This Bridge Glossary is not intended to be all inclusive.  It is included as a convenient reference for documents in 1NT.  Terms are added as required.  For a more complete listing of  bridge terms and definitions, see Encyclopedia.   If you find this Glossary is in error, or fails to define or explain a term,  please contact Webmaster.

A [abbr. of Alert] ·  Capital (red, bold) A.  (see Alert)

A [abbr. of Announce] ·  Capital (blue, bold) A.  (see Announce)

ACBL [abbr. of American Contract Bridge League] · "The American Contract Bridge League was founded in 1937.  Today it is the largest bridge organization in the world, with more than 160,000 members living in the United States, Canada, Mexico and Bermuda.  A not-for-profit organization, the ACBL determines internationally recognized rules of bridge, sanctions clubs and tournament games, and encourages participation at all levels of proficiency and experience."  (see ACBL)

Adjusted Score  ·  "An arbitrary score awarded by the Director (see Law 12).  It is either "artificial" or "assigned".  1. An artificial adjusted score is one awarded in lieu of a result because no result can be obtained or estimated for a particular deal (e.g., when an irregularity prevents the play of a deal).  2. An assigned adjusted score is awarded to one side, or to both sides, to be the result of the deal in place of the result actually obtained after an irregularity."  (see Laws - Definitions pp.1-2)

Agreements · Partnership agreements (stated or implied) A While the emphasis of this document is on bidding sequences (natural bids) and systems (artificial bids), other partnership agreements such as hand valuation, requirements for opening bids, leads and defensive signals are also included.

Alert · "A notification, whose form may be specified by a sponsoring organization, to the effect that opponents may be in need of an explanation"  (see Laws - Definitions pp.1-2)

Announce · To Be Added

Artificial Score · (see Adjusted Score)

Assigned Score · (see Adjusted Score)

Auction · "1. The process of determining the contract by means of successive calls.  2. The aggregate of calls made (see Law 17E)." (see Laws - Definitions pp.1-2)

Balanced Hand · A balanced hand has cards in all suits and does not have disproportional shortness and/or length in any one suit.  A balanced hand is one typically adaptable to play notrump contracts where declarer must protect against all suits.  Specifically a balanced hand, as used in notrump bidding, has no voids, no singletons, and not more than one doubleton, which also means that a balanced hand has no six-card suit and not more than one five-card suit.  A balanced hand will have the shape of 4-3-3-3 (square hand) or 4-4-3-2 or 5-3-3-2.  A hand with two doubletons (5-4-2-2, 6-3-2-2 or 7-2-2-2) is commonly considered as semi-balanced.  Any hand with a singleton or void is unbalanced!  (See Distributional Hand)

Bid · "An undertaking to win at least a specified number of odd tricks in a specified denomination."  (see Laws - Definitions pp.1-2)

Bidding System · Complete method of bidding agreements both natural and conventional combined into a system of opening bids, responses and rebids.  For example: Goren, Kaplan-Sheinwold, Standard American, Precision or 2/1 Game Force.

Book · The tricks won by a side that have no value in the score.  By winning the auction, declarer must take a majority of the tricks - six plus the number of trick contacted.  Thus, for declarer the fist 6 tricks are book and have no value in the score.  The first odd trick now contributes to making the contract.  Defenders book is the maximum number of tricks defenders can take without defeating the contract (7 - contract).

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Call  · "Any bid, pass, double or redouble."  Laws - Definitions p.1

Convention or Conventional Bid · systems bid with a defined meaning (artificial) meaning and not intended as a willingness to play in the suit bid

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Defensive Tricks · Honor cards or card combinations that may be expected to win a trick on defense.  (also see Quick Tricks)

Denomination · Law 18 says each bid must name a number of odd tricks and a denomination.  The Laws define denomination as the suit (♣, ♦, ♥, ♠) or notrump specified in a bid.  The Encyclopedia also uses the term strain for denomination.

Distributional Hand · A distributional hand has a disproportional shortness and/or length in one or more suits.  Specifically a distributional hand will have  a void, a singleton, two or more doubletons, a six card suit or two five card suits.  A distributional hand is one typically adaptable to play in a suit contract where declarer can take advantage of ruffing power.  (see Balanced Hand)

Disciplined Bidding · Adhering to the partnership system and bidding agreements (bidding sequences and conventions) between you and your partner.

Distribution Points · points assigned to suits with more than 4 cards for the purpose of hand valuation

Doubleton · Two (2) cards in a suit.

dp · see Distribution Points

DT – (see Defensive Trick)

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Encyclopedia · The Official Encyclopedia of Bridge.

EasyBridge

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Hand Valuation or Hand Value · method of assigning value to trick taking possibilities of a hand

High Card Points - points assigned to the A, K, Q and J for the purpose of hand valuation.

hcp - see High Card Points

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intermediate cards (intermediates) · 8, 9 and 10

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Jacoby Transfer · is a system used by responder after an opening of 1Nt to transfers the play of the hand from responder to opener.  After the opening bid of 1NT, if responder has a 5 card (or longer) major suit responder transfers opener to the suit by bidding the lower ranking suit ‘2♦ transfers to 2♥’ and ‘2♥ transfers to 2♠’.

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Law(s) · The Laws of Duplicate Contract Bridge (American Edition) as promulgated in the Western Hemisphere by the American Contract Bridge League, 1999 Revised Authorized Edition. (See Credits)

Level · Law 18 says each bid must name a number of odd tricks and a denomination.  The level is the number of odd tricks to which a partnership can afford to bid or how many odd tricks the partnership believes they can take.

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Limited Hand · As soon as one partner has accurately defined his hand showing both strength and distribution it is said he has "limited his hand".

low cards · 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, and 74

Memory Squeeze · Where you play off all your winners and see if they can remember what to save. (see McMullin: The Convention Card p.7)

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Natural Bid · A bid showing a suit with length and the willingness to play the contract in that suit. (see Conventional Bid)

Notrump Bidding Sequences

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Odd Tricks · Tricks won by declarer in excess of book.  (see Book)

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QT – (see Quick Trick)

Quick Loser · A tick the opponents can take as soon as they get the lead.

Quick Tricks · Honor cards and combinations usually expected to win a trick.  (also see Defensive Tricks)

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Rule of 20 Twenty · TBA (see EasyBridge 1 p.18)

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Ruff ·

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SAYC [abbr. of Standard American Yellow Card] · The Standard American Yellow Card (Yellow Card) is set out by ACBL as a simple modern method without complex bidding systems.  There are few conventions, Alerts and Announcements (non unexpected).  Normally a five-card majors system, bidding is natural and few sequences are defined in the later rounds of SAYC auctions.  Players are free to assign forcing, invitational or non-forcing meanings to such sequences.  SAYC, as set out in the Standard Yellow Card System Booklet, was to provide a system to play in the "ACBL Standard Yellow Card" game, however, the term "SAYC" is now often used synonymously in internet and club play with the term "Standard American".  In internet play, players will often qualify their system as "Advanced SAYC" to infer that they play Standard American, but have added conventions, systems and bidding agreements beyond the scope of SAYC.  (see Bibliography)

Semi-balanced Hand · A hand with no voids or singletons but containing two doubletons (5-4-2-2, 6-3-2-2 or 7-2-2-2) is considered as semi-balanced. (See Balanced Hand)

Shortness · Shortness in a suit is considered to be a void, a singleton or a doubleton.

Singleton · One (1) card in a suit.

Square Hand · A square hand, is a hand that has as equal number of cards as possible (4-3-3-3) in all suits.

(slow) loser - is a loser that the opponents will have to give up the lead before they can take their tricks.

Standard American · Standard American (Std. Am.) is a general term used to define a modern style of bidding played in club games in America, and universally in internet play.  There is no single authority as to 'what is' or 'what is not' Standard American.  Std. Am. originated with the methods advocated by Charles Goren.  ACBL publishes a version of Std. Am. in its Standard Yellow Card System Booklet which is a simple method where bidding is natural, but without complex bidding sequences and few defined sequences in the later rounds of auctions.  Modern Standard American is a system of natural bids where a bid defines a hand with an intent to play in the suit bid, and now include bidding agreements that rely on a 5-card major suit approach and includes many bidding features like weak-two bids and jump bids by responder which can include limit bids, signoff bids and non-forcing jumps.

Standard Yellow Card System Booklet  "ACBL Standard Yellow Card" game is one where all partnerships have agreed to play the system exactly as described in the "ACBL Standard Yellow Card System Booklet".

Stayman · system used by responder after an opening bid of 1Nt to find 4‑4 major suit fits and right side the play of the hand.  Responder’s bid of 2♣ is conventional, saying nothing about clubs, asking opener if he has a 4‑card major suit (four ♠ or four ♥).

Strain · See Denomination.

System · (see Bidding System)

Systems Bid · Usually refers to a conventional bid or a bid with a special meaning versus a natural bid.  (see Conventional Bid and Natural Bid)

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Tenace · any holding of cards not quite in a sequence: for A-Q is "major tenace" and K-J is "minor tenace" (see finesse)

Temporizing  · TBA

Texture of the Hand   · TBA

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Unbalance Hand · An unbalanced hand will have shortness in one or more suits containing at least one void, one singleton or two doubletons.  (See Balanced Hand)

Undisciplined Bidding · Not adhering to the partnership system and bidding agreements (bidding sequences and conventions) between you and your partner.

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Void · No cards in a suit.

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w/ · Abbreviation for with ... sometimes when, where, etc.

winner · is a trick you can take without giving up the lead.

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X  · Double.

x (lower case x) · Denotes a small (insignificant) card in a suit – usually a 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 or 9, but not a 10 and not a 9 in combination with a 10.  e.g., 10xx denotes a 10 and 2 little cards not expected to win a trick given a usual line of play.

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· Terms marked with the broken line icon are incomplete or to be added at a later date.

≡ – Identical To · Usually shows the (actual or interpretive) meaning of a bid or bidding sequence.

16+ – Good 16 points

18− – Bad 18 points

4SF (or FSF) – Fourth Suit Forcing ·

BPH – By Passed Hand

BUPH – By Unpassed Hand

Comp – Competition

Dbl – Double

dp – Distribution Points

F – Forcing

F1 – Forcing one round.

GF – Game force or game forcing.

hcp – High Card Points

JS – Jump Shift

Inv – Invitational

LM – Limit Raise

M – Major suit.

m – Minor suit.

NF – Non-forcing or not forcing.

NMF – New Minor Forcing

NI – Non Invitational

Ogust – (see chart)

O – Opener

OM – Other Major

om – other minor

pts – Points or Total Points

R – Responder

W2-Bids – Weak Two-Bids

Explanations:

Definitions listed within quotation marks " " are taken exactly from reference.