALERTED, but explained ONLY IF & WHEN the opponent whose turn it is to bid asks.

If an opponent asks you to explain your partner's bid, you should provide a clear and succinct explanation of your partnership agreement pertaining to that bid. DO NOT simply give the name of the convention. For example, don't say "Michaels." State what your partner's bid means - "shows 5-5 in the two highest unbid suits." Include any point ranges (hcps or total points), suit(s), or shape (length or shortness) that the bid shows. You should also state if it is Forcing or Game Forcing.

If you do not have a partnership agreement covering the bid in question, then "We have no agreement" is sufficient. DO NOT state how you 'interpret' partner's bid, or what you 'think' it means - doing so provides your partner with information about what your response was or will be based on. This is illegal and will very likely force the Director to impose bidding restrictions and/or penalties.

Again, only state what you and your partner have as agreements, made in advance. This is the main reason every partnership pair should fill out and review a convention card before playing, and have completed convention cards available for the opponents to review, as is their right.