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Jacoby Transfers
The Jacoby transfer, or simply transfers, in the card game contract bridge, is a convention in most bridge bidding systems initiated by responder following partner's notrump opening bid that forces opener to rebid in the just above that bid by responder. For example, a response in diamonds forces a rebid in hearts and a response in hearts forces a rebid in spades. Transfers are used to show a long suit, usually a major, and to ensure that opener the hand if the final contract is in the suit transferred to, preventing the opponents from seeing the cards of the stronger hand. The use of the 2 and 2 (and often 2) responses to an opening 1NT bid as transfers is one of the most widely employed conventions in the game. Less commonly, partnerships may agree to use transfer-style bids in a variety of other situations. History and purpose First described in a series of articles by Olle Willner of Sweden in ''Bridge Tidningen'' in the early 1950s, transfers were popularized for English ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Bridge Convention
A bridge convention is an agreement about an artificial or a set of related artificial calls. Calls made during the auction phase of a contract bridge game convey information about the player's card holdings. Calls may be "natural" (that is, are based on a holding of the suit bid, or a balanced distribution in the case of a notrump bid) or "" (show a feature unrelated to the named denomination). Purpose Contract bridge is a trick-taking card game played by four players in two competing partnerships in which a sequence of , also known as the auction, precedes the play of the cards. The purpose of this bidding is for players to inform their partners of the content of their hand and to arrive at a suitable contract at which to play the hand (or to prevent the opponents from arriving at a suitable contract). Although bidding is often "natural" (describing a hand by simple reference to possession, shape, and strength of the named suit), players may also bid using conventions, which as ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Forcing Bid
In the card game contract bridge, a forcing bid is any that obliges the partner to bid over an intermediate opposing pass. Owing to the partnership's bidding system or a bridge convention, partner must "keep the bidding open", i.e. not pass, thereby preventing his left-hand opponent from ending the auction with a pass and enabling the "forcing bidder" to bid further. A forcing bid that creates no further obligation is called ''forcing for one round''. A bid that is ''forcing and promises a rebid'' creates an obligation on the forcing bidder next round (typically, up to some level of the auction). A ''game forcing'' bids creates a mutual obligation to continue bidding at least to game level, or to double the opponents. All bridge bidding systems use forcing bids. For instance, one over one and two over one responses to one-of-a-suit opening bids are treated as forcing in almost all bidding systems. Also, introducing a new suit at three level is generally treated as forcing prov ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Oswald Jacoby
Oswald "Ozzie", "Jake" Jacoby (December 8, 1902 – June 27, 1984) was an American contract bridge player and author, considered one of the greatest bridge players of all time and a key innovator in the game, having helped popularize widely used bidding moves such as Jacoby transfers. He also excelled at, and wrote about, other games including backgammon, gin rummy, canasta, and poker. He was from Brooklyn, New York and later lived in Dallas, Texas. He was the uncle of activist and author Susan Jacoby, as well as father of James Jacoby, an author and world-class bridge player in his own right. Early life Born in Brooklyn to a Jewish family, he was taught to play whist at the age of six and played his first bridge at ten. During World War I, he joined the army at 15 by lying about his age but spent most of his time there playing poker. Dropping out of Columbia University (where he was in the class of 1922) as a math major to become an actuary, he became the youngest person ever ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Texas Transfer
Texas transfer, or simply Texas, is a bidding convention in contract bridge designed to get the partnership to game in a major suit opposite a one notrump or two notrump opening, thus making the opener declarer and keeping the stronger hand hidden from the opponents. Texas is used in response to a notrump opening when holding a six-card or longer major suit and at least game-going features; responder may have interest in slam via continuations in Blackwood convention, Blackwood or its variants. Originated independently by David Carter of St. Louis and Olle Willner of Sweden. After a notrump opening, responder bids the suit below his major at the four-level, i.e. if he holds hearts, he bids 4 and if he holds spades, he bids 4. Opener is obliged to bid the next available major suit, i.e. after a 4 bid by responder, he bids 4 and after a 4 response, he bids 4 setting the contract. The standard defense to the Texas transfer: double is one-suited and lead-directing, 4NT is for the mino ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Optimum Contract
Optimum contract and par contract are two closely related (and sometimes confused) bridge scoring terms in the card game contract bridge. Optimum contract The optimum contract is the one that offers the best chance of gaining the most scoring points whilst minimising the risk of failure. It is that contract that cannot be improved upon by further bidding nor could it have been improved upon by taking a different line in earlier bidding. At Chicago or IMP scoring it is generally worth bidding game even with a slightly less than 50% chance of success due to the relatively high value of the bonuses (especially when vulnerable). In duplicate pairs scoring, the subtle difference between a major suit game, a NT game and a minor suit game make the declaration an important decision. Each side has its own optimum contract and, for a side with poor hands, "pass" may be the optimum call. Par contract Where there is competitive bidding (i.e. both sides are bidding) the extra dimension of sa ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Hand Evaluation
In contract bridge, various bidding systems have been devised to enable partners to describe their hands to each other so that they may reach the optimum contract. Key to this process is that players evaluate and re-evaluate the trick-taking potential of their hands as the auction proceeds and additional information about partner's hand and the opponent's hands becomes available. Hand evaluation methods assess various features of a hand, including: its high card strength, shape or suit , , fit with partner, quality of suits and quality of the whole hand. The methods range from basic to complex, requiring partners to have the same understandings and agreements about their application in their bidding system. Basic point-count system Most bidding systems use a basic point-count system for hand evaluation using a combination of high card points and distributional points, as follows. High card points First published in 1915 by Bryant McCampbell in ''Auction Tactics'' (page 26), the ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Balanced Hand
A balanced hand or balanced distribution in card games is a hand with an even distribution of suits. In the game of contract bridge, it denotes a hand of thirteen cards which contains no singleton or void and at most one . Three hand patterns are classified as truly balanced: 4-3-3-3, 4-4-3-2 and 5-3-3-2. The hand patterns 5-4-2-2 (an example of a two-suiter) and 6-3-2-2 (a single-suiter) are generally referred to as ''semi-balanced''. In natural bidding systems, balanced hands within specified high card point (HCP) ranges are generally opened with a notrump bid, or rebid in notrump. In the Netherlands, a bidding system called ''Saaie klaver'' ("'' Boring club''") that reserves the 1 opening for all balanced hands (''boring hands''), has gained some popularity. See also *Single suiter *Two suiter *Three suiter *Bridge probabilities * Boring club *Kamikaze 1NT Kamikaze 1NT is a preemptive 1NT opening in the game of contract bridge Contract bridge, or simply bridge, is a tric ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Stayman Convention
Stayman is a bidding convention in the card game contract bridge. It is used by a partnership to find a 4-4 or 5-3 trump fit in a suit after making a one (1NT) opening bid and it has been adapted for use after a 2NT opening, a 1NT overcall, and many other natural notrump bids. The convention is named for Sam Stayman, who wrote the first published description in 1945,"A New Notrump Convention", Samuel Stayman, ''The Bridge World'', June 1945. but its inventors were two other players: the British expert Jack Marx in 1939, who published it only in 1946, and Stayman's regular partner George Rapée in 1944. *3 = --> *3 = ? *3NT = to play After a transfer, accept it with any 4333, bid 3NT with only two trumps, otherwise bid 4M. 1NT - 2; 2/2NT - 3 = Stayman *3 = 4M333 *3 = 4, not 4333 *3 = 4, not 4333, not 4 *3NT = no 4M 1NT - 2; 2/2NT - 3, 3 *3 = 4, not 4 *3 = 4, not 4 *3NT = to play *4 = bid your 4 card Major An alternative, simpler version of five-card Stayman is: ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Standard American
Standard American is a bidding system for the game of bridge widely used in North America and elsewhere. Owing to the popularization of the game by Charles Goren in the 1940s and 1950s, its early versions were sometimes referred to simply as 'Goren'. With the addition and evolution of various and , it is now more generally referred to as Standard American. It is a bidding system based on five-card majors and a strong notrump; players may add conventions and refine the meanings of bids through partnership agreements summarized in their . One standardised version, SAYC (Standard American Yellow Card), is widely used by casual partnerships and in online bridge. Role of bidding systems The purpose of bidding during the auction phase of each deal is to disclose information which one's partner may employ in order to arrive at an optimal contract while concurrently contending with the opponents' attempts to do likewise. A bidding system is a set of agreements about the meanings of t ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Acol
Acol is the bridge bidding system that, according to ''The Official Encyclopedia of Bridge'', is "standard in British tournament play and widely used in other parts of the world". It is a natural system using four-card majors and, most commonly, a weak no trump. Origins Acol is named after the Acol Bridge Club in London NW6, where it originated in the early 1930s. The club was founded on Acol Road, named after Acol, Kent. According to Terence Reese, the system's main devisers were Maurice Harrison-Gray, Jack Marx and S. J. "Skid" Simon. Marx himself, writing in the ''Contract Bridge Journal'' in December, 1952, said: "...the Acol system was pieced together by Skid Simon and myself the best part of 20 years ago." In another account, Marx and Simon... The first book on the system was written by Ben Cohen and Terence Reese. Skid Simon explained the principles that lay behind the system, and the system was further popularised in Britain by Iain Macleod. The Acol system is contin ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Baron Convention
The Baron bidding system in contract bridge was developed in England in the 1940s as a variant of Acol and incorporates several conventions including the Baron Three Clubs, the Baron Notrump Overcall, the Baron Two Notrump Response and the Baron Two Spades and Three Spades. Baron Three Clubs The Baron Three Clubs is an alternative to the responder using Stayman over a 2NT opening bid. The responder will have five points or more and an unbalanced hand. The responder bids 3, which asks opener to bid his four-card suits in ascending order. If clubs are the only four-card suit, the opener bids 3NT. If there are two four-card suits (one being clubs), the opener bids the higher first and then 3NT for the clubs if no fit is found. The opener's 2NT is a limited bid and the responder has not shown the strength of his hand, therefore the responder will control how high the bidding goes, game or prospecting for a slam, and the suit to be played. The main advantage of this convention is that ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Paul Mendelson (card Player)
Paul A. Mendelson is an English television, film and radio scriptwriter. Early life and career He studied law at Cambridge University, where he gained a first class honours degree, after attending Newcastle Royal Grammar School, Glasgow High School and Harrow County Grammar. For a short time he ran the family law department of a small firm of city solicitors and then became an advertising copywriter for Ogilvy and Mather. Whilst working as creative director for a major London advertising agency, he began writing his first television series. Writing career Paul Mendelson's first hit television series was the BBC Comedy ''May to December'', which ran for 39 episodes, from 2 April 1989 to 27 May 1994 on BBC One and was nominated for BAFTA best comedy. It starred Anton Rodgers as a widower solicitor in love with a much younger woman. He then created and wrote the BBC series ''So Haunt Me'' about a family home haunted by the ghost of a Jewish mother, played by Miriam Karlin. The sh ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |