The ACBL(AmericanContract

BridgeLeague)

ACBL Member Guide

How to contact usThe Bridge Bulletin is distributed to more than 150,000 members in NorthAmerica. You can become a member in one of the following ways:

• Online: www.acbl.org• Phone: 901–332–5586, ext. (see below)• E-mail: membership@acbl.org• Mail: Membership, ACBL (see address below)

Membership Assistance Department (toll free): 1–800–467–1623From Canada: 1–800–467–2623

From Mexico: Contact Guillermo Poplawsky at 525–557–8761Sales Department (toll free): 1–800–264–2743

From Canada: 1–800–264–8786FAX: 901–398–7754E-mail: ACBL@acbl.org • Internet (website): www.acbl.orgDirect Mail: ACBL, 2990 Airways Blvd., Memphis TN 38116–3847Direct Line: 901–332–5586 (speak with a staff member)

Your need Direct Line Ext. E-MailACBLscore (questions) .............................................................. ACBLscore@acbl.orgAddress change ....................................234 ...................... Addresschange@acbl.orgBetter Bridge & Bridge Bulletin (not received) ............. 281 ......................... Publications@acbl.orgBridge Bulletin (editor) .......................... 291 .................................. Editor@acbl.orgCharity Foundation .................................................................. Charityfdn@acbl.orgChief Executive Officer .................................................................... CEO@acbl.orgClub Department ..............................................................................Club@acbl.orgClub Financial and Masterpoint reports ................................... Club.Report@acbl.orgClubs (find one) ...................................223Director’s course ...................................337Easybridge! .........................................330............................ Easybridge@acbl.orgEducation Department ........................... 264 ............................ Education@acbl.orgElections (declare candidacy, etc.) ............................................... Elections@acbl.orgInternational events (questions) ...................................... InternationalEvents@acbl.orgInternet Administrator .............................................................. WebAdmin@acbl.orgMailing labels ......................................258 ...............................ListLabel@acbl.orgMasterpoints (check latest totals on web site) ........................ www.acbl.org/membersMasterpoints (points, questions) ..............................................Membership@acbl.orgMembership Assistance Department .................................................. MAD@acbl.orgMembership (questions about) ................................................Membership@acbl.orgMembership lists ...................................258 ...............................ListLabel@acbl.orgNABCs (questions, hotels and travel) .............................................. NABC@acbl.org.......................................................................................... or TravelDesk@acbl.orgNational Recorder (disciplinary matters) .......................................Recorder@acbl.orgPublic Relations ................................................................................... PR@acbl.orgRulings (get one, ask about one) ................................................... Rulings@acbl.orgSales (invoices, orders, problems) .......... 285 ....................................Sales@acbl.orgSpecial events (questions) ...................... 286 ....................... SpecialEvents@acbl.orgSuggestions ..........................................MAD Line (toll-free) .... Suggestions@acbl.orgTournaments (questions, comments) ........ 242 ......................... Tournaments@acbl.orgTournaments (sanctions) ..............................................................Sanctions@acbl.orgUnit Sanctions .................................................................... Unit.Sanctions@acbl.orgYouth (ideas, questions, news) ................................................... Education@acbl.org

Portable

GROUP INSURANCE FOR ACBL MEMBERS

• Cancer Expense• Catastrophe Major Medical• Long Term Care• High Limit Accident• Medicare Supplement

Life in the fast lane.It usually involves a few sacrifices.Your insurance coverage doesn’t have

to be one of them. Whether you’removing on or even out on your own,insurance offered through your ACBLmembership won’t end just because

you’ve changed jobs. It travelsright in your back pocket.

Take advantage of one of yourbest membership benefits.Affordable coverage.Reliable providers.Portable benefits.

Call 800 424-9883to speak to a customer service representative,because an established benefits package fits yourchanging lifestyle.

This program is administered by Marsh Affinity Group Services, a service of Seabury& Smith. Some plans may not be available in all states.

ACBL believes that the product being offered may be of benefit to its members;however, ACBL is not a guarantor of its members’ satisfaction with the product, nor isit responsible for any failure of the company to perform under an agreement betweenthe member and the company.

• Senior Life• Term Life• Member Assistance• Prescription Card• Dental

ACBL Online Bridge Clubthe most comprehensive bridge site on the net

• Currently more than 10,000 tables in play monthly.

• 10 daily tournaments, including 299ers, individuals,open matchpoints and IMPs.

• 12-, 18- and 24-board tournaments every week.

• Play famous hands from past national and worldchampionships with commentary afterwards, and tryour Play and Defense Par Contest.

• Receive E-zine weekly. Archives available of columns,articles, etc. Plus many other informative features.

• Play in the Social room ANYTIME. Non-criticalpartners and opponents (robots) always available.Can’t sleep? You can always play a few hands!

COME HOME TO ACBLJoin online at www.acbl.com or e-mail:

ACBLonline@acbl.org for additional information

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THE ACBL FROM A TO ZAs a member of the ACBL, you are one of a very special

group of more than 150,000 people who enjoy thecamaraderie and fun of participating in a game of skill andstrategy. ACBL members agree that duplicate bridge is one ofthe most challenging and exciting sports in the world!

ACBL is made up of 300+ Units and 25 Districts. Its mainoffice is in Memphis, Tennessee where an administrative staffof 90+ is housed. There are an additional 200+ field personnelinvolved in ACBL business. The National Board of Directorsdetermines the policies and direction of the organization.

ACBL provides a Member Assistance Line which is available24 hours a day toll-free (in the USA: 1-800-467-1623; inCanada: 1-800-467-2623). You can check on your masterpointholdings, or leave us a message about your magazine and/ordues status and your call will be returned within 24 hours(excluding weekends and holidays). ACBL also offers membersthe opportunity to check masterpoints and get updates on allsorts of bridge information at its web site — www.acbl.org

This booklet has been created to provide you withinformation of interest to all ACBL members. It will serve as areference guide to the wonderful world of duplicate bridge.Please note these special features:

� A list of ACBL Member Benefits on pages 9 and 10,

� A guide to the popular bridge shorthand used on theinternet on pages 32 and 33,

� A special centerfold to introduce some of theproducts available through ACBL’s Sales Department,

� A member insurance special on the inside back cover.

� Details on ACBL Online, ACBL’s online bridge club.Enjoy!

You hold the winning handas a member of the ACBL!

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AABTASee American Bridge Teachers’ Association

ACBL (American Contract Bridge League)The American Contract Bridge League (ACBL), a not-for-profitorganization, was established in 1937 and has been headquar-tered in Memphis, TN since 1972. It is the main and largestofficial sanctioning body for competitive and duplicate bridgein North America. Each year more than 2.5 million tables ofbridge are played under ACBL auspices at clubs and tourna-ments in North America, overseas, online, and even on cruiseships.

The ACBL Bridge SeriesThe ACBL publishes five student textbooks and teacher manu-als designed to make bridge easy to learn and fun to play.Each student text is coordinated with a teacher manual whichoffers lesson plans for teachers. The series, written by Cana-dian educator Audrey Grant, follows a spiral curriculum (eachcourse addresses bidding, play, and defense but with a differ-ent focus) and presents eight two-hour chapters (lessons) perbook: Bidding (The Club Series), Play of the Hand (The DiamondSeries), Defense (The Heart Series), Commonly Used Conventions(The Spade Series), and More Commonly Used Conventions (TheNotrump Series). Also available are sets of coded E-Z DealCards which allow the student to deal out the practice dealsfound at the end of each of the eight chapters in each of thetexts.

ACBL Bridge Hall of FameThe ACBL Bridge Hall of Fame was founded in the 1960sunder the auspices of The Bridge World magazine. The Hallhonors people who have made outstanding contributions tobridge. Now housed at ACBL Headquarters in Memphis TN,the Hall displays portraits of all members.

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ACBL Charity FoundationThe ACBL Charity Foundation has contributed more than $5million to charitable institutions since its inception in 1964.Each year ACBL holds special bridge games at the local,district, and national levels. Proceeds benefit local charities andACBL’s selected charity for the year. Call your local club man-ager for more information on these special activities.

ACBL Cooperative Advertising ProgramThis program is available to teachers, clubs, units, districts, andanyone who is involved with promoting bridge. Subsidies areoffered for 50% of expenses incurred, up to a maximum of$250 for each program applied for. Multiple subsidies may beapplied for as long as funding remains available. Contact theDirector of Communications for more information.

ACBL Educational FoundationThe ACBL Educational Foundation was established in 1987 toraise funds to promote bridge education. This group hasfunded, among other projects, a highly successful schoolbridge lesson program and ACBL’s second television series,“Play Bridge with Audrey Grant, Part 1.” Since its inception, theFoundation has awarded grants totaling more than $500,000.

ACBL Headquarters2990 Airways Boulevard, Memphis, Tennessee 38116-3847.Phone: 901-332-5586; FAX: 901-398-7754; MembershipAssistance numbers: USA – 1-800-467-1623 or Canada – 1-800-467-2623; Sales Department numbers: USA – 1-800-264-2743 or Canada – 1- 800-264-8786. Home Page on theInternet: www.acbl.org

ACBL MasterCardMembers who reside in the United States who are age 26 andolder receive periodic mailings pertaining to the ACBLMasterCard. Check ACBL’s web-site for more information.

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ACBL MembershipSee “Benefits of Membership”, pages 9 and 10.

ACBL Online (www.acbl.com)Want to play bridge online, anytime day or night. Then go toACBLOnline and play against people from all over the world orrobots from Memphis. A great way to fine-tune your game.Take a free test ride on the site today. Currently, tenmasterpoint tournaments a day are available for members ofACBL Online along with many other interesting features.

ACBL Player of the YearThis title is given to the ACBL member who earns the mostPlatinum masterpoints (awarded in nationally rated eventswithout an upper masterpoint limit) during a calendar year.

ACBL Sales DepartmentThere are many bridge products and resources for learningmore about the game available through the ACBL Sales De-partment, which offers a 10% discount to members. Call toll-free: in the USA: 1-800-264-2743; in Canada: 1-800-264-8786to place your order and/or to request a free copy of our cata-log, The Bridge Source. The catalog is also available online atwww.acbl.org

ACBLscoreACBL has developed a computer scoring program known asACBLscore which is available to clubs and tournaments. Thisprogram enables a game to be scored almost instantly oncethe last deal has been played and the result entered.

ACBL Website (www.acbl.org)The ACBL Website is the place where members can go tocheck their masterpoint totals and to find all kinds of informa-tion about the game of bridge and the ACBL. Tournamentresults, masterpoint races, a directory of ACBL bridge clubsand bridge teachers, the Junior program, and so much moreare available at www.acbl.org

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Accredited Bridge TeachersThe ACBL has trained bridge teachers since 1986 through theTAP (Teacher Accreditation Program) developed by AudreyGrant. The TAP introduces bridge teachers to the most suc-cessful methods for teaching bridge to beginning players.

Ace of ClubsThe vast majority of ACBL’s members play in local club gamesmost of the time. To recognize achievement at the club level,the Ace of Clubs competition was created in 1984. These clubchampions are recognized at the unit level and ACBL-wide. Allpoints won at the club level are counted in this contest withthe exception of those won in STaCs, progressive sectionals,NABC Fund-raiser events, the North American Open Pairs, andthe Grand National Teams.

Active EthicsA primary objective of the ACBL is to instill in all players theconcept that vigorous efforts should be made to provideequity in bridge. Every player should take pains to make surethat the opponents have in no way been harmed throughincomplete or misleading information as to the meaning ofconventional calls and treatments. An aggressive approachalong these lines on the part of each and every individual willensure that bridge remains the game that is enjoyed so muchby all.

Adjusted ScoreA score assigned by a tournament director (or an appealscommittee) when either an infraction of the Laws or a proce-dural error has occurred. The director is empowered by theLaws to take this action.

Adventures in DuplicateAn excellent paperback book designed to guide beginningplayers through their first three years of duplicate bridge. Itwas originally written by Edith McMullin and updated by her in2002. Adventures provides information on basic conventionsand the wonderful and unique world of duplicate bridge.

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Albert H. Morehead Memorial LibraryThis bridge library is located at ACBL Headquarters in Mem-phis TN. It is one of the largest bridge libraries in the worldwith more than 2,500 volumes, many artifacts, and historicaldocuments. The library is named in honor of Albert H.Morehead, a member of the Bridge Hall of Fame, who was anoted bridge author and ACBL official.

Alert (How to)When bidding boxes are in use, an Alert is made by tapping anAlert card on the table or by tapping the Alert strip on the sideof the bidding box and by saying “Alert.” When bidding boxesare not in use, the partner of the player making an Alertablecall should say “Alert.” The opponent who is next to call caninquire as to the meaning of the call at that time or can reservethe right to inquire at any later turn to call or play. Calls thatneed to be Alerted are shown in red printing on the officialACBL Convention Card and noted on the Alert Chart.

Alert ProcedureThe objective of the Alert procedure (see Alert) is for both pairsat the table to have equal access to all information containedin any auction. Saying “Alert” (or making an Announcement —see below) is a method of drawing the opponents’ attention tothe fact that partner’s call has a conventional or unexpectedmeaning.

American Bridge Teachers’ Association (ABTA)Founded in 1957, this nonprofit, professional organization,composed primarily of bridge teachers, is dedicated to pro-moting higher standards of bridge teaching and playing. Ageneral meeting is held once a year just prior to the ACBLSummer North American Bridge Championships at the site ofthe tournament.

Announcement ProcedureAnnouncements are an extension of the Alert System. AnAnnouncement is a method by which a player uses one wordor a short phrase to tell the opponents directly the meaning of

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partner’s call. Announcements are required in the following four instancesonly:

� After a natural 1NT opening bid, you state the range,“12-14.”

� After a bid of diamonds or hearts transferring tohearts or spades respectively in response to anotrump bid, you say, “transfer.”

� After a 1NT forcing or semi-forcing response to a1� or 1� opening bid, you say, “forcing” or “semi-forcing.”

� After a 1� or 1� non-forcing opening where thesuit may contain fewer than three cards, say, “may beshort.”

When bidding boxes are in use, say the Announcement word,such as “transfer” and tap the Alert strip in the bid box at thesame time. Calls that need to be Announced are shown in blueprinting on the official ACBL Convention Card and noted onthe Alert Chart.

AppealAn appeal is a request for a review of a director’s ruling. Anyruling by a director may be appealed, but an appeals commit-tee does not have the authority to overrule the director on apoint of bridge law or regulation.

AttitudeThe interest or lack of interest of a defender in having a suitled or continued by partner. The predominant method ofencouraging the lead or continuation of a suit is a high-lowsignal (to play or discard a high card followed at the nextopportunity by the play or discard of a low card). To discour-age a lead, a defender usually plays the lowest card in the suit.

Average ScoreOne-half the matchpoints possible on a given deal or in aparticular session of a matchpoint pairs tournament.

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BBalancing(Re)entering the auction with a bid or double when the oppos-ing bidding has stopped at a low level.

BarometerA scoring method that originated in Sweden in which eachdeal is played simultaneously. Running totals are usuallyposted shortly after the conclusion of play of each set ofboards, thus heightening the interest for both players andspectators.

Barry Crane Top 500This trophy is presented to the ACBL member who has accu-mulated the most masterpoints during the calendar year.Originally known as the McKenney Trophy, it was renamed in1986 in honor of Crane, who had a dominant influence on therace for three decades. Crane, a Hollywood director and pro-ducer who was murdered in July of 1985, was ACBL’s topmasterpoint holder at the time of his death and was acknowl-edged by his peers to be unequaled as a masterpoint winnerand matchpoint player.

Benefits of MembershipThe main benefits of ACBL membership are:Belonging to the largest and best bridge organization in theworld;

� The Bridge Bulletin – the world’s most widely distrib-uted bridge magazine;

� Discounted entry fees for most tournament playincluding three North American Bridge Champion-ships per year;

� Access to a listing of more than 3500 bridge clubsacross North America;

� An “800” line for Member Services;

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� A 10% discount on ordering bridge-related productsand an 800 sales line;

� The opportunity to win masterpoints, have themrecorded, and earn levels of achievement;

� The ability to participate in benefit programs de-signed especially for ACBL members (ACBLMasterCard, insurance programs including a freediscount Rx America Prescription Card, discountedHertz car rental);

� Access to exclusive member sites on the Internet;� The fun, friendship, and competition of bridge.

Note: New members are allowed to record a maximum of 20masterpoints earned in the 12 months prior to joining ACBLby supplying the city, event, and date when the points werewon to ACBL’s Club Membership Department.

Bermuda BowlThe biennial (odd years) World Bridge Federation Team Cham-pionship and the trophy at stake are both called the BermudaBowl.

Bermuda Contract Bridge LeagueAlthough Bermuda is a part of the ACBL, the country has itsown national contract bridge organization (NCBO) knownofficially as the Bermuda Contract Bridge League (BCBL). TheBCBL deals with sending representatives to world champion-ship events.

Better Bridge MagazineThis was the name of the magazine offered by ACBL in 1997and retitled as Play Bridge in 2001. It was designed to addressthe interests of players new to bridge and/or new to duplicateand edited by Audrey Grant.

BiddingThis is the title of the first course in The ACBL Bridge Serieswritten by Audrey Grant. It was originally called The ClubSeries and is sometimes referred to by that name. See ACBL

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Bridge Series.

Bidding BoxA device to permit silent bidding, first used in Scandinaviancountries. To make a call, the player takes the appropriate cardfrom a box and places it on the table in front of the player. Allbidding cards remain on the table until the auction is con-cluded, thus avoiding the need for a review of the bidding andeliminating the possibility of mishearing a call.

Black PointsThese are masterpoints awarded at club and unit level games.100 fractional masterpoints are the equivalent of one (1)masterpoint. A new member (as of 1/1/99) needs at least 50black points (out of a total of 300 points of all colors) tobecome a Life Master.

BlackwoodA convention in which a 4NT bid is used to discover the num-ber of aces held by partner. This method was invented byEasley Blackwood in 1933 and has attained worldwide popu-larity. Blackwood, an ACBL executive who was credited withputting the ACBL back on a sound financial basis in the lateSixties, became one of the most famous bridge personalities inthe world as a result of this convention.

Blackwood AwardNamed in honor of the late Easley Blackwood, this award wasestablished in 1996 to honor bridge players, living or de-ceased, who contributed to the game in areas outside ofbridge-playing expertise. Albert H. Morehead, an ACBL official,bridge writer, editor, and player, was the first recipient of theaward. Portraits of the people who receive this award aredisplayed in the ACBL Bridge Hall of Fame.

Blue Ribbon PairsOne of the most prestigious of the annual North AmericanChampionship events. It is contested at the Fall NABC. Entry islimited to players who have qualified to participate. The most

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common methods of achieving qualification are: (1) to havefinished high in North American Championship events, or tohave finished first or second in regionally rated championshipevents (at least two sessions) , (2) to be one of the top 100masterpoint holders, (3) to be a member of current officialteams representing the ACBL or any of its member countries ininternational competition, and (4) to be a winner of one of theDistrict Grand National Teams championships.

Board(1) A duplicate board. (2) The dummy’s hand, so called be-cause it lies on the table.

Board-a-MatchA form of duplicate scoring used in team contests in whichone matchpoint is awarded for winning the hand and 1/2

matchpoint for a tie.

Board of GovernorsThe ACBL Board of Governors serves in an advisory capacityto the ACBL Board of Directors. This body meets three times ayear at each NABC (North American Bridge Championships).

Board of DirectorsThe ACBL Board of Directors determines the policies anddirection of the ACBL. The Board elects a president, vice-president, and a treasurer, each for a one-year term. The Boardmeets three times a year, usually during the week prior to eachNABC (North American Bridge Championships). It also electsfive representatives to the World Bridge Federation ExecutiveCouncil for three-year terms.

Bracketed Knockout TeamsThis event is run as a knockout team event with one exception.All teams will play against similarly rated opponents. Eachteam’s bracket is determined by averaging the entire team’smasterpoint holdings. This is the most popular event in whichto play to earn gold points at regionals and NABCs.

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Bridge at Sea with Audrey GrantThis is the title of the ACBL’s fifth television program for PBS. Itwas distributed by NETA (the National Educational TelevisionAssociation) and is currently available for PBS stations to air.ACBL sells a home video version of Bridge at Sea through theACBL Sales Department.

Bridge Brushup with Audrey GrantThis is the title of the ACBL’s fourth of five television programsoffering bridge lessons and hosted by Audrey Grant. It wasdistributed to PBS stations by NETA (the National EducationalTelevision Association). The ACBL Sales Department offers ahome video version of Bridge Brushup for purchase.

The Bridge BulletinACBL’s main monthly magazine filled with information onbidding and play for all levels of players, information regardingupcoming tournaments, bridge book and software reviews,and reports on special bridge competitions.

The Bridge Class with Audrey GrantThis is the title of the ACBL’s first of five television programsoffering bridge lessons and hosted by Audrey Grant. Thisshow aired on cable for a year before being picked up by SECA(now NETA), a distributor for PBS. The 13 half-hour programsare available free of charge to Independent Cable stationsthrough the ACBL Education Department. A home video ver-sion of the program, The Bridge Players’ Home Video Library, aseries of three tapes, is available for purchase from the ACBLSales Department.

Bridge MagazinesIn 2002, ACBL offered two magazines. The Bridge Bulletinpublished monthly, provides information on bidding, play, anddefense for all levels of players, information regarding upcom-ing tournaments, bridge book and software reviews, andreports on special bridge competitions. Play Bridge, publishedevery other month is designed specifically for new and ad-vancing players by Audrey Grant, the editor.

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There are a number of other bridge magazines in the market-place for bridge players, including The Bridge World and BridgeToday.

Bridge Plus+Bridge Plus+ is a shorter, friendlier, low-key duplicate experi-ence created especially for students who have taken one ormore of The ACBL Bridge Series courses. The game is patternedafter the students’ classroom experiences. They play 10 to 14deals in a two-hour game supervised by an ACBL AccreditedTeacher. Bridge Plus+ game sanctions are offered free to ACBLAccredited Teachers.

The Bridge Teacher NewsletterIn March of 1988, the ACBL began producing a quarterlynewsletter for ACBL accredited bridge teachers which wasedited by Julie Greenberg, ACBL Director of Education. Thepublication continues today and back issues are available inthe Teacher section of ACBL’s website (www.acbl.org).

Bridge TodayA major bridge magazine, Bridge Today is published six times ayear by Matthew and Pamela Granovetter.

The Bridge WorldThis is the oldest continuously published magazine dealingwith contract bridge. It was founded and first published by Ely(E-Lee) Culbertson, the man credited with making bridge aninternationally popular pastime and for many years America’sforemost authority on contract bridge.

Bronze Life MasterA player with Life Master status who has at least 500masterpoints.

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CCaddyAn assistant at a bridge tournament who is selected by thelocal tournament committee and is usually one of a group ofinterested high-school students. The main function of a caddyis to collect the scoreslips (results on the deals played at eachtable of a duplicate game) following each round and deliverthem to the scorekeepers.

California ScoringA method of scoring by hand sometimes used when computerscoring is not available. East-West pairs are assigned the samematchpoints as their North-South opponents, rather than thedifference between the North-South scores and top on aboard. The lowest score, rather than the highest score, is theEast-West winner.

CallAny bid, double, redouble, or pass.

Canadian Bridge Federation (CBF)Although Canada is a part of the ACBL, the nation also has itsown national contract bridge organization (NCBO), the Cana-dian Bridge Federation (CBF). The CBF, established in the late1960s, represents all Canadian players, not just championsvying for international competition. It deals with its own na-tional championships, its own charity organization, and itsown representation in world championships.

Celebrity Speaker ProgramFree lectures given at tournaments by bridge celebrities is afeature of an Intermediate-Newcomer (IN) Program. This is awonderful opportunity to learn more about duplicate bidding,defense, and conventions. The most extensive program is heldthree times a year at NABCs where bridge celebrities andbridge teachers speak 45 minutes prior to the afternoon andevening sessions.

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CEOACBL headquarters, located in Memphis TN, operates underthe guidance of a paid Chief Executive Officer selected by theACBL Board of Directors. The current CEO is Jay Baum.

Chicago (Four-Deal Bridge)A form of the game frequently played in clubs and well-suitedto home play. It is named after the city in which it originated.

Claim or ConcessionA suggestion that play of a deal be curtailed; a statement tothe effect that a player will win (claim) or lose (concession) aspecific number of tricks. Procedures differ in social and dupli-cate bridge. (See The Official Encyclopedia of Bridge.)

Club (ACBL Bridge)Any individual ACBL member, group of ACBL members, ornonaffiliated organization (such as a country club, a fraternalor industrial organization, or a church or other religiousgroup) may apply for a sanction from ACBL to conduct aduplicate game(s) at which masterpoints are awarded, thuspermitting ACBL members and others to compete on a regularbasis in their own communities. The people holding thesesanctions become club managers and they operate clubswhich may offer as few as one sanctioned game a month to asmany sanctioned sessions as 18 a week. The games are held atspecific times and locations according to the sanction of each.There are approximately 3,500 clubs which run nearly 2.5million tables of sanctioned bridge annually throughout ACBLterritory.Bridge clubs take many forms. Some are conducted as propri-etary clubs in which the owners expect to make a profit justlike a motion picture theater — entertainment is provided inreturn for an entry or admission fee. Some clubs are owned bythe members and operated by a Board with bylaws. They mayalso be sponsored by organizations such as a country club, aservice group, or a residential complex. A few clubs are run inforeign countries on military bases, some are located on theInternet, and others are found on cruise ships.

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Most full-time clubs offer bridge lessons on site, a bridgelibrary for members to use, social activities, tournaments fornewer players, and special events for ACBL members. Fun,excitement, interesting people, and endless bridge hands arewaiting for you at a local club game.In an effort to provide greater consistency at ACBL clubs andto reward clubs offering preferred services, programs, andgames, clubs can compete for three levels of service recogni-tion (One-Star, Two-Star, and Three-Star with Three-Star beingthe highest level). (See Star Clubs, pages 62 and 63.)A listing of clubs, their level of service, and club games can befound on ACBL’s Home Page on the Internet (www.acbl.org) oryou can call the ACBL Club Membership Dept. (901-332-5586,ext. 221) for more information.

Club Appreciation GamesThese are special games run during the month of October atclubs. They offer masterpoint awards calculated at 85% ofsectional rating.

Club ChampionshipEach regularly scheduled weekly game is entitled to four clubchampionship sessions per year. Overall awards for clubchampionship games in open clubs are 65% of sectionalrating.

Club Game ClassificationsThere are five general classes of games at clubs.

� Open club games welcome all players.� Invitational club games may limit participation to

members of a particular organization or to partici-pants invited by the club manager. Guests are oftenaccepted at invitational clubs.

� Masterpoint limited club games are for players whoare beyond Rookie level but not ready for opencompetition. These games may have any limitationthat is determined to be best for the players in ques-tion – such as 49er, 99er, Non Life Master.

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� Newcomer club games may operate under differenttitles (newplicate, novice, 0-5, 0-20, etc.), but partici-pation is limited to persons holding fewer than 20masterpoints on record with the ACBL.

� College or high school club games are special formsof invitational club games restricted to students,faculty members, and their spouses.

Club Managers’ Tips for Running a Successful ClubThis publication was produced by ACBL in 2000 and a copywas sent to each club manager. The booklet contains morethan 200 helpful ideas which have been collected over theyears and special information of interest to club owners in theAppendix (e.g. insurance, dealing with difficult players, specialevents, etc.) Club Managers’ Tips is currently sent to clubmanagers of newly sanctioned games. Additional copies canbe purchased through the ACBL Sales Department.

Club MasterA player with 20 to 49.99 recorded masterpoints.

Club MasterpointsPoints earned at the club level in games with club rating. Theseare black points and are distributed in fractional amounts.

The Club SeriesThis is the original title of Bidding, the first course in The ACBLBridge Series written by Audrey Grant.

Commonly Used ConventionsThis is the title of the fourth course in The ACBL Bridge Serieswritten by Audrey Grant. It is a replacement book for theoriginal Spade Series, a course on duplicate. See The ACBLBridge Series.

Communication between PartnersAccording to the Laws of Duplicate Contract Bridge, communi-cation between partners during the auction and play should

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happen only by means of the calls and plays themselves. Calls(when bidding boxes aren’t in use) should be made in a uni-form tone without special emphasis or inflection and withoutundue haste or hesitation. Plays should be made withoutemphasis, gesture, or mannerism, and so far as possible at auniform rate.

Computer HandsHand records prepared by the computer provide not only trulyrandom deals but also a practical, quick, inexpensive methodof producing duplicated hands for a multi-section bridgeevent.

Computer ScoringSee ACBLscore.

Continuous PairsSee “Side Game Series.”

ConventionA convention is any call or play which, by agreement or under-standing between partners, serves to convey a meaning otherthan would be attributed to it by the opponents in the absenceof an explanation.

Convention CardA card which lists generally used conventions and treatmentson a checkoff basis and which provides space to list otherconventions and treatments. The convention card is a shortcutto allow the opponents to know what system a partnershiphas elected to play. (See also SAYC and “Fat-Free”.)

Convention ChartsEach ACBL game is governed by a specific convention chartwhich states the conventional agreements allowed. There is aLimited Chart, a Mid-Chart, a General Chart, and a Super-Chart. (See each listing for more information.)

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Cooperative Advertising ProgramSee ACBL Cooperative Advertising Programs.

Cooperative Marketing ProgramAlso known as the Membership Recruitment and RetentionProgram. Units and the ACBL work together to increase mem-bership and participation. This program was started in 1999 bythen CEO David Silber. (See also: Unit Growth Program.) ACBLrewards units which are in compliance with the reportingrequirements of the program with additional per memberreimbursements. In addition, units are asked to assist in theACBL’s marketing efforts by: (1) contacting new members andmembers who have moved into the unit, (2) reinforcing at thelocal level ACBL’s initial welcome to all new members, (3)contacting members whose membership has lapsed, (4) con-tacting newly dormant members, (5) establishing and main-taining Intermediate-Newcomer teaching and play activitiesincluding sponsoring or co-sponsoring a TAP every five yearsand establishing a unit New Player Services program, (6) ap-pointing a Unit Electronic Contact (UEC), (7) visiting each clubin the unit at least once annually to see how ACBL and the unitcan help the club, and (8) completing an Annual Unit Market-ing Report (available on the Internet) and returning the form toMemphis.

Correction PeriodThe time specified by the sponsoring organization duringwhich corrections to the score may be sought.

Count SignalsA method by which one defender indicates to partner thelength held in a particular suit. The standard procedure is toplay high-low with an even number of cards and to play thelowest with an odd number of cards.

CrossruffA method of play whereby ruffing tricks are made in each of apartnership’s hands, thus using the trumps separately.

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Cruise Ship BridgeSome ships are sanctioned by the ACBL to offer bridge gameson all of its scheduled cruises. These games awardmasterpoints. On ships that do not have this type of annualarrangement with ACBL, individuals may apply to ACBL forsanctions for specific cruises providing they present a letterfrom the cruise line authorizing this activity.

CuebidA bid in a suit already shown by an opponent and in which thebidder is not suggesting the contract be played.

Culbertson, ElyThe man credited with making bridge an internationally popu-lar pastime. Ely (E-Lee) and his wife, Jo, were inducted into theACBL Bridge Hall of Fame.

DDeal(1) The distribution of the pack to form the hands of the fourplayers. (2) The cards so distributed considered as a unit,including the auction and play thereof.

Defective TrickA trick that contains fewer than or more than four legallyplayed cards — one from each player.

DefenseThis is the title of the third course in The ACBL Bridge Series,written by Audrey Grant. It was originally called The HeartSeries and is sometimes referred to by that name. See TheACBL Bridge Series.

Diamond Life MasterAn ACBL Life Master who has at least 5000 masterpoints.

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The Diamond SeriesThis is the original title of the second course in The ACBLBridge Series of student texts and teacher manuals, currentlycalled Play of the Hand and written by Audrey Grant. See TheACBL Bridge Series.

DirectorThe director of a duplicate bridge game is the person desig-nated to supervise the contest and to apply the laws. There areclub directors, many ranks of tournament directors, and IN(Intermediate-Newcomer) directors, those who have beentrained to work with newer players (see also TournamentDirector).

Discounts for MembersACBL offers a 10% discount on hundreds of bridge productspurchased through the ACBL Sales Department. The toll-freenumber is: 1-800-264-2743 in the USA and 1-800-264-8786in Canada. Members also receive a discount on entry fees at allNABCs and at many sectional and regional tournaments.

DistrictsThe ACBL is divided into 25 districts. Each district elects onemember to serve on the Board of Directors, three members toserve on the Board of Governors, and two alternate Directorswho are eligible to attend Board of Governors meetings. Eachis elected for a three-year term. When someone joins ACBL,they also become a member of a specific unit and the districtin which the unit is geographically located.

Double DummyPlay of a deal that could not be improved upon, as thoughdeclarer were looking at all four hands. It can also be used torefer to perfect play by the defenders.

DruryA conventional response (2�, and/or 2�) by a passed handafter partner’s one-level major-suit opening. The response

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asks partner to clarify the strength of the hand.

Duplicate BridgeDuplicate bridge is a form of the game whereby the conditionsof play are duplicated exactly at each table: the same cards ineach hand; the same dealer; the same vulnerability. Thematchpoint score does not depend on the luck of the deal; it isderived by comparing the scores made by players who holdthe identical cards under the identical conditions.

Duplicate DecisionsThis is a publication originally created by Julie Greenberg,ACBL Director of Education, for ACBL. It presents the Laws ofDuplicate Bridge and ACBL regulations in everyday language.It’s ideal for players who want to know more about the lawsgoverning the game and for club directors to use in directinglocal games.

EEasybridge!Easybridge!, created by Edith McMullin, is a program designedto create new duplicate bridge players and games. The pro-gram was funded by ACBL and the ACBL Educational Founda-tion from 1999 through June of 2002.

E-mailYou can reach ACBL departments and employees directlythrough e-mail. Frequently used e-mail addresses are foundon the inside front cover of this booklet.

EthicsIn bridge, ethics equals fair play. Breeches of ethics are gener-ally thought of as unfair and illegal practices which couldinclude deliberate cheating. The Laws of Duplicate ContractBridge deal with the question of proper behavior at bridge.

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EtiquetteMuch of the popularity of contract bridge is attributable to thehigh standards of etiquette which are observed by the players.A player should maintain at all times a courteous attitudetoward partner and the opponents. A player should carefullyavoid any remark or action that might cause annoyance orembarrassment to another player, or that might interfere withanother player’s enjoyment of the game. Players who fail touphold these standards should be reported to the directorunder the ACBL’s “Zero Tolerance” policy. As a matter ofcourtesy, a player should refrain from:

� Paying insufficient attention;� Making gratuitous comments during the play as to

the auction or the adequacy of the contract;� Detaching a card from the hand before it is that

player’s turn;� Arranging the cards played to previous tricks in a

disorderly manner or mixing the cards togetherbefore the result has been agreed to;

� Making a questionable claim or concession; or� Prolonging the play unnecessarily.

Exciting World of BridgeThis is a excellent brochure originally created by EdithMcMullin for use in introducing new players to the specialfeatures of duplicate games at clubs. The ACBL Sales Depart-ment will send you a small number of these brochures onrequest. More can be ordered for a nominal fee for use in localpromotional efforts. New members receive a copy in their newmember packets.

Explanation of Any Call or PlayDuring the auction and before the final pass, any player may,at that player’s turn to call, ask for a full explanation of any callmade by an opponent. After the final pass and throughout theplay, any player except dummy may, at that player’s own turnto play, ask for an explanation of opposing calls or card playconventions. It is better to ask a question in general terms,

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rather than call attention to one particular suit-bid and soexpose oneself to the suggestion that the question may belead-directing.

E-Z Deal CardsE-Z Deal cards are decks of cards which have been coded toallow a foursome to create a special deal without seeing thefaces of the cards. E-Z Deal cards were adapted from cardsused in Europe in 1988 by Julie Greenberg, ACBL Director ofEducation, for use in The ACBL Bridge Series courses. Call theACBL Sales Department for a free copy of The Bridge Sourceproduct catalog for information on additional varieties of E-ZDeal cards.

FFace-Down LeadsFace-down opening leads are required in tournament play.Once the lead is made face down, partner may ask questionsabout the auction. This ensures that the partner of the leaderwill not influence the opening leader’s choice of lead. A face-down opening lead made by the wrong player may be pickedup without penalty upon instruction of the director.

FactoringThe process of adjusting matchpoint scores to the same baseto make them comparable for ranking purposes.

“Fat-Free” Convention CardThis is the nickname for ACBL’s simplified convention card(product #SS4) which has been developed for the use ofplayers who do not employ many conventional agreements.

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Federacion Mexicana de Bridge (Mexican Bridge Federation)

Although Mexico is part of the ACBL, Mexico has its ownnational contract bridge organization (NCBO) known as theMexican Bridge Federation (MBF). The MBF deals with its ownrepresentation in world championship events.

FieldAll of the contestants entered in an event.

Five-Card MajorsA bidding method in which an opening bid of 1� or 1�guarantees at least a five-card suit.

FlightedThis is a type of event where contestants play only againstopponents within the same point range. For example, if FlightC is 0-200 masterpoints, no player with more than 200masterpoints may be included in the group. A player mayalways play up in flighted events (enter Flight A or Flight B) ifthe player wishes. The higher the flight, the more difficult thecompetition and the more masterpoints awarded to the win-ners.

Force(1) Noun: Any bid or call making it incumbent upon thebidder’s partner to bid at least once more. (2) Verb: To cause aplayer to use a high card or a trump.

Fouled BoardA deal in which a card or cards or hands have been placed inan incorrect pocket. Since the nature of duplicate is to play theexact same deals at each table and then compare results, adeal that changes during the course of play can no longer becompared and must be scored by a formula known as the“fouled-board formula.”

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GGameGame in bridge is a level of bidding (the four level in themajors, the five level in the minors, the three level in notrump)which, when bid and made, awards 100 points or more in trickscore.

George Burns TrophyThis trophy, inaugurated in 1993, is given annually to theACBL Senior Player of the Year. It is named for George Burns,famous comedian, who played bridge daily at his country clubinto his late nineties.

Gerber ConventionA bid of 4�, invented by the late John Gerber, from HoustonTX and a member of the Hall of Fame, which asks partner howmany aces are held. The normal responses are: 4� – no acesor all four aces; 4� – one ace; 4� – two aces; 4NT – threeaces. A bid of 5� asks for kings and the responses are thesame but one level higher.

GNT (Grand National Teams)A major ACBL team championship conducted with districtqualifying rounds in clubs, units, and/or districts leading to afinal round held in conjunction with the Summer NABC.

Gold Life MasterAn ACBL Life Master who has acquired at least 2500masterpoints.

Gold PointsThese are masterpoints (MP) awarded for topping your sectionor placing overall at regionals and NABCs in events of two ormore sessions with either no masterpoint restriction or aminimum masterpoint limit of 750 points or more. Partial goldpoint awards are given for certain special events.

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Golden Age MasterA special category set up by ACBL to recognize the achieve-ments of older players. There are two ways to qualify – (1) 70years of age with 300 points of any color; or (2) 80 years ofage with 100 points of any color.

Goodwill CommitteeThe ACBL Goodwill Committee and its individual memberswork to create goodwill for ACBL. They receive, convey, andact on suggestions for the betterment of ACBL, particularly inthe areas of active ethics, conduct, tournament conditions,bridge for Juniors, and bridge for the handicapped.

Grand Life MasterHighest rank in ACBL. It requires 10,000 masterpoints and atleast one victory in a North American Championship event thathas no upper masterpoint limit or its equivalent.

Grand SlamBidding for and winning all 13 tricks.

The Grapevine NewsletterA newsletter for Junior players published by the EducationDepartment in January, June, and October. Issues can befound on the ACBL Junior Web page. This publication wasstarted in March of 1989 and first edited by Julie Greenberg,ACBL Director of Education.

Group Insurance ProgramA special benefit of membership is the ability to participate inACBL’s Group Insurance Plan administered by Seabury &Smith. ACBL also offers general liability insurance for clubsconducting ACBL sanctioned bridge games through the RoyBecker Insurance Agency in Potomac MD. Contact the ClubMembership Department for more information.

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GuidecardA printed card used in duplicate bridge to give the progressionof the players and the boards.

HHandThe cards held by one player. The term is also used to indicatethe order in bidding and playing rotation, as in “second hand”or “fourth hand.”

Hand Records(1) The sheets on which individual computer-generated dealsare printed for distribution to players, who usually constructthe hands for other contestants to play; (2) the sheets distrib-uted to the players at the conclusion of a game on which all ofthe deals from that session are printed; (3) diagrams set up bythe players after a deal in a major match is completed.

Handicap GamesACBL clubs may offer games where the contestants are given ahandicap (either plus or minus) based on previous perfor-mance or degree of competence to create a more level com-petitive group.

HCPHigh-card points, a basis for determining the relative strengthof a hand, especially for notrump contracts. The most commonvaluation is: Aces = 4 points, Kings = 3 points, Queens = 2points, Jacks = 1 point.

Handling CardsThe handling of cards other than a player’s own is illegal. If aplayer wishes to see an opponent’s cards after the play of adeal has been completed, that player must ask permission. Ifthere is a problem, the director resolves it.

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The Heart SeriesThis is the original title of Defense, the third course in TheACBL Bridge Series written by Audrey Grant. See The ACBLBridge Series.

Hold-up PlayThe refusal to win a trick right away. One purpose is to keepcontrol of a suit an opponent has led. Another purpose isusually to break the opponents’ communication.

Home-Style GameThis is a fun kind of game which attracts players who are notinterested in braving the rigors of duplicate bridge with theattendant restrictions and many conventions. It also appeals tothe newcomer to competitive bridge. Home-style games can besanctioned for clubs and award fractional masterpoints on thesame scale as for duplicate games.

HospitalityThe general term for efforts by a host unit at a bridge tourna-ment to make the players feel more comfortable and welcome.A more concerted effort is generally made with newer playersin the IN (Intermediate-Newcomer) area. This could take theform of free gifts, food, special events, and local committeesknown as New Player Services (a public relations effort to easenew players into the game.)

Howell MovementA type of progression in duplicate in which all pairs except onemove and in which all pairs meet. In large Howell-type move-ments, most of the pairs move and most of the pairs meet.

HuddleA longer-than-usual pause preceding an action in the bidding(usually) or the play of a deal. If the huddle is followed by apositive action, usually no harm is done to the opponents. Theethics of the game, however, require that the partner of thehuddler not take cognizance of the information that the hud-dler “had a problem.”

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IIMPInternational Matchpoint, a unit of scoring used according to aschedule established by the Laws of Duplicate Contract Bridge.In a team game, a difference in trick and bonus scores of theNorth-South pair and the East-West pair on the same team isused to determine IMPs from a chart. IMPs are sometimesconverted to Victory Points by way of a chart based on either a20- or 30-point Victory Point scale. A copy of the IMP and VPscales is printed inside each ACBL Convention Card.

INSee Intermediate-Newcomer Program.

IndividualA method of duplicate competition in which each contestantplays with a different partner each deal or set of deals.

Instant Matchpoint GameThis is an annual ACBL-wide game held at clubs each Septem-ber. Players are given their matchpoint score on each boardimmediately after playing each deal.

Intermediate-Newcomer Program (IN)ACBL has developed a program of games and activities de-signed to make duplicate experiences fun and comfortable fornew players and new members. Edith McMullin introduced theidea at the Summer NABC in 1984. All NABCs now offer an INProgram and so do many regionals and sectionals throughoutNorth America. There are, in addition, special IN Sectionals andRegionals. Many of these tournaments have all of these fea-tures:

� Games each session for players with 0-5, 0-20, 0-50,0-100 masterpoints.

� Celebrity Speaker Programs.

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� Hand Records – copies and analyses of the dealsplayed.

� Social Events.� Trophies for each overall winner.� Photographs of the winners.� New Player Services Program.� A special area for all IN activities.� Directors trained to run games for new players.� Flyers to invite the players & guarantee partners.

International Fund GamesACBL offers one of these games at each of the NABCs andACBL-wide in January, May, and July to raise funds to defraythe expense of North American participation in international(WBF) competition. Each weekly sanctioned game held at aclub may hold an annual one-session club championship forthe benefit of the ACBL International Fund.

InternetSign on to the World Wide Web home page of the ACBL athttp://www.acbl.org where paid-up members can check theirmasterpoints and find all kinds of ACBL information includinga complete listing of clubs which offer ACBL-sanctionedgames, a Junior site, a teacher site, and tournament informa-tion. You can download (FREE) the LTPB (Learn to Play Bridge)software to use in learning to play bridge or to update yourgame.

Internet TermsBridge players on the Internet have created a language ofabbreviations, a bridge shorthand, to quickly relay a messageduring on-line play. Here are some of the more popular say-ings — note that using all capital letters translates into YELL-ING:

AFK – Away from keyboardBRB – Be right backBTW – By the way

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CC – Convention CardDIC – Director in ChargeF2F – Face-to-face (not computer bridge)FFTQ – Feel free to quoteGL – Good luckGLP – Good luck, partnerIIRC – If I remember correctlyIMHO – In my humble opinionIMO – In my opinionLOL – Laughing out loudNABC – North American Bridge ChampionshipsNP – No problemO/E – Odd/even discardOpp – OpponentOpps – OpponentsPd or Pard – PartnerRe – RehiRehi – Hello againRKC – Roman Key Card BlackwoodROFL – Rolling on the floor laughingSAYC – Standard American Yellow Card (bidding system)TD – Tournament directorTHX or TX – ThanksTU or TY – Thank youTYP – Thank you, partnerUD – Upside downUDCA – Upside down count and attitudeUr – YourWD – Well doneWDP – Well done, partnerWDO – Well done, opponent(s)WTG – Way to go!ZT – Zero Tolerance (for Unacceptable Behavior)

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JJacoby Transfer BidsIntroduced by Oswald Jacoby, a member of the Bridge Hall ofFame, these bids are used in responding at the two level to1NT opening bids, and/or in responding at the three level to2NT openings.

Jane Johnson Club of the Year AwardThis award was instituted in 2001 in honor of Jane Johnson,longtime manager of ACBL’s Club Membership Department.Recipients are clubs which demonstrate the kind of extraordi-nary member service which was the essence of Jane Johnson.Jane’s message to clubs was that providing service and good-will starts at the club level and grows from there.Criteria for the Jane Johnson Award: (1) The club is part of thecommunity. Its membership does more than play. (2) The clubworks as a family. The members are responsible for the healthof the club. They share the duties of directing, cleanup, scoring,partnership, hosting. (3) The club members actively promotethe club through good advertising, including word of mouth,and by inviting newcomers to visit and play. (4) The clubprovides services to new and needy members — phone calls tomissing members, assistance in transportation, welcomecommittee.

Join the FunThis is a four-color brochure created by ACBL to assist mem-bers in new member recruitment efforts. The ACBL SalesDepartment will send you a small number for free. More canbe ordered for a nominal fee.

Junior Bridge ProgramACBL’s Junior Bridge Program provides playing and socialactivities for players under the age of 26 designed to develop acorps of dedicated younger players. One of the goals of theprogram is to produce Juniors with the skills to sustain ACBL’sposition in the future as a world bridge power.

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Junior CampsEvery other year (odd-numbered years) the ACBL encouragesparticipation in the summer Bridge Camp and World JuniorPairs competition sponsored by the WBF (World Bridge Fed-eration). ACBL offers a Junior Bridge Camp in the even-num-bered years.

Junior CorpsMembers of this group are ACBL’s elite Junior players who arethe future of the organization. Junior Corps members arecharged with working together with unit officials and tourna-ment organizers to promote bridge among young people.

Junior MasterA player holding 5 to 19.99 masterpoints.

Junior MembershipsACBL offers a discounted membership to players under theage of 26 who are currently enrolled in school.

Junior MonthFebruary is Junior Month in the ACBL. During this month,clubs are encouraged to run special games to benefit the ACBLJunior Fund or the Canadian Junior Fund which supportactivities for Junior bridge players. Participants pay an extra $1fee, which is donated to the appropriate fund. Clubs may alsorun as many as four Junior Fund Games each month of theyear.

Junior Team TrialsThe method of selection of teams for the biennial WorldJunior Bridge Team Championship, inaugurated by the WorldBridge Federation in 1987. The trials to select U.S. representa-tives is currently held in conjunction with the Summer NABCs.

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KKaplan-SheinwoldA system, devised by Bridge Hall of Fame members EdgarKaplan and Alfred Sheinwold, based on the weak notrump andaimed at more precisely limiting the strength shown by allbids.

KibitzerA person who watches a game from the sidelines.

King or Queen of BridgeThis honorary title is awarded to a Junior Corp member who isa graduating high school senior. Cited for outstanding tourna-ment performance, this Junior player is someone who hasexcelled also in bridge-related administrative, recreational, andpromotional activities. The ACBL Educational Foundation,funded by a grant from the Homer Shoop/International Palaceof Sports, presents a $1000 scholarship to the annual winner.

Knockout TeamsThis is a team event in which one team plays an entire sessionagainst one other team. The winning team from each matchadvances to play the next round and the defeated team iseliminated.(See also Bracketed Knockout Teams.)

LLHOA player’s left-hand opponent is often referred to by thesethree initials.

LOLThe letters originally stood for “little old ladies,” who wereknown to get excellent bridge results by simple common sense

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action against pseudo-experts. In Internet language the initialsLOL stand for “Lots’s of Luck.”

Land CruiseIndividuals may apply to the ACBL for a sanction to run bridgegames and award masterpoints in conjunction with a vacationprogram that may be held at one location or at various loca-tions as the group travels.

Law of Total TricksThe Law of Total Tricks is the theory that on any given bridgedeal the total number of trumps held by both sides will beapproximately equal to the total number of tricks that bothsides could win. The total number of tricks is the sum of howmany tricks North-South would take if they played in their bestfit added to how many East-West would take in their best fit.The Law gained popularity in the 1990s when it was the sub-ject of a book called To Bid or Not to Bid written by LarryCohen.

LawsThe Laws of Duplicate Contract Bridge, as promulgated in thewestern hemisphere by the ACBL, are prepared under theauspices of the ACBL Laws Commission. Duplicate Decisions, apublication sold by ACBL, presents a version of the Law bookwritten in everyday language.

LessonsYou can find out how to locate teachers who are giving bridgelessons in your area by calling the ACBL Education Depart-ment. A full list of bridge teachers can also be found in theTeacher section of ACBL’s web site (www.acbl.org) on theInternet. Fred Gitelman has developed the LTPB (Learn to PlayBridge) software for the ACBL and it is available to downloadfree of charge at ACBL’s web site.

Life MasterThis is the most highly sought level of bridge achievement. ALife Master is a player who has earned 300 or more recorded

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1 (800) 264-2743 (U.S.) • 1 (800) 264-8786 (Canada)

The Bridge Source Catalog has 24 pages packedwith great gift ideas to please the discerning bridgeplayers on your list. Visit the ACBL Product Store at theNABC. See you there!

Books & Videos: New titles, classics, hard boundeditions, and children’s books. Videos by AudreyGrant or Bobby Wolff teach you how to play at yourpace. Excellent way to learn the game.

Bridge Software: Enjoy playing bridge alone,against your computer, or on the Internet. Many selec-tions. Something for every skill level. Great for learn-ing or for play. Programs for Windows PC or MAC,and CD ROM or disk.

To place an order by credit card:Call our toll-free number below.) Ourcourteous sales representatives areready to help you Mon.–Fri. 8 am to4:30 pm, Central time. After hours,you may leave your name, player

number, and daytime phone in amessage. A sales rep will call you the next day.

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Bridge Supplies: Boards, bidding boxes, playingcards, table cards, hands and analyses, conventioncards, pick-up slips, travelers, entry forms. We haveeverything you need to run your games!

Shirts, Scarves, Dickeys, and Jewelry: What awonderful way to accessorize your wardrobe! You willfind something for every season in a variety of stylesand colors — all attractively decorated in bridge motif.

Tote Bags: Great gift ideas! Show your love ofbridge with these sturdy, attractive and useful totes withbridge motif.

Card Holders: Excellent for anyone who has difficultyholding the cards. Makes a thoughtful gift!

Bridge Bulletin Binders: Attractive way to dress upthe bookcase while storing your Bridge Bulletins.

Or visit our home page atwww.acbl.org

and browse the secure onlinecatalog. Check out all of the

products listed above in full color.Place an order if you wish. It’s never been

easer to reach ACBL!

or Fax (901) 398-7754

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masterpoints, of which at least 50 must be silver, at least 25must be gold, and at least another 25 must be red or gold.New members as of 1/1/99 must also earn at least 50 blackpoints as part of their total 300 points. Please note that nomore than 100 MPs earned on the Internet may count towardthe points necessary to achieve Life Master status.

Life MemberMembers having joined ACBL prior to January 1, 1996, whoachieve the rank of Life Master are also Life Members. Theyare members for life unless they resign or their membership isrevoked per established procedure. Life Members are notrequired to pay dues but are required to pay an annual servicefee in order to maintain an active status and receive servicesfrom ACBL.

Limit RaiseA raise with closely defined limits of strength. The chief appli-cation is the jump raise of a suit from one to three. The bidindicates at least four-card trump support with 10 or 11 pointsor the distributional equivalent.

MMAD LineACBL has a toll-free Member Services number. Members withtouchtone phones can learn their masterpoint totals and duessituation instantly, report missing magazines, and leave mes-sages. Callers without touchtone phones can leave messages.The toll-free number is 1-800-467-1623 (in the USA); 1-800-467-2623 (in Canada).

Mama-Papa BridgeA term applied to a simple, natural bidding system unclutteredwith conventions.

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MasterpointThis is the unit which measures bridge achievement in dupli-cate play. Masterpoints come in black, silver, red, gold, plati-num, and unpigmented, and are awarded for different levels ofplay.

� Black points at club and unit games.� Silver points at sectionals, progressive sectionals, and

STaCs.� Red points in all events at regionals and the three

NABCs.� Gold points for section tops and placing overall in

regional events and in events of two or more ses-sions with either no MP restriction or a minimum MPlimit of 750 points or more (not Strat C). Partial goldpoints are awarded in some special events.

� Platinum points for all NABC+ championship events.� Unpigmented points for online play on the Internet.

Note: See “ranks” for the number and color of points neededto attain various levels of recognition: Rookie, Junior Master,Club Master, Sectional Master, Regional Master, NABC Master,Life Master, and upper levels beyond LM.

Masterpoint PlanThe system used by the ACBL to rank every member accordingto performance at tournaments and clubs.

Masterpoint RecordsMasterpoints won at tournaments and at clubs usingACBLscore are sent electronically to ACBL. Other clubs mail inlists of players and points won for recording. Non-membersare given receipts at club games when they win points and cancredit their accounts with up to 20 masterpoints (won in the 12months prior to becoming members) when they join the ACBL.Members can check their masterpoint holding by calling theMAD (Member Services) Line or online at www.acbl.org

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MatchpointA matchpoint is a unit used in a method of scoring duplicatecontests in which two or more scores are compared. A pairreceives one point for each result it surpasses and one-halfpoint for each result it ties.

McConnell CupNamed in honor of Ruth McConnell, former ACBL Presidentand WBF treasurer, it’s awarded to the winners of a knockoutteam event for women played at the World Bridge Champion-ships at the same time the Rosenblum Cup is contested.

Mentoring ProgramsThese programs provide an opportunity for both newcomersand mentors to meet and get to know each other on a basisother than as opponents at the table. Many clubs and unitsuse a Pro-Am game format to launch their mentoring pro-grams. Partnerships are made by a program coordinator andthe pairs are encouraged to play a recommended minimumnumber of times during the month. (See also Pro-Am game.)

Mexican Federation of BridgeSee Federacion Mexicana de Bridge.

Michaels CuebidThe use of an immediate cuebid in the opponent’s suit to showa two-suited hand with either both majors or a major and aminor, devised by the late Mike Michaels, bridge writer andlecturer, of Miami Beach.

Midnight SwissThe most common and popular type of midnight game at atournament. The game consists of five matches of five dealsplayed at the rate of five minutes per deal. Sometimes referredto as the Zip Swiss.

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MiniBridgeA simplified form of the game which has no bidding. Originallydeveloped in France, MiniBridge is widely used as a precursorto learning bridge for all ages. It is both effective and enjoy-able.

Mini-McKenneyIn 1974, the ACBL Board of Directors voted to recognize themasterpoint achievements of all players. Thus arose the Mini-McKenney races. The winners at each level of achievement(Rookie, Junior Master, etc.) are recognized by the ACBL eachyear in the March issue of The Bridge Bulletin and the homeunit of each winner may purchase a Mini-McKenney Medallionto present to the player.

Mississippi Heart HandFamous trick hand from the days of whist. A diamond leadholds South to six tricks in a heart contract, and a game can’tbe made in any denomination. South can take nine tricks in aspade contract or 10 tricks in a club contract.

� 10 5 4 3 2� —� 5 4 3 2� 5 4 3 2

� — � J 9 8 7 6� 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 � —� A K Q J 10 9 � 8 7 6� — � 10 9 8 7 6

� A K Q� A K Q J 10 9� —� A K Q J

Mitchell MovementA duplicate progression in which the players seated North–South remain stationary and those sitting East–West moveeach round to the higher numbered table.

NW E

S

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Mixed PairsAn event in which partnerships must consist of one man andone woman.

More Commonly Used ConventionsThis is the title of the fifth course in The ACBL Bridge Serieswritten by Audrey Grant. See The ACBL Bridge Series.

MUDA lead convention in which the original lead from three lowcards is the middle one, followed in play by the higher. Thename is the acronym of middle, up, down, the order in whichthe cards are played.

NNABCThis is the term for the North American Bridge Championshipswhich are operated annually by the ACBL. These tournamentsare held in the spring, summer, and fall and are rotated aroundthe United States and Canada. Each NABC offers events for alllevels of players and features the NABC+ events and an IN(Intermediate-Newcomer) program for players with fewer than300 masterpoints. The IN program runs for the full 11 days ofthe tournament and offers a free Celebrity Speaker programtwice daily (before the afternoon and evening sessions). Thereare trophies, masterpoints, special events, and lots of enter-tainment at all NABCs.

NABC+ (NABC-Plus) EventsThe highest rated championship events offered by ACBL andheld only at the three annual NABCs. They are nationally-ratedevents with no upper masterpoint limit. The Player-of-the-Yearcontest is won by the player winning the most platinummasterpoints in these events during the year.

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NABC MasterA player with at least 200 masterpoints, including at least 50pigmented points of which at least 5 must be gold, at least 15must be red, and at least 25 must be silver.

NAPFormerly known as the Grand National Pairs, the NAP or NorthAmerican Pairs is a major ACBL championship which is stagedin qualifying rounds at the club, unit, and district levels. Itculminates in a final held in conjunction with the Spring NABC.This event is run as a flighted event.

National 49er PairsA nationally rated event for players with 0–49 masterpointswhich is contested at the Spring NABC. It awards partial goldpoints.

National 99er PairsA nationally rated event for players with 0–99 masterpointswhich is contested at the Summer NABC. It awards partial goldpoints.

National 199er PairsA nationally rated event for players with 0–199 masterpointswhich is contested at the Fall NABC. It awards partial goldpoints.

NationalsThis is the original name for the NABCs. ACBL’s three premiertournaments were next called the NACs (North AmericanChampionships) and then renamed the North American BridgeChampionships (NABCs) in the 1970s to better reflect the factthat ACBL is an organization which represents four countries— the United States, Canada, Mexico, and Bermuda.

Negative DoubleIn 1957, Alvin Roth and Tobias Stone introduced a modernnegative double, originally called “sputnik,” into championship

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play. What was formerly a penalty double of a suit overcallbecame a double for takeout.

New Player Services (NPS)New Player Services is a public relations program designed towelcome new players to tournaments and club games byhelping to create a fun, friendly, and comfortable atmospherewithin the duplicate environment. Local volunteers, who wear“New Player Services” badges with heart logos, work togetherto provide information and direction to newcomers at all levelsof play. This program was initiated in District 7 by AnitaHumfleet and gained national attention and popularity.

NewcomerThe term given to a new player who is new to bridge or who isnew to duplicate.

Newcomer Game (or Novice Game)This is an event that is restricted to players with fewer than 20masterpoints. Participation may be even more restricted — theupper limit may be as low as 5 masterpoints.

Newplicate, New-to-Duplicate, NoviceSome of the more popular names for events for new playersand students.

North American Bridge ChampionshipsSee NABC.

North American PairsSee NAP.

The Notrump SeriesThis is the original title of More Commonly Used Conventions,the fifth course in The ACBL Bridge Series written by AudreyGrant. See The ACBL Bridge Series.

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NoviceA term for a player holding very few masterpoints. This namewas replaced in 1998 by “newcomer” in ACBL-sponsoredactivities.

OOdd-Even Discards and SignalsA signaling method that assigns special meanings to odd- andeven-numbered spot cards. An odd-card discard or signalencourages in that suit; an even-card discard or signal dis-courages and often doubles as a suit-preference signal. Thispractice is allowed in ACBL play only on the first discard.

The Official Encyclopedia of BridgeThis is a comprehensive book of facts about bridge and ofbridge personalities since the inception of the game. If you’veenjoyed reading this booklet, which presents just a taste of thematerial found in The Official Encyclopedia of Bridge, you willenjoy this publication. The sixth edition was released in 2002.Call ACBL’s toll-free sales line to order your copy. (See “SalesLine” for numbers.)

OlympiadOfficially named The World Teams Olympiad with an Openand a Ladies event, this World Bridge Championship is heldevery four years. Every country, no matter the size of its indi-vidual bridge population, that is a member of the World BridgeFederation, is allowed to field one team in both categories.

One Hundred Plus Tips for Becoming a SuccessfulBridge TeacherThis booklet is presented to all graduates of the ACBL TAPseminars. It contains many of the innovative ideas developedby teachers working with The ACBL Bridge Series courses. Mostof the ideas were originally published in the early issues of The

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Bridge Teacher newsletter.

Online PointsThese masterpoints are awarded for online play in ACBL-sanctioned events and are colorless. No more than 1/3 of thepoints required to attain any of the ACBL ranks may be fromonline play.

Open EventThese are events in which there are no restrictions due toexpertise, gender, or age.

PPajama GameThis is a slang term for a duplicate session with many tops andbottoms. A midnight session has also been referred to as aPajama Game.

ParThe result on a deal if both sides have done as well as pos-sible.

Partscore BonusIn duplicate competition, the 50 points given for fulfilling apartscore contract is called a partscore bonus.

Patron Member ProgramACBL members may opt to become Patron Members andreceive an enhanced benefits package. Current price is $200(U.S.) per year for an individual membership, $250 (U.S.) for ahousehold of two. Some of the additional benefits in thePatron program include the opportunity to book a hotel roomat the host hotel at NABCs, at-your-door delivery of the dailybulletin during the NABCs, a complimentary ticket to theannual Bridge Hall of Fame banquet, a complimentary mem-

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bership in Hertz’s #1 Club Gold program, and lots more!

PenaltyAn obligation or restriction imposed upon a side for violationof a law or regulation.

Penalty CardA card that has been prematurely exposed by a defender andwhich must be left face up on the table until legally picked upor played. Please call the director when this type of infractionoccurs at your table in a duplicate game.

PenderGraphThis is the official name of ACBL’s vugraph show. A grant fromthe estate of Peter Pender, ACBL Bridge Hall of Famer, allowedFred Gitelman to develop a computer vugraph program. ThePenderGraph debuted in 1991. Two years later, Gitelmanenhanced the system and enlarged the graphics, adding fea-tures that distinguished the PenderGraph as the top programof its kind. (See also vugraph.)

Percentage PlayA play influenced by mathematical factors when more thanone reasonable line of play is available. This is usually the playhaving the best chance of success.

PianolaA deal at bridge which presents no problems to declarer, soeasily playable that it almost plays itself. The name derivesfrom the old player piano or “pianola” which would “play”itself.

Pick-Up SlipA form devised for the recording of the results on the play ofall deals on one round. The pick-up slips are collected atdesignated times and the results are entered in a computer oron a recapitulation sheet by the director or a designatedscorer.

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Platinum PointsThese are masterpoints awarded in NABC+ events that arecurrently considered for the Player-of-the-Year award. (Theseevents DO include the three Senior and various Women cham-pionships but DO NOT include Junior, Flight B, or other re-stricted events.)

Play(1.) The contribution of a card from one’s hand to a trick,including the first card, which is the lead. (2.) The aggregate ofplays made. (3.) The period during which the cards are played.

Play Bridge MagazineThis ACBL magazine is published every other month and isintended for new and advancing players who prefer the socialaspect of the game or are new duplicate players. It is edited byAudrey Grant, author of The ACBL Bridge Series texts andteacher manuals. ACBL may convert this magazine into aninsert of The Bridge Bulletin in 2003.

Play Bridge with Audrey Grant, Parts 1 and 2These are the names of ACBL’s second and third televisionprograms of bridge lessons filmed by station WITF in Harris-burg PA for PBS. These programs are no longer available onPBS.

Play of the HandThis is the title of the second course in The ACBL Bridge Serieswritten by Audrey Grant. It was originally named The DiamondSeries and is sometimes referred to by that name. See TheACBL Bridge Series.

Player NumberThe seven-digit number issued to each member of the ACBL.The first digit is changed to a letter when the member achievesLife Master status.

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Player of the YearEach year the ACBL designates one of its members as Player ofthe Year. That person receives The Goren Trophy for earningthe most masterpoints in North American Championshipevents with no upper masterpoint limit (NABC+). These eventsaward platinum points.

PostmortemThe analysis of a deal after play is completed.

Preteen Scholarship AwardACBL members who have not celebrated their 13th birthdaybefore July 1 of the contest year and who have at least one fullmasterpoint on record are eligible for the 10-year maturity$5000 certificate to be used for academic or career training.This scholarship was founded by Homer Shoop and is admin-istered by the ACBL Educational Foundation.

Private ScorecardSee Convention Card.

Pro-Am GameThese are games frequently run at clubs as part of aMentoring Program. They consist of “Pro” players (experiencedplayers) with an established number of points (e.g., over 300)and “Am” players (newcomers or less experienced players) withfewer points. These games pay 80% of the masterpointsawarded for open events. (See also Mentoring Programs.)

ProgressionThe movement of players in a tournament used to complete asession of play.

ProprietiesThe Proprieties was initially the section of The Laws of Dupli-cate Contract Bridge that dealt with conduct and ethics. Itspurpose was to make the game more enjoyable for everyone,

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no matter what the situation. The 1987 version of the Lawsmade the Proprieties part of the law. It is a breach of the Proprieties to:

� Use different designations for the same call.� Indicate any approval or disapproval of a call or play.� Indicate the expectation or intention of winning or

losing a trick before play to that trick has been com-pleted.

� Comment or act during the auction or play to callattention to a significant incident thereof, or to thestate of the score, or to the number of tricks that willbe required for success.

� Look intently at any other player during the auctionor play, or at another player’s hand for the purposeof seeing those cards or observing the place fromwhich a player draws a card.

� Vary the normal tempo of bidding or play for thepurpose of disconcerting the other players.

ProtestAn appeal of a decision made by a game director.

Psychic BiddingA term coined in 1931 by Dorothy Rice Sims, which describesany bid made primarily with the purpose of interfering with theopponents’ bidding or play rather than with the idea of aidingthe bidding and play of one’s own side. These bids are bluffs.

PumpA colloquialism for “Force.” Forcing declarer to ruff isfrequently referred to as pumping the declarer.

PushThe most popular use of the term “push” in bridge is to denotea deal in a team match on which the result is the same at bothtables.

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QQuackA term to indicate either the queen or the jack in situationswhere it is of no consequence which of the two cards is heldor played.

Qualifying Sessions (or Rounds)The early rounds of championships after which there is areduction (cut) in the field (the contestants entered in theevent).

RRHOA player’s right-hand opponent is often referred to by thesethree initials.

RanksAs a player accumulates points, certain milestones, or rankinglevels, will be reached that indicate progress. There are 12grades: Rookie, Junior Master, Club Master, Sectional Master,Regional Master, NABC Master, and Life Master (LM). Theseadditional levels can be attained after the rank of LM: BronzeLM, Silver LM, Gold LM, Diamond LM, and Grand LM. Eachranking requires that The player have a certain number and acertain type of points.

� Rookie – 0 to 5 points, any color.� Junior Master – 5 to 20 points, any color.� Club Master – 20 to 50 points, any color.� Sectional Master – At least 50 points, including at

least 5 silver.� Regional Master – At least 100 points, including at

least 15 silver and 5 red/gold.

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� NABC Master – At least 200 points, including 50pigmented points, of which at least 5 must be gold, atleast 15 must be red or gold, and at least 25 must besilver.

� Life Master – At least 300 points, of which at least 50must be silver, at least 25 must be gold, and at leastanother 25 must be red or gold. New members as of1/1/99 must also earn at least 50 black points as partof their total 300 points.

NOTE: No more than one-third of the points for any of theabove levels may be earned in online play, where points areunpigmented.

Rating PointsSee Club Masterpoints.

Recapitulation Sheet (Recap)A large printed form on which the results (written on pick-upslips) are posted at bridge tournaments, and on whichmatchpoints are assigned to scores, and totals computed. Inmany organizations, a computer-generated recap sheet hasreplaced the manual recap sheet.

Red PointsMasterpoints won in all events at regional tournaments and inregionally-rated events at the three annual NABCs (NorthAmerican Bridge Championships) are red, unless they are gold.A player needs 25 red points (or the equivalent) as part of atotal of 300 masterpoints to become a Life Master.

Red Ribbon PairsAn ACBL event with national rating held during the SummerNABC. It is limited to players with no more than 2000 pointswho have qualified to play by placing first or second in region-ally rated two-session championship events where the uppermasterpoint limit is no more than 1500 masterpoints.

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Red, White, and Blue BashTwo special ACBL-wide games run in December of 2001 forthe purpose of raising funds to benefit those affected by theSeptember 11 tragedies. This event was the idea of acting-CEOWayne Hascall and was a great success. The ACBL CharityFoundation matched the funds raised, and the ACBL was ableto contribute $209,000 to the Twin Towers Orphanage Fund.ACBL members dressed in red, white, and blue to participateand competed in a special cake competition with a red, white,and blue theme.

Regional (Regional Tournaments)Each of the 25 Districts within the ACBL sponsors regionaltournaments, although a specific unit may be delegated theresponsibility of planning and organizing the tournament. Aregional tournament usually runs from four to seven days,attracting people from many states, and offers games for alllevels of players. In addition, Non-Life Master regionals, lim-ited to players with fewer than 300 masterpoints, and Seniorregionals, limited to players who are age 55 or older, areavailable periodically.

Regional MasterA player who has 100 to 200 recorded masterpoints, at least 5of which are red or gold, and at least 15 of which are silver.

Registered TeachersIn 1992, Units were offered the opportunity to officially honorthe accomplishments of established bridge teachers in theirareas by giving each of them the title of ACBL RegisteredTeacher.

Reisinger Memorial TrophyDonated in memory of Curt H. Reisinger and awarded to thewinners of the Fall NABC Board-a-Match Team Championship.

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RenegeFailure to follow suit when holding one or more cards of thesuit led, a colloquial synonym for “revoke.”

RevokeThe play of a card of another suit by a player who is able tofollow suit or comply with a lead penalty. It is permissible inACBL-play to ask a partner who doesn’t follow suit if partnerholds a card of the suit led.

Richmond TrophyThe Richmond Trophy is awarded annually to the Canadianwho wins the most masterpoints during a calendar year.

RookieA player holding fewer than 5 masterpoints.

Round-RobinA form of competition in which each of the contesting groups(usually teams) plays against each of the other groups enteredin head-on competition.

Ruff and Sluff (or ruff and discard)When a defender leads a suit in which both declarer anddummy are void, the declarer may ruff and sluff – discard aloser from one hand and ruff in the other.

Rule of ElevenA mathematical calculation applicable when the original lead isconstrued as a fourth highest one. It is sometimes possible toobtain an exact reading of the distribution in all four hands.The rule states: “Subtract the pips on the card led from 11; theresult gives the number of cards in the three hands other thanthe leader’s which are higher than the one led.” (See The Offi-cial Encyclopedia of Bridge for other popular “rules” of thegame: Rule of Two and Three, Seven, Twelve, Fifteen, Sixteen,Eighteen, and Twenty-Two.)

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SSacrifice or SaveA bid made knowing that it probably won’t be fulfilled butbased on the premise that the penalty to be paid will be lessthan the adverse score were the opponents permitted to playand fulfill their contract.

Sales LineACBL has a toll-free sales line for ordering bridge books andbridge products. In the USA, call 1-800-264-2743; in Canada,call 1-800-264-8786.

SanctionThe permission given by the ACBL to a club, unit, or district tohold a duplicate event and to award masterpoints.

SAYCThis stands for Standard American Yellow Card, an ACBLconvention card that is pre-filled out with agreements to reflecta simple, modern style of bidding. This system is popular withbridge players on the Internet. (See also Standard AmericanYellow Card.)

School Instant Matchpoint GameEach spring, ACBL sponsors an Instant Matchpoint Game forstudents under 20 years of age in schools throughout NorthAmerica. All schools are eligible to compete. The highestsoring North/South and East/West pair each receive a $500scholarship provided by the ACBL Educational Foundation.Contact the Education Department for more information.

SectionA group of contestants who constitute a self-contained unit inone event for one session of a tournament. An event mightconsist of one section of players or of many sections of play-ers.

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Section MarkersSigns at tournaments indicating the location of each group oftables forming a section. These are usually single letters butmay be double or triple letters or sometimes numbers.

Sectional MasterA player with 50 to 100 recorded masterpoints, at least 5 ofwhich are silver points.

Sectional TournamentsUnits are the sponsors of sectional tournaments, which usuallyrun from three to five days. Units are allowed to run severalspecial kinds of sectionals each year known as IN sectionals(see Intermediate-Newcomer Program) and STaCs (see alsoSTaC – Sectional Tournaments at Clubs). Masterpoints won atsectional tournaments are silver.

SeedingThe assignment of certain tables to particularly strong contes-tants to assure there will be no preponderance of strong pairsin direct competition within any one section. In pair events,tables 3 and 9 are usually reserved for seeded players; atNABCs, tables 3, 6, and 9 are usually reserved. Some teamevents are also seeded.

Senior Pairs (ACBL-wide)This is a special event held at clubs every year in February.

Senior Player of the YearThis contest recognizes the player, 55 years or older, who winsthe most masterpoints each year in Senior tournaments andSenior events at all tournaments. This player receives TheGeorge Burns Trophy.

SessionA period of play during which a specified number of boards isscheduled to be played.

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SetThe defeat of a contract. Also used to refer to the number ofboards played in a session as in, “we had a good set.”

Short ClubThe short, prepared, or convenient 1� bid is an originalopening bid made with a hand that has a three-card club suit.

Side Game SeriesThis is a series of at least three one-session games open to allplayers. Participants may enter as many sessions as they wishand play with the same or different partners. Overall ranking isdone on an individual basis by computing the sum of eachplayer’s two best games. At NABC and regional tournaments,gold points are awarded to section-top placing players whohave competed in at least two sessions of this event. Eachsession of a Side Game Series may also be run as a one-session stratified pairs.

Silver Life MasterA player of Life Master status who has at least 1,000masterpoints.

Silver PointsThese are masterpoints awarded at sectional tournaments,progressive sectionals, and STaCs (Sectional Tournaments atClubs). A player must earn 50 silver points as one of the quali-fications for advancing to the rank of Life Master.

Silver Ribbon PairsAn ACBL event with national rating for players 55 years of ageor older. Players earn qualification by placing first or second ina regionally rated two session championship Senior event.

Simplified Convention CardSee “Fat-Free” Convention Card.

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Sit, Sit ForTo pass partner’s double.

Skip Bid WarningA notice given just prior to a bid that is made at a level that ishigher than necessary. It alerts the opponent who is next tocall to pause briefly before taking any action. When biddingboxes are in use, the “Stop” card is used prior to the bid.

SlamBidding for and winning 12 or 13 tricks.

Slow PlayBridge is a timed event. As opposed to careful or thoughtfulplay, slow play is discourteous not only to the opponents ofthe moment, but to all of the other competitors in the event aswell. It is the responsibility of every player at the table to try tocatch up when their table has fallen behind.

Small SlamBidding for and winning 12 tricks.

Spade Series, TheThis was the original title of the fourth course (on Duplicate) inThe ACBL Bridge Series written by Audrey Grant. This coursewas rewritten and is now called Commonly Used Conventions.See The ACBL Bridge Series.

Speedball Swiss TeamSpeed of play is a major factor in this type of event. Eachmatch consists of five boards, and an average of only fiveminutes per board is allowed for play — 25 minutes per round.Usually five rounds are played, and the event sometimes iscalled a five-five-five Swiss. This event is frequently offered asa late-night game during a sectional, a regional, or an NABC.It is sometimes flighted or stratified.

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Spingold TrophyDonated in 1934 by Nathan Spingold and awarded for theNABC Master Teams Championship played annually at theSummer NABC. This event ranks with the Vanderbilt as themost highly prized trophy on the ACBL calendar. Performancein the Spingold Teams event is a significant factor in selectingthe American representatives in world championship play.Currently the winners and teams who place high in the eventare awarded high seeds and byes in the early rounds of Inter-national Trials Competitions.

Split RegionalA tournament with regional rating held at two widely sepa-rated sites within an ACBL District. Scores are compared be-tween the two sites to determine the first- and second-placewinners of regionally rated pair games. Swiss teams andknockout teams are separate events with different winners ateach site.

Square HandBridge geometry is peculiar; square hand, flat hand, and roundhand all describe 4-3-3-3 distribution.

STaCAn abbreviation for a special kind of sectional tournamentknown as a Sectional Tournament at Clubs. It is a tournamentwith sectional rating that is played in a number of clubs in aspecific area over a period of several days. The results of allgames are sent to one location, which is manned by the direc-tor-in-charge of the event. Overall pair game awards aredetermined by comparing the results of all games conductedat a particular session just as if all of the games were played atone site. The masterpoints awarded in this type of tournamentare silver points.

Stack, Stacked(1) The cards are said to be stacked against one player when asingle opponent holds all or nearly all of the cards in a crucialsuit. (2) To stack a deck is to arrange cards in an undealt deck

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in order to put predetermined holdings into one or morehands, a practice which is highly unethical and illegal.

Standard AmericanA nebulous term applied to the methods of bidding mostcommonly used in the U.S. It approximates the methods advo-cated by Hall of Famer Charles Goren, who was known tomillions as “Mr. Bridge” during the last half of the 20th century.

Standard American Yellow Card (SAYC)The Standard American Yellow Card is a convention cardwhich has been filled out to display a simple, modern methodwhich leads to a good, solid understanding in a partnershipwhen both players have read the card and the booklet. (It isproduced by ACBL and available at ACBL’s website —www.acbl.org.) This approach has gained popularity in onlineplay. Few sequences are defined in the later rounds of Stan-dard Yellow Card auctions. Players are free to assign forcing,invitational, or non-forcing meanings to natural calls in suchsequences. Players may still exercise their bridge judgments,such as in deciding to open a four-card major in third seat.The SAYC normally five-card majors approach can withstandan occasional deviation.

Star ClubsA star club is a club that has qualified for recognition that itperforms a certain level of preferred services, programs, andgames. There are three levels: one-star, two-star, and three-star, with three-star being the highest level. Here is the criteriafor these levels:One-Star: Uses ACBLscore.

Has a Zero Tolerance Program.Is affiliated with a teaching program.Participates in at least two ACBL special events.Recruits at least one new ACBL member throughthe club per year.Has a New Player Services Program (Host/Hostess for all games).Guarantees partners.

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Two-Star: All of the above and...Offers a game for limited MP players.Recruits six or more new ACBL members for theclub per year.Has a Bridge Tip before limited masterpointgame(s).Offers an Easybridge!, Bridge Plus+, or equiva-lent game.Has a non-playing director for the majority ofgames.Shows an annual increase in tables.

Three-Star: All of the above and...Recruits 20 new members for the club during theyear.Has a mentoring program.Has a club newsletter (or club website).Hosts a special IN activity at least once a year.Offers a social activity once a month.

Star TeacherThe Star Teacher designation was initiated in 1988 to thankteachers who elect to teach The ACBL Bridge Series coursesusing the texts developed by ACBL and authored by AudreyGrant for these courses. Any ACBL Accredited Teacher whoteaches 100 students one of the ACBL courses - Bidding, Playof the Hand, Defense, Commonly Used Conventions, and MoreCommonly Used Conventions earns the designation of StarTeacher. There are one-star, two-star, three-star, and four-starteachers. Each designation earned gives additional discountsto the teacher on the purchase of these texts.

StaymanThe response of 2� to 1NT, or 3� to 2NT asks opener to bida four-card major suit. This convention, invented by Hall ofFamer George Rapée, was popularized in an article written bySam Stayman, also a member of the ACBL Bridge Hall of Fame.

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The convention was named for the writer rather than theinventor.

StratifiedThis is a type of game movement where all players are as-signed to a group (strat) based on their current masterpointholdings. Each contestant plays against players of all pointranges. Masterpoints are awarded to leaders of each strat. If aStrat C player scored better than one of the leaders in Strat B(a higher ranked strat), the C player will be awarded the pointsfor Strat B.

StratiflightedAn event which is a combination of flighted and stratified. Theupper level strat has no masterpoint restriction and is playedas a separate game. The other players are subdivided into twoor three strats with specific lower and upper masterpointlimits. Participants may enter either the unrestricted (“playalone”) group or the stratified group with a masterpoint re-striction for which they are eligible.

SwishA colloquialism indicating that a bid is followed by threepasses. A similar term is “float.”

Swiss TeamsIn a Swiss teams event, each team will play approximately 7 to9 board matches against a number of teams during the event.Matches are arranged by pairing teams with approximatelyequal records.

System On (or System Off)An agreement to apply (or not to apply) certain conventionalmethods in slightly changed circumstances. The most commonexample occurs after a 1NT overcall. The partnership mayagree to respond exactly as if the 1NT call had been an open-ing bid.

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TTable GuidecardA large card, containing instructions for the players on how tomove, what boards are to be played and by which pairs. Thetable guidecard is placed under the boards in the center of thetable.

Table PresenceOne of the abilities that makes a good bridge player into anexpert is the undefinable something that is referred to as tablepresence. It is a combination of instinct, the drawing of correctinferences from any departure from normal rhythm by theopponents, the exercise of discipline in bidding, the ability tocoax maximum performance from partner, and the ability tomake the opponents feel that they are facing a player of ahigher order. Also called Table Feel.

Tap, TAP(1) A colloquialism for shortening a hand in trumps by forcingit to ruff. (2) TAP (The Teacher Accreditation Program) offeredthrough the ACBL Education Department. It is a ten-hourseminar, created by Audrey Grant, which participants mustsuccessfully complete to earn accreditation.

Teacher Accreditation ProgramSee TAP.

Team GamesA team consists of two pairs who play in different directions atdifferent tables for a common score. One pair plays North-South for a designated number of boards and the other playsEast-West for the same boards at a different table. If team Aplays Team B, a deal is played at table “A-1” with the North-South pair from Team A and the East-West pair from Team B.Then it is replayed at table “B-1” with the North-South pairfrom Team B and the East-West pair from Team A. Each team

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plays the deal from each direction and the scores are com-pared.

TelevisionACBL has produced five television programs in conjunctionwith Audrey Grant. The programs use material found in TheACBL Bridge Series books, authored by Grant, for new andadvancing players. The most recent program, Bridge at Seawith Audrey Grant, has been made available to public televi-sion stations through NETA (the National Educational Televi-sion Association), one of four distributors for PBS.

Texas TransferA transfer bid, originated independently by David Carter of St.Louis and Olle Willner of Sweden. It is used after an opening1NT or 2NT bid to make the strong hand declarer in a highsuit contract. With a hand justifying a game contract, theresponder jumps to 4� holding a six-card or longer spadesuit; the opener is required to bid 4�. Similarly, 4� requiresthe opener to bid 4�.

TopSlang for the maximum score you can make on a hand induplicate.

Tournament DirectorThe official representative of the sponsoring organization,responsible for the technical management of the tournament.The tournament director has the responsibility to restoreequity at a table when an irregularity has occurred. When aplayer summons a director to the table, it should be done in aclear, courteous manner. It is suggested that you call thedirector to the table by saying, “Director, please.” Tournamentdirectors are trained by the ACBL and ranked according toability and experience. The IN (Intermediate-Newcomer Pro-gram) directors have a special knowledge of the problemsarising with new players and have been trained to addressthem.

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TournamentsThe ACBL runs or sanctions the following types of tourna-ments: NABCs – three major national championships eachyear; REGIONALS – sanctioned to each of the 25 Districts:SECTIONALS – sanctioned to the 300+ units.

Tournament EventsTournament events may be classified by TYPE: Individual, Pair;Team. These types of events may be organized by EXPERTISE(masterpoint holdings) as: Open, Flighted, Stratified,Stratiflighted, Handicapped, Bracketed (Teams), Masters, Non-Masters, Life Masters, specific masterpoint restrictions (0-5, 0-20, 0-50, etc.). Events may also be restricted by GENDER:men’s, women’s, mixed, or unmixed and by AGE: Junior (25years of age or younger), Senior (55 years of age or older).SCORING METHODS are: Individual (matchpoints or interna-tional matchpoints – IMPs), Pair (matchpoints or IMPs), Team(win/loss, victory points, total points, board-a-match).

Trap PassA pass by a player holding a strong defensive hand, hopingthat the opposition will bid themselves into difficulties. It isusually made by a player holding length and strength in thesuit bid by the opener on the player’s right.

Traveling Score-slip (or Traveler)This is a score sheet which stays with a duplicate bridge boardduring play. Each table records its results after the play of thedeal. At the end of the game, the scoreslips for all of theboards are matchpointed and the director adds thematchpoints to determine the winner. (See also “Pick-up Slip.”)

TreatmentA natural bid that indicates a desire to play in the denomina-tion named (or promises or requests values in that denomina-tion), but that also, by agreement, gives or requests additionalinformation on which further action could be based. It differsfrom a convention, which is a bid that gives or requests infor-mation unrelated to the denomination named.

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UUnauthorized InformationDuring a duplicate game, a player may inadvertently overheara remark about a board not yet played. Such an incidentshould be reported to the director who will act in a manner asfair as possible to the player so reporting. If a player receivesinformation from partner by means other than a legal call orplay, such as mannerisms, extended hesitation, grimaces,remarks, etc., that player may not choose from among logicalalternative actions one that could have been demonstrablysuggested over another by the extraneous information.

UnitA division of the ACBL covering a designated area. Some unitsinclude only a part of a city, and others include entire states.The unit supervises bridge activities at ACBL games in itsterritory and conducts tournaments at the local and sectionallevels. Groups of units form ACBL districts, and officers andboard members of units elect the district’s representative to theACBL Board of Directors. ACBL has more than 300 units.

Unit ChampionshipsEach unit may conduct 16 unit championship sessions peryear. These games award masterpoints based on 85% ofsectional rating. These games may be held at one centralizedlocation or with “split-sites” at various clubs throughout theunit. In addition, each unit is allotted four unit Charity champi-onships per year.

Unit Growth Program (UGS)This is a program funded by ACBL and designed to assist keyunit officials, teachers, club owners, and volunteers in workingtogether to recruit new members, to retain current members,and to increase participation. Developed by Betty Starzec,ACBL Education Liaison Coordinator, the Unit Growth Pro-gram seminar is offered to units at no cost to the unit. Call theACBL Education Department for more information.

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Unit-Wide ChampionshipA game with unit championship rating held simultaneously atthree or more locations within the unit boundaries with aminimum of five tables at each site. Hand records are used andthe event is ranked overall.

United States Bridge Federation (USBF)The United States Bridge Federation was formed in 2001 bythe ACBL and the ABA (American Bridge Association) in orderto conform to Olympic rules that require each sport be gov-erned by a national (not zonal) organization. The purpose ofthe USBF is to advance the interests of the United States ininternational bridge competition, including the selection andsupport of United States bridge teams and players in interna-tional and Olympic bridge competition.

Upgraded Club ChampionshipThis is an extra session that a club earns by recruiting 10 newmembers during the year. The game awards full sectionallyrated black points.

VVanderbilt CupThe Vanderbilt Knockout Team Championship is contestedannually at the Spring NABC. It ranks with the Spingold as themost highly prized trophy in the ACBL calendar. TheVanderbilt Cup was donated by Harold S. Vanderbilt, a mem-ber of the ACBL Bridge Hall of Fame, and is one of the fewevents for which the winners receive individual replicas of thetrophy.

Venice CupThis event became a world championship in 1978. It is acontest among champion women’s teams and is held everyother year alongside the Bermuda Bowl.

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Victory PointsThis is the scoring method favored by many experts in con-tests where there are many teams and each team plays arelatively small number of deals against each of the otherteams. When using Victory Point scoring, the IMP score oneach board is calculated. The total IMP score on the boards ofthe match are then converted to victory points in accordancewith a predetermined scale.

Victory Points in Swiss TeamsThis type of event differs in that it is scored using IMPS whichare then converted to Victory Points. To receive credit for a fullwin, a team must win by 3 or more IMPs. A win by 1 or 2 IMPsconstitutes a 3/4 win, with the losing team getting the otherquarter of a point. However, the team winning the matchreceives the entire match masterpoint award.

Von Zedtwitz AwardNamed for Waldemar von Zedtwitz, a member of the ACBLBridge Hall of Fame, this award was established in 1996 tohonor a deceased bridge player who contributed to bridgethrough either bridge-playing talents or outside the area ofplaying expertise. P. Hal Sims, one of the giants of the earlygame of bridge who was involved in several highly publicizedbridge matches, was the first recipient of this award. Portraitsof the players who receive this award are displayed in theACBL Bridge Hall of Fame.

Von Zedtwitz Gold CupAwarded annually at the Summer NABC for the Life MasterPairs Championship, one of the most highly regarded pairevents in the ACBL calendar. It was donated by Waldemar vonZedtwitz, one of the great bridge players and personalities ofall time.

VugraphA method of presenting bridge play to an audience larger thancan be accommodated around a bridge table. At the Springand Summer NABCs, the ACBL conducts a vugraph show to

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cover the final rounds of the Vanderbilt and Spingold TeamChampionships. The audience watches the matches playedsimultaneously by the opposing teams. The presentation iscomplemented by commentary designed to make the audienceboth understand and enjoy the bidding and play of the expertscompeting in the event.

VulnerabilityA condition of play in which premiums and penalties areincreased. In rubber bridge, vulnerability comes about byhaving won one game toward rubber. In duplicate bridge,vulnerability is arbitrarily assigned.

WWarning PartnerThere are certain situations in ACBL-play where a player whofeels that partner is about to commit an irregularity during theplay has the right to warn partner. This includes any timepartner fails to follow suit and, as dummy, whenever it appearspartner is about to lead from the wrong hand.

WBF (World Bridge Federation)The World Bridge Federation was founded in August of 1958by delegates from Europe, the United States, and Australia. In1977 it was incorporated in New York State as a not-for-profitorganization.

Welcome to the North American Bridge Champion-shipsThe Welcome booklet was originally created by Betty Starzec,ACBL Education Liaison Coordinator, and expanded by JulieGreenberg, ACBL Director of Education, for use in the NABC INProgram. It is designed to help a new player understand andenjoy ACBL’s premier tournaments. This booklet can beadapted for use at sectionals and regionals in conjunction withan IN (Intermediate-Newcomer) Program.

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World Junior Team ChampionshipThe most prestigious event for players under the age of 26. Itis played every other year (odd years) and hosted by the WBF.ACBL teams are selected in the off years at the Junior TeamTrials held in conjunction with the Summer NABC and enter atraining program for the year prior to the event.

World Wide PairsThis international competition is currently run in June of eachyear and scored as usual at the local level and matchpointedaround the world at the world level. In 1999, the ACBL Millen-nium Instant Matchpoint Pairs was run in lieu of this event.

Xx(1) A symbol used in lower case in bridge literature to signifyan insignificant low card in any suit, a card lower than a 10.Thus K-x-x means the king and two low cards in that suit. (2) Acapital X indicates a double. These symbols are used in allforms of written bidding — texts, stories, newspaper columns,hand records for important matches, etc. Similarly, XX means“redouble.”

YYarboroughAny hand at bridge containing no card higher than a nine,named after an English lord who customarily would offer towager 1,000 pounds to one against the chance of such a handbeing held by a player. In postmortem discussions, the term“yarborough” is often used to describe bad hands even if theydo not meet the strict requirements.

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Youngest Life MasterTo become a Life Master is the dream of all serious bridgeplayers. Some never make it in their lifetime; others seem tohave a special gift for the game and become Life Masterswithin a very short time. In 2000, the record for youngest LifeMaster was still held by Danny Hirschman of Southfield MIwho attained the rank at age 10 years, two months, and 20days. (See also “Life Master” and “Ranks.”)

ZZero ToleranceThis is a policy recommended by ACBL and followed at manyclubs and tournaments. It strives to promote a friendly atmo-sphere at the table, while eliminating unacceptable behavior,including rudeness, intimidation, gloating, profanity, and avariety of other offenses. Automatic penalties are part of theprogram. If you feel an infraction of Zero Tolerance has oc-curred at your table, please call the director.

Zip SwissA special version of Swiss teams designed to be finished in ashort time, usually as a one-session event at the end of a day’schampionship play. (See also Midnight Swiss.)

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ACBL member benefits� The Bridge Bulletin – the world’s most widely distributed

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75

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✓ Fascinating bridge facts, hands,and anecdotes

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