> BRIDGE: A PARTIAL GLOSSARY

TRUMP

A card that belongs to the suit that has been chosen to have the highest value in a particular game; a trump can take any card of any other suit.

BID

The nominating of a suit plus the number of tricks in excess of six that a player believes she and partner can take with the named suit as trump. A bid of four hearts, for instance, means that the bidder expects to win 10 tricks (out of 13) with hearts as trumps.

CONTRACT

The final bid of the auction. A bid becomes the contract when it is followed by three passes.

CONVENTION

A bid or play with a defined artificial meaning. The oldest convention is the lead of the fourth-best card from a player’s longest suit. This convention, which gives partner a clue about what the player holds in her hand, was first suggested by Edmond Hoyle around 1740. The oldest bidding convention is the takeout double, which originated around 1912.

TAKEOUT DOUBLE

A special bid that shows that a player has good cards in all unbid suits. It asks partner to bid her longest suit.

DECLARER

The player who first bid the suit that ends up as trump. If the final bid is hearts, the player who first named hearts is the declarer. She controls the play of the dummy and of her own hand.

DUMMY

(1) The declarer’s partner after she has placed her cards face up on the table, which is done immediately after the first card is played by the opponent on the declarer’s left; (2) the cards held by the declarer’s partner.

SQUEEZE

A play that forces an opponent to part with a needed card.

RUFF

To play a trump onto a trick, usually in order to try to win it.

CROSS-RUFF

A playing technique in trump contracts, where declarer makes tricks by ruffing in both hands alternately.

FINESSE

A play that attempts to win a trick with a certain card, even though the opponents hold a higher card in the suit, by taking advantage of the position of the particular cards.

GRAND SLAM

The winning of all 13 tricks by the declarer. When a partnership correctly predicts during bidding that it will achieve a grand slam, it wins a large bonus.

DUPLICATE

A term applied to the playing of the same deal of cards by more than one table of players; successively applied to whist, auction bridge and contract bridge. Duplicate rules are meant to limit the role of luck in bridge. Sources: Acol Bridge Club, American Contract Bridge League