Contract Bridge Game
Contract Bridge Bidding Systems
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Bidding Systems
Bidding system is set of agreements and
conventions in
bidding between two partners in
contract bridge. A bidding system defines the meaning of every possible bid
by each partner, and presents a codified
language
which allows the partners to find out about each other's holdings and determine
the correct contract.
It should be noted that, by the rules of the game, the
semantics
of a bridge system must be public and known to the opponents. Thus, the
opponents are entitled to know the meaning of every bid as defined by the system
(but not the inferences about the partner's cards that a player draws by looking
at his own hand). Also, they are entitled (when it's their turn to bid or play)
to ask the partner of the bidder about the meaning of the bid during
bidding phase.
Bidding systems can be classified into two large categories: natural
systems and artificial systems. In natural systems, most bids (especially
in early phase of the bidding) denote length and/or strength in the
suit (cards) bid. In artificial systems, the bids are more highly codified,
so that for example a bid of 1♣ may not be related to clubs at all.
Natural system(s) are a "lingua
franca" of all the bridge players throughout the world (with certain
regional variations). Thus, a one-time partnership can agree to play a natural
system and understand each other fairly well.
Every regular bridge partnership often alters certain aspects of a system,
adding their specific agreements or preferred conventions. Thus, most systems
outlined below present guidelines or general frameworks rather than well-defined
sets.
Classification
- Natural systems in general have the following features:
-
- Level-1 suit bids denote at least 4 or 5 cards in a
major suit, and 3 or 4 cards in a
minor suit, with strength of about (11)12-20(22)
high card points. The suit bid is generally the longest. The former
criterion inflicts further classification into four-card major
and five-card major systems.
- Bid of 1NT always presents a balanced hand in a narrow
high card points range. The common ranges are 15-17 or 16-18 HCP
("strong notrump") and 12-14 ("weak notrump").
- Bid of 2♣ typically presents a very strong hand (23 HCP up).
- Bid of 2NT presents a strong balanced hand, usually 20-22 HCP.
- Meaning of bids 2♦, 2♥
and 2♠ varies. Two common approaches are that it shows either a
weak two bid or an "intermediate" hand (20-22 HCP) with a long suit
bid.
- The most widespread natural systems are:
-
- Acol,
featuring 4-card majors and weak notrump, originating in
Great Britain
-
Standard American, originally with 4-card majors but later
transforming into 5-card majors.
-
2/1 game forcing, based on Standard American and gradually
superseding it.
- Artificial systems can be further clasified into:
-
-
Strong club systems are the most popular artificial systems,
where opening of 1♣ shows a strong hand (typically 16 HCP up). Other
level-1 bids are typically natural, but limited to about 15 points. The
most popular strong club systems are:
- In
Small club systems, the bid of 1♣ is ambiguous, showing several
types of hands. That typically includes some range of balanced hands,
some hands with long club suit, and very strong hands. The represents
are:
-
Vienna club (the predecessor)
-
Roman club, developed and used by famous
Blue team
-
Polish club, originating (and standard) in
Poland
but also gained certain popularity worldwide
- Strong diamond systems are similar to strong club systems,
but the bid of 1♦ shows a strong
opening, and the bid of 1♣ is typically ambiguous, as in small club
systems. An example is
Leghorn diamond, played by some top Italian pairs in
1970s.
- Strong pass systems are highly artificial and fairly rare. In
those systems, an initial pass shows a hand of opening strength
(11+ HCP); as result, weaker hands must be opened with a bid instead
(such bids are called "ferts", short for
fertilizers). Strong pass systems are mostly banned by
World Bridge Federation and other governing organizations from all
competitions except the highest-level ones, because opponents cannot be
reasonably expected to cope with such unusual approach.
-
- Relay systems are based on
relay bids ? the artificial bids where one partner just bids the
cheapest denomination (relay bid) and the other describes his
distribution and high cards in detail (relay response) using
a highly codified scheme. Such systems are out of the above
classification (based on opening bid structure), as the relay
feature takes place later in the auction. For example, relatively
popular "Moscito system" has variants based on
strong-club and
strong-pass approaches.
Symmetric relay is based on Precision club.
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Bidding system, agreements and conventions,
bidding between two partners, contract bridge, defines the meaning, every
possible bid, partner, codified language, holdings, correct contract
.