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Overcall
In contract bridge, an overcall is a bid made after an opening bid has been made by an opponent; the term refers only to the first such bid. A ''direct'' overcall is such a bid made by the player seated immediately to the left of the opener, i.e. next in the bidding rotation; an overcall in the 'last seat', i.e. by the player to the right of opener, which is made after two intervening passes, is referred to as a '' balancing'' or ''protective'' overcall. Objectives The overcaller has one or more of the following objectives: *To secure the contract *To suggest a good lead from partner *To induce the opponents to a higher-level contract *To find an effective sacrifice *To hinder the opponents in their bidding Suit overcalls In most bidding systems, an overcall in an unbid suit is natural, denoting length and strength in the suit bid. The common requirements include: * A good five-card or any longer suit; the features that qualify a suit as 'good' are subject to partnership agreem ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Ghestem
In the game of bridge, Ghestem is a conventional overcall structure, using 2NT, 3, and the (non-jump) cuebid over an opposing opening at the one level to denote two-suited hands in two of the remaining three suits. This convention was devised by the French bridge and checkers player Pierre Ghestem. When playing Ghestem, after an opposing one-level opening, the three overcalls mentioned denote the three possible two-suited hands in the suits excluding the opened suit: :2NT : shows the two lowest-ranking unbid suits :3 : shows the two highest-ranking unbid suits :Cuebid : shows the top- and bottom-ranking unbid suits Requirements The requirement for a Ghestem overcall is a two-suited hand with at least five cards in each suit and opening values. Point counts vary, but it is commonly agreed that a Ghestem bid is constructive and should be made on hands that hold the prospect of winning the auction. If made on very weak hands, there is the danger that if the opponents win the au ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Michaels Cuebid
The Michaels cuebid is a conventional bid used in the card game contract bridge. First devised by Michael Michaels of Miami Beach, FL, it is an 's cuebid in opponent's opening suit and is normally used to show a two-suited hand with at least five cards in each suit and eight or more points. After the opponents have opened at the one-level, the overcaller bids the same suit at the two-level; the two normal cases are: #Over an opponent's minor opening, a cuebid shows both majors. For example, 1 – 2 shows hearts and spades. #Over an opponent's major opening, a cuebid shows the other major and a minor suit. For example, 1 – 2 shows hearts and either clubs or diamonds. Partner can make a 2NT relay bid to request partner to bid his minor suit, or a 3 pass-or-correct bid. Partnerships who have incorporated Michaels cuebids amongst their agreements usually also play the unusual notrump convention. Requirements Point count requirements vary and are a matt ... [...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] |
Unusual Notrump
In the card game of bridge, the unusual notrump is a conventional showing a two-suited hand. It was originally devised by Al Roth in 1948 with Tobias Stone, to show the minor suits after the opponents opened in a major. The convention concept is now generally extended to show the "two lowest unbid" suits. Thus, over 1, 2NT shows diamonds and hearts; and over 1, it shows clubs and hearts. In addition to succinctly describing the hand to the partner, it deprives the opponents of bidding space, i.e. it has a preemptive effect. A drawback is that it provides the opponents with information about the strength and distribution of the overcaller's hand, potentially enabling improved declarer play should they secure the contract. History In his seminal 1953 book,. The book is characterized as "An influential book, that suffers somewhat from a lack of clarity. It provides a structure that was lacking in Goren, with better definitions for bidding actions...". The Roth-Stone System, Alvin ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Balancing (bridge)
In the game of contract bridge, balancing (or protection in Britain) refers to making a call other than Pass when passing would result in the opponents playing at a low level. Balancing is done by the player in the ''balancing position'', i.e. to the right of the player making the last non-pass call. This is in contrast to bidding in the ''direct position'', i.e. by the player to the left. Balancing is normally done with values unsuitable for direct action, but only after the opponents' bidding has demonstrated weakness or minimal strength. The aim of the tactic is to find a makeable or nearly-makeable contract for one's own side or to "push" opponents a level higher. It is more common in matchpoint games, where even a defeat and loss of 100 points is a relatively better result than the opponents' gain of 110-140 points. Examples After an opening bid is passed by responder Balancing situation result from sequences like: Note that a Pass in this ''balancing position'' would resu ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Takeout Double
In the card game contract bridge, a takeout double is a low-level conventional call of "Double" over an opponent's bid as a request for partner to bid his best of the unbid suits. The most common takeout double is after an opponent's opening bid of one of a suit where the double shows a hand with opening values, support for all three unbid suits (at least three cards in each) and shortness in the suit doubled (preferably, no more than two). Normally, the partner of the doubler must bid his best suit but may pass if (a) his right hand opponent intervenes or (b) on the more rare occasions when his hand is such that he wishes to convert the takeout double to a . Requirements Commonly a double is considered for takeout whenever one of the following conditions is met (but see balancing double below): *Opponents have previously bid only one suit, and the player did not have chance to double that suit before. *Opponents have previously bid two suits, and partner has passed. *Opponents ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Takeout Double
In the card game contract bridge, a takeout double is a low-level conventional call of "Double" over an opponent's bid as a request for partner to bid his best of the unbid suits. The most common takeout double is after an opponent's opening bid of one of a suit where the double shows a hand with opening values, support for all three unbid suits (at least three cards in each) and shortness in the suit doubled (preferably, no more than two). Normally, the partner of the doubler must bid his best suit but may pass if (a) his right hand opponent intervenes or (b) on the more rare occasions when his hand is such that he wishes to convert the takeout double to a . Requirements Commonly a double is considered for takeout whenever one of the following conditions is met (but see balancing double below): *Opponents have previously bid only one suit, and the player did not have chance to double that suit before. *Opponents have previously bid two suits, and partner has passed. *Opponents ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Raptor Convention
The Raptor 1NT overcall over an opposing 1-level suit opening is a contract bridge convention that indicates a two-suited hand with exactly four cards in the unbid major and a longer suit in an unbid minor. The idea of utilising a 1NT overcall to denote a 5-4 two suiter seems to have originated independently in Sweden and Poland in the early 1980s. The name, however, comes from Ron Sutherland and his son who re-invented this approach and published it in a Toronto magazine in 1993 under the acronym "wRAP around TORonto" style. When playing Raptor, an overcall of 1NT shows a 4 card major and a longer (5+) card minor. One of these suits will be known. For example: (1) – 1NT shows 5+ diamonds and a 4 card major. (1) – 1NT shows 4 spades and a 5 card minor. Strength is a matter for partnership agreement. Compared with a natural 2-level overcall, the Raptor 1NT may be safe with fewer points, as it promises two places to play, and it may have a wider range, as it is forcing. ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Raptor (bridge)
The Raptor 1NT overcall over an opposing 1-level suit opening is a contract bridge convention that indicates a two-suited hand with exactly four cards in the unbid major and a longer suit in an unbid minor. The idea of utilising a 1NT overcall to denote a 5-4 two suiter seems to have originated independently in Sweden and Poland in the early 1980s. The name, however, comes from Ron Sutherland and his son who re-invented this approach and published it in a Toronto magazine in 1993 under the acronym "wRAP around TORonto" style. When playing Raptor, an overcall of 1NT shows a 4 card major and a longer (5+) card minor. One of these suits will be known. For example: (1) – 1NT shows 5+ diamonds and a 4 card major. (1) – 1NT shows 4 spades and a 5 card minor. Strength is a matter for partnership agreement. Compared with a natural 2-level overcall, the Raptor 1NT may be safe with fewer points, as it promises two places to play, and it may have a wider range, as it is forcing. ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Preempt
Preempt (also spelled "pre-empt") is a bid in contract bridge whose primary objectives are (1) to thwart opponents' ability to bid to their best contract, with some safety, and (2) to fully describe one's hand to one's partner in a single bid. A preemptive bid is usually made by ''jumping'', i.e. skipping one or more bidding levels. Since it deprives the opponents of the bidding space, it is expected that they will either find a wrong contract (too high or in a wrong denomination) of their own, or fail to find any. A preemptive bid often has the aim of a ''save'', where a partnership bids a contract knowing it cannot be made, but assumes that (even when doubled), the penalty will still be smaller than the value of opponents' bid and made contract. Scoring context The tables at right help to illustrate the limits of the scoring advantage to be gained in duplicate bridge by preempting or sacrificing when the opponents may be successful in making a game contract. The level to w ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Leaping Michaels
In the game of bridge, Leaping Michaels is a conventional overcall in 4 or 4 made in defense to opposing 2-level or 3-level preemptive openings. A variant of the Michaels cuebid, Leaping Michaels shows a strong two-suited hand (5-5 or longer) that is less suitable for a takeout double and is game forcing. Described as an overcall by some of a weak two-bid of a major, others expand its application to all weak preempts at the 2 or 3-level in both the majors and minors. Holding such two-suited hands and using Leaping Michaels, opponent's opening preempts between 2 and 3 inclusive are overcalled in accordance with the following table: After (3) – 4, a bid of 4 asks for the major. The bids 4 and 4 are to play. Following (3) – 4 the bid of 4 is played as pass-or-correct. Some partnerships prefer to interchange the meanings of the 4 and 4 bids following a 3 preempt so that 4 denotes diamonds and an undisclosed major. This has the advantage that the 4 becomes available ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Cue Bid
In contract bridge, a cue bid (also, cuebid or cue-bid) is either a bid of the opponents' suit, or "slam seeking": a slam-investigating bid made during an auction's later rounds that shows control of a suit. Traditionally a cue bid is "slam seeking", but in the early 21st century the usage appears to be giving way to ''control bid''. Bid of the opponents' suit After the opponents have bid a suit, a cue bid of that suit is normally intended as a forcing bid. It shows interest in contesting the contract and asks partner to describe their hand. Immediate cue bid An immediate cue bid is made directly over opponent's opening bid. Traditionally, it denotes a hand unsuited for a takeout double. For example, after RHO opens 1, a hand such as would prefer not to double for takeout, because partner might make a penalty pass. A cue bid of 2, as traditionally used, would be appropriate: it tends to show great high card strength, probably with a hand pattern unsuited to defense. Partner is ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |