:''See the

Glossary of contract bridge terms These terms are used in contract bridge, using duplicate or rubber scoring. Some of them are also used in whist, bid whist, the obsolete game auction bridge, and other trick-taking games. This glossary supplements the Glossary of card game terms. ...

for an explanation of unfamiliar words or phrases.'' Walsh is a convention used in the card game of

bridge A bridge is a structure built to span a physical obstacle (such as a body of water, valley, road, or rail) without blocking the way underneath. It is constructed for the purpose of providing passage over the obstacle, which is usually somethi ...

in response to an opening bid of 1. The convention has its origins in the Walsh System developed by Richard Walsh. In general, the Walsh convention is not used in four-card major systems such as

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, ...

, but may be employed in some five-card major systems; especially those that use a prepared club, rather than better minor. The opening bid of 1 will therefore have shown either clubs or a balanced hand. When responder is too weak to force to game diamond suits are bypassed in favour of major suits, regardless of the length of the diamond suit. For example, holding , the response to the opening bid of 1 would be 1 rather than the normal 1. Continuations vary according to other details of the system being played. If

Checkback Stayman 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, an ...

is being played, then the auction 1 – 1; 1NT – 2 would show this hand and end the auction. If

New minor forcing New Minor Forcing (NMF), is a contract bridge bidding convention used to find a 5-3 or 4-4 major suit fit after a specific sequence of bids in which opener has rebid one notrump. The convention is triggered by responder at his second turn by an arti ...

is being used, then 3 is used as the sign off bid instead. When the values to force to game are held, the procedure is abandoned, and suits are bid in the normal order. Responders reverse from diamonds into a major thus becomes game forcing. So, holding , the auction starts 1 – 1; 1NT – 2. The main purpose of the convention is to avoid missing major suit fits when opener has something akin to a weak notrump, and would rebid 1NT over the normal 1 response. The major suit fit is likely to provide a safer resting place when the hands are weak, as well as potentially scoring better (a concern perhaps only at matchpoints). It is a form of

Canapé A canapé () is a type of hors d'oeuvre, a small, prepared, and often decorative food, consisting of a small piece of bread (sometimes toasted) wrapped or topped with some savoury food, held in the fingers and often eaten in one bite. Name Th ...

and thus the responses of 1 and 1 to a 1 opener are alertable in the UK under EBU regulations.

References

{{WPCBIndex Bridge conventions