BRIDGE GLOSSARY
Object Of The Game
In duplicate bridge, the object of the game is to score points on a particular deal or board. One other opinion among bridge experts is that the object of bidding in contract bridge should be to bid in such a manner as to get the opponents into a contract which the can not make, double and then set them.
Obligation To Pass
When a player bids out of rotation, the Laws require as a penalty that his partner must pass when next it is his turn to call, or for the duration of the auction. If, however, that player under such an obligation to pass makes a bid, double, or redouble, then both members of the offending partnership must pass for the rest of the entire auction. See Laws 27 to Laws 40.
Obligatory
This is a term which defines a play which can not lose, but may win a trick when the situation is such that not to make the play will gain nothing and will lose the opportunity of making a trick that might otherwise be sacrificed, as an obligatory duck or an obligatory finesse.
Obligatory Finesse
This is the play of a small card on the second lead of a suit in the hope that the adversary yet to play holds only the commanding card of the suit. The object of the obligatory finesse is to limit the number of losers in the suit when only two of the five honors are held.
Obvious Shift Principle
A carding method from A Switch in Time by Pamela and Matthew Granovetter. At Trick 1, partner of opening leader compares the led suit and obvious shift suit. Encouragement, upside-down or standard, denies tolerance for the obvious shift suit. Discouragement actively confirms tolerance for the obvious shift suit. This applies whether opening leader will maintain the lead or not.
O'Carrot
This is the designation given to the later, revised version of the bidding system called Carrot Club.
Occam's Razor
Occam's Razor
Occam's, or Ockham's, razor is a principle attributed to the 14th century logician and Franciscan friar, William of Occam. Ockham was the village in the English county of Surrey where he was born.
The principle states that "Entities should not be multiplied unnecessarily." Sometimes it is quoted in one of its original Latin forms to give it an air of authenticity.
"Pluralitas non est ponenda sine neccesitate"
"Frustra fit per plura quod potest fieri per pauciora"
"Entia non sunt multiplicanda praeter necessitatem"
In fact, only the first two of these forms appear in his surviving works and the third was written by a later scholar. William used the principle to justify many conclusions including the statement that "God's existence can not be deduced by reason alone." That one didn't make him very popular with the Pope.
Many scientists have adopted or reinvented Occam's Razor as in Leibniz' "identity of observables" and Isaac Newton stated the rule: "We are to admit no more causes of natural things than such as are both true and sufficient to explain their appearances."
The most useful statement of the principle for scientists is,
"when you have two competing theories which make exactly the same predictions, the one that is simpler is the better."
In physics we use the razor to cut away metaphysical concepts. The canonical example is Einstein's theory of special relativity compared with Lorentz's theory that ruler's contract and clocks slow down when in motion through the Ether. Einstein's equations for transforming space-time are the same as Lorentz's equations for transforming rulers and clocks, but Einstein and Poincaré recognised that the Ether could not be detected according to the equations of Lorentz and Maxwell. By Occam's razor it had to be eliminated.
The principle has also been used to justify uncertainty in quantum mechanics. Heisenberg deduced his uncertainty principle from the quantum nature of light and the effect of measurement.
Stephen Hawking explains in A Brief History of Time:
"We could still imagine that there is a set of laws that determines events completely for some supernatural being, who could observe the present state of the universe without disturbing it. However, such models of the universe are not of much interest to us mortals. It seems better to employ the principle known as Occam's razor and cut out all the features of the theory which cannot be observed."
But uncertainty and the non-existence of the ether can not be deduced from Occam's Razor alone. It can separate two theories which make the same predictions but does not rule out other theories which might make a different prediction. Empirical evidence is also required and Occam himself argued for empiricism, not against it.
Ernst Mach advocated a version of Occam's razor which he called the Principle of Economy, stating that "Scientists must use the simplest means of arriving at their results and exclude everything not perceived by the senses." Taken to its logical conclusion this philosophy becomes positivism; the belief that there is no difference between something that exists but is not observable and something that doesn't exist at all. Mach influenced Einstein when he argued that space and time are not absolute but he also applied positivism to molecules. Mach and his followers claimed that molecules were metaphysical because they were too small to detect directly. This was despite the success the molecular theory had in explaining chemical reactions and thermodynamics. It is ironic that while applying the principle of economy to throw out the concept of the ether and an absolute rest frame, Einstein published almost simultaneously a paper on Brownian motion which confirmed the reality of molecules and thus dealt a blow against the use of positivism. The moral of this story is that Occam's razor should not be wielded blindly. As Einstein put it in his Autobiographical notes
"This is an interesting example of the fact that even scholars of audacious spirit and fine instinct can be obstructed in the interpretation of facts by philosophical prejudices."
Occam's razor is often cited in stronger forms than Occam intended, as in the following statements...
"If you have two theories which both explain the observed facts then you should use the simplest until more evidence comes along"
"The simplest explanation for some phenomenon is more likely to be accurate than more complicated explanations."
"If you have two equally likely solutions to a problem, pick the simplest."
"The explanation requiring the fewest assumptions is most likely to be correct."
... or in the only form which takes its own advice...
"Keep things simple!"
Notice how the principle has strengthened in these forms which should be more correctly called the law of parsimony, or the rule of simplicity. To begin with we used Occam's razor to separate theories which would predict the same result for all experiments. Now we are trying to choose between theories which make different predictions. This is not what Occam intended. Should we not test those predictions instead? Obviously we should eventually, but suppose we are at an early stage and are not yet ready to do the experiments. We are just looking for guidance in developing a theory.
This principle goes back at least as far as Aristotle who wrote "Nature operates in the shortest way possible." Aristotle went too far in believing that experiment and observation were unnecessary. The principle of simplicity works as a heuristic rule-of-thumb but some people quote it as if it is an axiom of physics. It is not. It can work well in philosophy or particle physics, but less often so in cosmology or psychology, where things usually turn out to be more complicated than you ever expected. Perhaps a quote from Shakespeare would be more appropriate than Occam's razor: "There are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio, Than are dreamt of in your philosophy.".
Simplicity is subjective and the universe does not always have the same ideas about simplicity as we do. Successful theorists often speak of symmetry and beauty as well as simplicity. in 1939 Paul Dirac wrote,
"The research worker, in his effort to express the fundamental laws of Nature in mathematical form should strive mainly for mathematical beauty. It often happens that the requirements of simplicity and beauty are the same, but where they clash the latter must take precedence"
The law of parsimony is no substitute for insight, logic and the scientific method. It should never be relied upon to make or defend a conclusion. As arbiters of correctness only logical consistency and empirical evidence are absolute. Dirac was very successful with his method. He constructed the relativistic field equation for the electron and used it to predict the positron. But he was not suggesting that physics should be based on mathematical beauty alone. He fully appreciated the need for experimental verification.
The final word falls to Einstein, himself a master of the quotable one liner. He warned,
"Everything should be made as simple as possible, but not simpler."
References:
W. M. Thorburn, "Occam's razor," Mind, 24, pp. 287-288, 1915.
W. M. Thorburn, "The Myth of Occam's razor," Mind, 27, pp. 345-353, 1918.
Stephen Hawking, A Brief History of Time.
Albert Einstein, Autobiographical notes
Isaac Newton, Principia: The system of the world
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Octagonal Two-Trick Squeeze
Described as the ultimate in squeeze complexity is the octagonal two-trick squeeze. Please check out the link for further information.
Octopus Club Bidding System
This is the designation assigned to a bridge relay system, which was devised and developed by Mr. Giorgio Rivara, whose website can be visited by clicking on the link above. Mr. Giorgio Rivara, genovese, istruttore di bridge, si è dedicato all'elaborazione ed alla stesura dell'Octopus Club prendendo spunto dal sistema Ultimate Club pubblicato per la prima volta negli Stati Uniti nel 1981.
The opening bids are described below and have been provided by courtesy of Mr. Giorgio Rivara, to whom we are very thankful for sending them to us and for contributing them for the benefit of other bridge players:
1  : |
17 plus points. |
1  : |
11-16 points, a catch-all opening. |
1  : |
11-16 points and a 5 plus Heart suit. |
1  : |
11-16 points and a 5 plus Spade suit. |
| 1 NT: |
15-17 points and balanced distribution. |
| 2 : |
11-16 points and a 5 plus Club suit. |
| 2 : |
14-16 points and either a 6 plus Diamond suit or a 5 plus Diamond suit and a 4 plus Club suit. |
| 2 : |
8-13 points and a 6-card Heart suit. |
| 2 : |
8-13 points and a 6-card Spade suit. |
| 2 NT: |
11-13 points and a distribution of 5-5 in the Minor suits. |
-odd
1. of a level, as "one-odd" at the one-level.
2. of tricks, six more than the number specified, as "two odd tricks" or eight tricks altogether.
Odd-Even Discards
A defensive signaling method in which odd-numbered cards, such as the three, the five, are encouraging, and the even-numbered ones are discouraging and may have suit-preference implications. The one disadvantage to this method of discarding is the fact that the player will always encounter holdings where no odd and/or even discard is possible. Therefore, some partnerships treat some even discards as more discouraging than other discards. A discard of a three, for example, can be a more encouraging signal than a discard of a 9, when no even card is available. The partner should deduce from his holding and that of the dummy whether or not the partner may hold no even and/or odd cards to discard correctly. Note: This practice may be allowed in ACBL play only on the first discard. Please check.
According to the ACBL General Convention Chart, a partnership may use odd/even or other forms of dual message signaling on each player’s first discard only. Otherwise, signals must be either right side up or upside down. A player who deliberately violates this rule subjects his partnership to adjusted scores when the opponents are damaged through the use of an illegal agreement, procedural penalties even when there is no damage, and possibly more severe penalties. Mike Flader - ACBL Rulings
Odd Trick
A trick won by the declarer in excess of the first six tricks. The phrase is from the game of Whist in which the winning of the odd trick was paramount.
Oden Rule
This is a rule devised by Mr. Alex Traub of South Africa to help the declarer who must make a series of plays, and/or ruffs, and needs to end up in a specific hand. If this specific hand is considered to be the master hand, then the first trick must be won in the master hand if an odd number of plays must be made. Conversely, if an even number of plays must be made, then the first trick must be won in the non-master hand, or the "satellite hand" as Mr. Alex Traub calls it in his book Trump Technique. The name is derived from Odd-evEN.
Off
Slang: down; set;
Slang: off-side.
Offender
A player in violation of the laws or regulations. A player who commits an irregularity. Law 12 or Law 72 may be invoked.
Offense
1. the strategic plan or attack by the opponents. An offensive play or bid is considered to be an aggressive move as opposed to the defensive play or bid. The term applies to all bridge players at the table.
2. a breach of the Laws.
Official Score
In duplicate bridge, the account prepared by the director which includes the score for each contestant for each board, his score and rank for the session and for the event.
Official System
A system of contract bridge bidding devised and endorsed by a group of leading American authorities in 1931. This official system was in opposition to Mr. Ely Culbertson, although they recognized his credit in making the game of bridge popular. They were Mr. Milton C. Work, Mr. Sidney S. Lenz, Mr. Wilbur C. Whitehead, Mr. Winfield Liggett Jr., and Mr. F. Dudley Courtenay. The Advisory Council included Mr. Shepard Barclay, Mr. Fred G. French, Mr. Henry P. Jaeger, Mrs. Madeleine Kerwin, and Mr. E.V. Shepard. However, after Mr. Ely Culbertson's 8,980 point win over 150 games against Mr. Sidney Lentz in the 1931 so-called Bridge Battle of the Century, the Official System gave way to bidding systems promoted by Mr. Ely Culbertson.
Off-Shape
Not having one of the usual or expected distributions.
Offside
Unfavorably located. A card so placed that a finesse, if attempted, will lose.
Ogust Convention
A conventional method of rebidding after a 2 No Trump response to a Weak Two opening bid by partner, devised by Mr. Harold A. Ogust, with the intention of describing the holding more completely in terms of weakness and strength. Variations are listed below:
Benji Acol Variation - This variation has been adopted for the Acol bidding system to show not only the quality of the suit, but also the number of high card points via the responses.
Bogust Variation - This variation is based on the Weak Two bidder opening with either a good 5-card suit with two of the top three honors, or any 6-card suit. In response to the forcing 2 No Trump bid by partner, the rebids of the Weak Two bidder show the length of the suit and the approximate number of Losing Tricks.
Feature Variation - The origin is unknown. This variation, via the responses, determine whether the Weak Two bidder is indeed weak or strong and to discover whether the Weak Two bidder has a specified feature in a desired suit. The indicated honor is generally considered either a Queen or higher.
Honor-Quality Variation - The origin of this variation is unknown. Similar to the Ron Klinger variation, this variation promises a certain number of the top three honors together with the quality of the suit.
Modified Ogust - A variant of the Ogust conventional method developed by Mr. Jeff Goldsmith specifically for a Weak Two opening bid in Hearts.
New Ogust or September - The origin is unknown. A variation of the Ogust conventional system, whereby the rebids are based on the Losing Trick Count method.
Reverse Ogust - A variant of the Ogust conventional method, origin unknown, whereby the meanings of the two bids 3 Diamonds and 3 Hearts are reversed.
Ron Klinger Variation - A variation developed by Mr. Ron Klinger of Australia to indicate via the rebids the number of honors held after a Weak Two opening bid.
OKBridge - The story behind possibly the first online bridge application is included below.
OKbridge, Inc. is an online bridge club dedicated to serving the worldwide community of bridge players by providing superior software and service.
OKbridge began as a by-product of founder Matt Clegg’s courtship of Merja, now his wife. The couple met in 1989 when Merja, a native of Finland, came to California to study with a famous geneticist, Matt’s father. After Merja returned home, Matt took a year off from graduate school to be with her in Finland.
While in Finland, Matt developed an Internet bridge program as a way of playing bridge with his friends back in the US. OKbridge was first released to the public in August 1990 and the idea caught on. The players sent Matt a steady stream of suggestions, many of which were incorporated into the program.
After several years, there were thousands of people from around the world using the OKbridge software. Due to the increasing demands placed on Matt’s time, he conducted a survey of users in 1993 to determine if they would be willing to pay a subscription fee if he continued to upgrade the software and provide service. The users approved of the idea, and commercial OKbridge was launched in 1994.
Today, OKbridge has more than 18,000 members from over 90 countries, making it the world’s largest member-supported online bridge club.
OKbridge Milestones
August 1990 - Version 1.0 of OKbridge released to the public as freeware.
July 1992 - OKbridge becomes the first online service ever to offer duplicate bridge.
Spring 1994 - A knockout team tournament was held online involving sixteen teams from four continents.
June 1994 - Commercial OKbridge was launched to 500 enthusiastic users.
November 1995 - Introduced Windows version of software.
August 1997 - OKbridge becomes first ever online bridge club to be sanctioned by the American Contract Bridge League for the issuance of masterpoints.
October 1997 - First ever online bridge club to offer daily online duplicate tournaments.
November 1997 - Founder Matt Clegg named the International Bridge Press Association’s Personality of the Year for his contributions to the game of bridge.
March 1999 - OKbridge inaugurates the first annual Internet World Bridge Championships co-sponsored by OKbridge, the American Contract Bridge League, Bridge World Magazine, and the World Bridge Federation.
July 2000 - Introduced an easy to use Java-based version of the software that can be played from most web browsers.
OKUNEFF
The origin of this treatment is unknown. After a cuebid of the opponent's suit in the bidding process, which is employed to invite to 3 No Trump, as the final contract, if the partner holds a stopper in the intended suit, the lowest possible bid in an unbid suit shows a partial stopper in the opponent's suit. If this is not possible below 3 No Trump, then a bid suit may be utilized.
Oldest Bridge Clubs
The world’s oldest bridge clubs date back to the era of Whist. The oldest club is the Portland Club in London, England, which was founded before 1815 as the Stratford Club, and named the Portland Club in 1825. The second-oldest is the Hamilton Club in Bala Cynwyd, Pennsylvania, founded in 1887. The third-oldest bridge club is the Continental Club in Amsterdam, The Netherlands, founded in 1889.
Oltbrink
This system was devised by and is played by Mr. Sjoert Brink and Mr. Erik Oltmans in the Dutch top division. The Lorenzo Two Bids are compulsory and must therefore be made even on hands like xxxx - xxx - xxx - xxx. This system is only in use when not vulnerable.
| Opening |
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Meaning |
| Pass |
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8-10 HCPs and unbalanced or 9-12 HCPs and balanced |
| 1 |
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16+ HCPs, but 17+ HCPs if balanced |
| 1 |
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11-15 HCPs, unbalanced, no 4-card suit in either Major suit |
| 1 |
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11-15 HCPs and 4-card plus Heart suit |
| 1 |
|
11-15 HCPs and 4-card plus Spade suit |
| 1 NT |
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13-16 HCPs and balanced shape |
| 2 |
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Lorenzo Two Bid showing 0-7 HCPs (8 HCPs if balanced) and a 4-card plus Club suit |
| 2 |
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Lorenzo Two Bid showing 0-7 HCPs (8 HCPs if balanced) and a 4-card plus Diamond suit |
| 2 |
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Lorenzo Two Bid showing 0-7 HCPs (8 HCPs if balanced) and a 4-card plus Heart suit |
| 2 |
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Lorenzo Two Bid showing 0-7 HCPs (8 HCPs if balanced) and a 4-card plus Spade suit |
| 2 NT |
|
Shows 20-22 HCPs and balanced shape |
The Lorenzo Two is the ultimate Weak Two bid. According to the partnership agreement, it is applicable only when the partnership is not vulnerable. The Lorenzo Two is a mandatory weak bid on the two level. Any hand with 0-7 high card points, or 8 high card points if balanced, must bid. If there are two suits of equal length, a Major is bid before a Minor suit. Responses: the responses, since the weakness of the partner are known, more or less Free Bids, which serve more as obstructive bids. However, the one forcing response of 2 No Trump, which might show a holding of 20 plus high card points requests that the partner communicate the weakness of the opening. These rebids by the opener are dependent on the structure of the partnership agreement. The illustration below shows the effectiveness of the Lorenzo Two opening, which is from the Dutch National Teams qualifying sessions. East is the dealer, and North/South are vulnerable.
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West |
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5 |
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East |
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2 |
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|
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South passed the 5 Clubs doubled contract and East/West scored a -300, whereas North/South have a small slam in Hearts for a total of +1430.
Olympiad
The official designation is The World Teams Olympiad. This is a worldwide team competition at contract bridge, conducted and supervised by the World Bridge Federation and offers an Open and a Ladies event. The competitions have been held every four years since 1960. This event allows every country to field one team in both categories, no matter the size of its individual bridge population provided it is a member of the World Bridge Federation.
Olympic
This term was applied in the game of bridge in the sense of a contest of skill at contract bridge in which anyone could participate. The first American Bridge Olympic and World Bridge Olympic were conceived, promoted, and sponsored by Mr. Ely Culbertson in 1932.
Omar Sharif World Individual
The largest total monetary prize of $200,000 was offered when the Omar Sharif World Individual bridge tournament was held in Atlantic City, New Jersey between May 7 and May 10, 1990. This was also the first time that the ACBL sanctioned a cash-prize tournament. Mr. Zia Mahmood of Pakistan won first prize of $40,000, Mr. Fred Hamilton won second prize of $20,000, and Mr. P.O. Sundelin of Sweden won third prize of $12,000.
Ombre - Hombre - The Man
This is the designation of a card game and is a trick-taking card game very similar to the modern games of Spades and Hearts. The game itself is in many ways and fashion a direct ancestor of the modern game of bridge. The link is to the website of Mr. Michael Austin, who provides the explanations for actually playing the game in its original version. He also provides the various designations assigned to the cards themselves. It is only with these clarifications that the student can understand the extensive poem titled The Rape of the Lock by Alexander Pope, born May 21, 1688 and died May 30, 1744, in which he describes the game in poetic form.
This particular poem is a mock-heroic poem written by Alexander Pope, first published in 1712 in two cantos, and then reissued in 1714 in a much-expanded five canto version. The poem was based on an incident recounted by Pope's friend, John Caryll. Arabella Fermor and her suitor, Lord Petre, were both from aristocratic Catholic families at a period, in England, when Catholicism was legally proscribed. Petre, lusting after Arabella, had cut off a lock of her hair without permission, and the consequent argument had created a breach between the two families. Pope wrote the poem at the request of friends in an attempt to "comically merge the two". Pope utilises the character Belinda to represent Arabella and introduces an entire system of "sylphs," or guardian spirits of virgins, a parodic version of the gods and goddesses of conventional epic. Pope satirizes a petty squabble by comparing it to the epic world of the gods.
This ombre-related passages of canto III of the Rape of the Lock in English can be read also on the site of Mr. Michael Austin, or the entire canto III can be viewed as a poem in Rape of the Lock on this site with introductory explanations, and elsewhere on the Internet. This particular poem, which is translated into German and which is the Dritter Gesang of Der Lockenraub can be read also on this site in .pdf file format. The German version is longer since it includes also the passages, which do not pertain to or describe the game of Ombre.
The instructional ombre-bridge-related web page of Mr. Michael Austin has also only been preserved and archived on this site for future reference. The graphics are also designed by Mr. Michael Austin and full credit is given him for his enormous effort to provide this information. Reference. See also the book by Mr. Arthur Ellicott Case titled The Game of Ombre in the Rape of the Lock, published 1944 by University Press, ISBN: B0007HRZR2. Also the book by Mr. Carl J.W. Hansen titled The Original Game of Ombre; How to Play the Spanish Card Game, published in 1967 by Exposition Press, ISBN: B0006BPNNC.
Ominbus Two No Trump
The definition of Omnibus is: pertaining to or dealing with numerous objects or items at once. Every now and then one comes across a convention which can be used by bridge partnerships opening up a 4-card Major or partnerships who will only open with a 5-card Major. The Omnibus Two No Trump Response To Major openings is one of those conventions.
Ominibus - Revised and Updated Version
This is a complete version of the employment of the Omnibus 2 No Trump response devised by and contributed by Mr. Marvin French of San Diego, California. It was published in Popular Bridge magazine, June 1978, in The Bulletin of the ACBL, February, 1981, and in the Contract Bridge Forum, February 1982. It is included in Bridge Conventions Complete, by Amalya Kearse. This is a .pdf file and will be automatically opened by your browser.
Ominibus Simplified
This is a version of the employment of the Omnibus 2 No Trump response devised by and contributed by Mr. Marvin French of San Diego, California. It was first published in the magazine Popular Bridge in 1977. The advantages of this conventional method are: 1. a responding No Trump holding of 16-18 high card points can be shown at a low level when slam is a possibility; 2. some suit contracts normally played from opener's side may be played from the side of the No Trump bidder, plus other advantages. This is a .pdf file and will be automatically opened by your browser.
Omnium
A nationwide French tournament, which was first played in 1963. The organizer was Irene Bajos de Heredia. Special decks with perforated edges were distributed to all playing centers, so that the players themselves could select the 13 cards needed for each deal by inserting a metal pin in the appropriate hole. Scoring was on a basis similar to a Par Contest, with awards for good and bad results in bidding and play according to the decisions of an expert panel.
On
Slang: makeable;
Slang: onside; favorably located.
-on
Indicating the amount of a part-score, as "60-on" or having a partscore of 60.
One-Bid
A bid at bridge contracting to win one odd trick, the book of six tricks plus one trick.
One Club Artificial and Forcing
This method was played in a variety of forms, but the earliest form used in contract bridge was devised by Mr. Harold S. Vanderbilt in his Club Convention, although Mr. Robert F. Foster advocated a similar concept in the auction.
One Club System
A bidding method based on an artificial 1 Club opening. There are several systems which still include this feature: Bangkok Club, Blue Team Club, Canary Club, Carrot Club, French Club, Little Roman, Marmic, Orange Club, Precision, Relay, Roman, Roth Club, Simplified Club, Trefle Squeeze, Vanderbilt, Vienna.
One Diamond Example Opening Bids
These opening bids were developed and devised by Mr. Glen Ashton of Nepean, Ontario, and included multiple interpretations for the 1 Club opening bid. If the first response is 1 Diamond, then the responder shows interest and requests additional information regarding the true nature of the holding. Any Major suit response is considered natural. The No Trump range is considered to be weak and the 2 No Trump opening shows a distributional holding in the Minor suits. Below is the bidding system outlined by the author in an email message dated December 6, 1993.
From: ah335@Freenet.carleton.ca (Glen Ashton)
Subject: Re: 1D rule
Organization: The National Capital Freenet
Date: Mon, 6 Dec 1993 22:59:57 GMT
As an example of the type of system one can have with the new all purpose 1 Diamond ACBL rule (note that only key responses and rebids will be given): (In Kaplan notation, M=major, m=minor)
1 Club: shows either:
a) 4 Spades or 3 Spades with singleton Heart, and 9-17 HCPs; 9-11 HCPs if balanced
b) balanced hand, 15 or more HCPs, can have five card Major
c) hand with no 4-card Major (and not 3-1 in Majors), 15+ or more HCPs
d) 18 or more HCPs, with no 5-card Major
e) 20 or more HCPs, any shape
Most often hand type a is held.
After 1 Club:
1 Club - 1 Diamond asks:
1 Heart: 18 or more HCPs, responder usually bids 1 Spade over 1 Heart
1 Spade: hand type a)
1 NT: 15 to 17 HCPs, balanced
2 Clubs: 15 to 20 HCPs, long Clubs, no 4-card Major
2 Diamonds: 15 to 18 HCPs, long Diamonds, no 4-card Major
2 Major suit: 18 to 21 HCPs, 4-card Major and longer Minor suit
2 NT: 23 to 24 HCPs, balanced
3 any suit: 19 to 23 HCPs, 4-4-4-1, any singleton
After 1 - 1 - 1 - 1 :
1 NT: 18 to 20 HCPs balanced
2 Clubs: game forcing, any shape
2 Diamonds: 18 to 21 HCPs with Diamonds, no 4-card Major
2 Major suit: non-forcing, 20 or more HCPs, 5-card suit or longer
2 NT: 21 to 22 HCPs
3 Minor suit: non-forcing, 20 or more HCPs, long Minor suit
1 -1 : 5-card or longer Spade suit
1 - 1 : 4-card or longer Heart suit
1 Diamond: 9 to 17 HCPs and four Hearts or three Hearts and a singleton Spade, 9 to 11 HCPs if balanced. 1 Diamond - 1 Heart shows three or four and is forcing,
1 Diamond - 2 Hearts is to play opposite 9 to 14 HCPs.
1 Major suit: 5-card suit or longer, 10 or more HCPs
1 NT: 12 to 14 HCPs, balanced, may have 2-2-5-4 or 2-2-4-5
2 Minor suit: 6-card suit or longer, 10 to 15 HCPs, no 4-card Major suit
2 Major suit: weak
2 NT: 5-5 in the Minor suits, 12 to 14 HCPs
3 Clubs and above: the usual
Glen Ashton
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One Diamond Negative Response to One Club
In most bidding systems, which use an artificial opening of 1 Club as a forcing bid, a response of 1 Diamond is employed to deny certain values, and in some partnership understandings, denies also a certain point count, and in other partnership agreements, denies a certain number of controls.
One Heart Opening Transfer to One Spade - 1 Heart Opening Transfer to 1 Spade
The origin of this conventional opening is unknown. An opening bid of 1 Heart transfers the partner to the Spade suit either or the one level or on the two level depending on whether the immediate opponent intervenes with an overcall of a suit or No Trump. If the opponent makes a call of a double, then the partnership treats this action as not having occurred and is ignored. This conventional method is presented in the form of a .pdf file by ACBL. This method is only archived and preserved on this site, also in .pdf file format, for future reference.
One Hundred Honors
The honor cards, four of the five trump honors in one hand, entitling their holder's side to a bonus of 100 points. Scored in rubber bridge.
One Hundred Fifty Aces
All four Aces in one hand at No Trump, entitling the holder's side to an honor bonus of 150. Scored in rubber bridge.
One Hundred Fifty Honors
All five trump honors in one hand, entitling the holders side to an honor bonus of 150. Scored in rubber bridge.
One No Trump Opening
Three elements are applied in making this bid; Strength, Distribution, and Location of Strength. The point range is different with many partnerships ranging anywhere from 10 to 18 high card points. Several partnerships have agreed to use one range of No Trump for a vulnerable situation and another range of No Trump if not vulnerable.
One No Trump Overcall
A direct overcall of 1 No Trump traditionally shows a balanced distribution and a No Trump range in standard methods, and presumably a stopper in the suit bid by the opponent.
One No Trump Rebid by the Opener
The rebid of 1 No Trump by the opener shows an opening hand and also limits the strength of his holdings to a certain point count.
One No Trump Response
A bid of 1 No Trump by the responder after his partner has opened the auction, which limits his hand to a certain point count, generally 6-9/10 high card points, and which shows less than minimum support for his partner’s suit.
One No Trump Forcing Response to a Major Opening
This response is applied on a wide range of holdings including many which would qualify in standard systems for a single raise or a response at the Two Level in a new suit.
One No Trump Response to a Minor Suit
Several bidding systems have established a range of 8-10 high card points as the requirement for a response of 1 No Trump to an opening of 1 Club. In the Goren system, a range of 9-11 high card points are necessary. The reason is that a weaker holding can normally find another bid, even a suit bid on the One Level, which could also be a 1 Diamond Waiting Bid. However, most bidding systems require a 1 No Trump response after a 1 Diamond opening, which is treated also as a forcing opening. Using the Kaplan-Sheinwold bidding system, the requirement is that a response of 1 No Trump promise 5-8 high card points.
One-Odd
One trick more than six. A bid or one odd is a bid to win seven tricks.
One-Over-One Response
The bid of a higher-ranking suit at the one level after partner's opening bid in a different suit. The standard minimum strength is 6 high card points, but some partnerships have lowered this minimum to 3 high card points and distributional pattern. The maximum is 17 high card points in Standard American and 15 high card points in Acol, a range which is just below a jump shift.
One Spot
A term for the Ace.
One-Suiter
A hand including a suit with at least six cards and no more than three cards in any other suit.
One-Suit Squeeze
This is a hybrid between a squeeze and a throw-in. Most of these forms of squeezes involve two or more suits.
One-Under Opening Bid
In other modifications of Weak Opening Systems, a feature called the One-Under Opening Bid was used. The opening bid of 1 Diamond, for example, meant that the bidder in truth is bidding 1 Heart, and the opening bid of 1 Heart actually meant the opening bid of 1 Spade, and so on.
Online Laws of Duplicate Contract Bridge 2001
This is a pdf file containing the Laws regarding playing bridge on the Internet at the Websites offering interactive bridge play. The intent is to make the bridge player aware of the guidelines and Laws governing the game. The file will be automatically downloaded to your computer and will be opened with Adobe Acrobat Reader.
Online Points
These are masterpoints awarded for online play in ACBL-sanctioned events and are unpigmented. Please check for limitations as to the number of points permitted to be earned, since this number may vary.
On Score
Having a part-score. "60 on score" means having a part-score of 60.
Onside
A card so located that a finesse, if taken will win, such as the Queen was onside.
Open
1. to lead to the first trick in the play of the hand;
2. with regard to the bidding, to make the first bid in the auction;
3. teams or pairs; tournament contests in which any pair, whether mixed or not, or any team of whatever formation may play;
4. the room in a championship event in which spectators may be present;
5. when pertaining to a room, where an event occurs, the term is used for allowing spectators to be present.
Opener
The player making the first bid.
Opener's Rebid
The second bid or call made by the opener.
Open Event
In these events, there are no restrictions due to expertise, gender or age.
Open Hand
The dummy's hand.
Opening Bid
The first bid made in an auction, other than a pass.
Opening Bidder
The player making the first bid.
Opening Bids
In the evolution of the game of bridge, opening bids played an important part in laying the foundation stone for many bidding systems. These opening bids were developed in different countries and have gained some popularity nationally and/or within the bridge community and some have been practically forgotten. However, the developers spent many hours of research, many hours of their time to develop some sort of standard for the opening bids, which allowed a practical if not standard bidding system to become established. Many of these opening bids are included in this Glossary for the research of the visitor and are as close to the original as possible and are taken from published works by different authors. It was the intent of all developers of such opening bids to create a more uniform and established foundation for an evolving game and to assist the individual player to assess the validity and effectiveness of their work. Over time, these opening bids have become an integral part of various bidding systems and are still in effect to this day. Also over time, each of these foundation stones have included the development of other conventions, methods and treatments, which have been devised to assist the individual player and have therefore been enhanced and revised to accommodate such conventions, methods and treatments. The establishment of such opening bids have greatly enhanced the game of bridge and some have become definite and popular bidding systems, which was the ultimate goal of such developers.
Opening Call
The original call made by the dealer to initiate the auction.
Opening Lead
The lead card to the first trick, made by the player to the left of the declarer before dummy's cards are exposed. The opening lead is chosen and considered beforehand under many aspects since the lead could eventually defeat the contract. The card must be chosen based upon the bidding, visualizing the holding of the dummy and the declarer based upon the auction, in which information has been exchanged. There are also standard leads against suit contracts as opposed to leads against No Trump contracts and against slam contracts.
Opening Leader
The player, to declarer's left, who leads to the first trick.
Opening 1 No Trump
Everyone enjoys opening a 1 No Trump, but what determines this bid? Believe it or not, the range for opening 1 No Trump can be as little as 10 high card points and can reach 18 high card points. This is a large range. Before a player opens 1 No Trump, there are several things to consider. There are some bridge players who alternate their No Trump range depending on the vulnerability and position at the table. Generally speaking, at favorable vulnerability the range is 12-14 high card points and at unfavorable vulnerability the range is 15-17 high card points.
Opening Suit Bid
Regarding the opening of 1 Club, 1 Diamond, 1 Heart, or 1 Spade, the range assumed is the normal range between 12 to 21HCPs. On the strongly distributional hands, the range can sink to 10HCPs. The range can be more than 20HCPs with unusual distribution of 4-4-4-1, which are unsuitable for No Trump openings.
Open Pairs
An event of duplicate competition between pairs of players without regard to sex or masterpoint range. If the event is scheduled for two or more sessions, there is a qualifying and a final event, with those eliminated eligible to compete in a consolation event.
Fast Open Pairs
The Fast Open Pairs, which requires players to finish their two-board rounds in 11 minutes, is a permanent national event that is played on the last two days of the Summer NABC, or North American Bridge Championship. The event, introduced in 2000, consists of two qualifying sessions and two final sessions.
Previous Winners:
| 2000 |
Chris Willenken, Aaron Silverstein |
| 2001 |
Jim Robison, Mark Itabashi |
| 2002 |
Alan Kleist, Leo LaSota |
| 2003 |
Joel Wooldridge, John Hurd |
| 2004 |
Peter Welden, Richard Zucker |
According to the ACBL Codification
Chapter VIII - North American Bridge Championships
D. Events / Schedules
NABC Speedball Championship (003-121)
B. The NABC Fast Open Pairs is approved for 2001 and 2002 on a trial basis.
| From the: |
Minutes
ACBL Board of Directors
Hilton Suites
Phoenix, Arizona
November 22 - 26, 2002 |
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Item 023-116: NABC Fast Open Pairs Championship (003-121) |
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The National Fast Open Pairs is approved as a permanent National Event scheduled to be played the last two days of the Summer NABC. There will be a scheduled review by the ACBL Board of Directors at the 2005 Fall meeting. Carried without dissent. |
Open Pairs II
Formerly named the Men's Pairs since only male bridge players were allowed to participate. The event was renamed in 1992 to Open Pairs II and is contested for the Wernher Trophy. This event is a four-session event consisting of two qualifying rounds and two final rounds. From 1969 through 1971 the event was contested as a three-session event.
Open Room
At certain bridge events, the room will be opened to spectators, who are permitted to observe the bidding and play. The Laws of Duplicate Contract Bridge, however, addresses their conduct. See: Law 76 of Duplicate Contract Bridge.
Opponent
A member of the other partnership.
Opponent’s Suit
A suit held or bid by one or both of the opponents.
Opposition
1. the opponents on a hand, a set of hands, or a rubber;
2. the contestants in Direct Competition;
3. the balance of the field;
4. the other team in a head-on team event.
Optimal Twos
These bids, generally opening bids, were devised by Mr. Avon Wilsmore of Perth, Australia, and included the bids of 2 Diamonds, 2 Hearts, and 2 Spades showing either a 6-card plus higher-ranking suit or a two-suited holding of 5-5 plus in specified suits. See: Yovich's Carrot Club Opening Bids.
Optimum Strategy
The plan of attack or strategy adopted by the declarer or defender after the exchange of information offered by the auction or signals presented by the opponents. The strategic plan can also change to utilize new information obtained during the play.
Optional
A term applied to a bid, play, or point of law in which a player may have two or more choices. This term distinguishes this element from the compulsory action or procedure strictly regulated by law.
Optional Double
A double that, by partnership agreement, allows partner the option of passing for penalties or continue bidding, especially after a Preemptive opening by the opponents. This double also shows a balanced hand with sufficient high cards to defeat the contract and with support for any unbid suit. Also known as the Cooperative Double.
Options
1. a term for alternative play possibilities available to the declarer.
2. a term for alternative actions available to a player under certain circumstances after an irregularity by the opposing side. For example, an opening lead by the wrong defender gives the declarer four options from which to choose. See Laws 53 and 54.
Orange Book 1998 - Updated to September 2002. Handbook of EBU Directives And Permitted Conventions.
Orange Book 2006 - Handbook of EBU Directives And Permitted Conventions.
Orange Club
This is a strong Club System played by Mr. James Jacoby and Mr. Bobby Wolff in the World Championships in 1970, 1971, and 1972, and later on by Mr. Bobby Wolff and Mr. Bob Hamman. The 1 Club opening promises 17 high card points plus and the responses show controls. Other openings are limited and normal. A 1 No Trump opening has a range of 13 to 15 high card points with a 4-card plus Club suit or 16 to 17 high card points with any balanced distribution.
Oregon Trail Regional Championships
This bridge event was a seven-day tournament conducted annually beginning in the year 1958. The location was always a city in Oregon, United States, and which was conducted during a time each year, in which the American holiday Washington's Birthday occurred. The contested events included: Knockout Teams, Open Teams, Master Pairs, Open Pairs, Women's Pairs, Mixed Pairs, and Individual. The Oregon Trail Regional continues to be contested to this day by District 20.
Orient Bidding System
This particular bidding system was developed, invented and authored by Mr. S. Asghar Hassan of Pakistan. It represents a new approach to precise and targeted bidding and is based on a dynamic hand evaluation method. The following are links to .pdf files, which, depending on your browser, will be automatically downloaded to your computer and opened with Adobe Acrobat or automatically opened by your browser. They can also be found on the Internet at the following URL: http://www.geocities.com/orient-bidding/. These web pages have only been preserved and archived at this location. All interested bridge players should purchase the publication by the author.
Birth of a Classical System
About the Inventor
Introduction
Profile
Hand Evaluation
Combined Strength Count
Slam Bidding
Interference Countering
Using the System
Partscore Examples
Invitational Examples
Game Examples
Slam Examples
Interference Examples
Original Bid
The first bid made in any auction.
Original Holding
The cards a player has in a given suit at the start of the play or at the beginning of the auction.
Original Lead
The first card played to the first trick after the auction has been completed.
Our Hand
Slang: an expression indicating that a player believes his side can bid and make the highest positive score on a deal in which both sides participate in the auction.
Out
1. a player who is a member of a table at rubber bridge, but not actively participating;
2. the order in which players are out is established by the cut for the deal, whereby the holder of the lowest card sits out for the first rubber;
3. other players going out of order.
Out-Of-The-Blue Cuebid
The Out-Of-The-Cuebid is an unusual bid of a new suit which can not be taken as a suit bid, and which indicates support of the last bid suit of the partner, strength in the cuebid suit, which is often promising a first-round control, and interest in reaching a high-level contract. The term was first described by Mr. Norman Squire in his book The Theory of Bidding.
Out Of Turn
Indicates an action not in rotation. Laws 30-32 cover calls out of rotation, and Laws 53-56 cover leads out of turn, and Law 57 covers a play out of turn.
Out On A Limb
This is a phrase used to describe a player who has taken an unusual action or to precipitate and action during an auction and is in danger of being doubled by the opponents in a contract which is at a too high level and therefore risky.
Over
A descriptive term to indicate a player’s position at the table in respect to one’s right hand opponent.
Overbid
1. to bid more than one's partnership can make;
2. to bid unwarrantedly high regardless of the result;
3. to overcall;
4. a call contracting to make a greater number of tricks than is justified by the bidder’s holding. The features of the different bidding systems have to be considered. An overbid in one system could be an underbid in another system. In competitive auctions, an overbid could be an apparent advanced save.
Overbidder
In general, a player who consistently bids higher than his high card and distributional strength could justify. This term is also applied to mean the player, who makes an overcall.
Overboard
This term describes a situation established when the auction has passed the acceptable level, and the opponents have the excellent chance to double.
Overcall
In general, an overcall refers to any bid by either partner after an opponent has opened the bidding. There are many factors to consider when overcalling and they should be discussed with your partner before application. These factors include suit length, strength of the holding, the factor of vulnerability, the Level of the overcall, the element of obstruction to the opponents, the experience of the opponents, the holding of the suit of the opponents, the vulnerability of the opponents, the conventional methods of the opponents, and other factors not mentioned here. The same factors must also be calculated by the responder of the overcaller when deciding to raise, pass, cuebid, mention a new suit, bid game and/or sacrifice.
Overcaller
The player, who makes the overcall or bids higher than the immediately preceding bid or the player, who balances after an opening followed by two passes.
Overcall In Opponent’s Major Suit
2 Hearts over an opponent’s 1 Heart opening is a cuebid, which can have various meanings depending on the partnership agreement and the bidding system used. See: Michaels Cuebid.
Overcall In Opponent’s Minor Suit
2 Clubs over an opponent’s 1 Club opening can have either the meaning of a cuebid or a natural bid depending on the partnership agreement and the bidding system used. See: Michaels Cuebid.
The Overcall Structure
The Overcall Structure was first published in a pamphlet by Mr. Don Spaulding and Mr. John Twineham in cooperation with Mr. Don Laycock and Mr. John Hodges in 1989.
This is the designation given to an Internet article written and published by Mr. John E. Fout. A Revised and Updated Version 1.1 can be found by clicking on the above link to the Home Page of Mr. Jeff Goldsmith. The article has also only been preserved and archived on this site in a .pdf file format for future reference.
The Overcall Structure
A second rendition of The Overcall Structure can be found by clicking on the above link of Mr. Everett Boyer. Both versions are identical except in their presentations.
The Overcall Structure
A third version with additional supplemented material can be found at this link presented by Mr. aul Cornelius as of May 2001.
Comments on the Overcall Structure
This is a summary of notes published on the Internet by Mr. Roberto Scaramuzzi. They can be found by clicking on the above link. These comments have been preserved and archived on this site in .pdf file format.
Constructive Overcall Structure Auctions
This is a constructive write-up by Mr. Robert Scaramuzzi on the work published by Mr. John E. Fout and presents new, if not alternative options for the bridge player. The write-up can be found by clicking on the above link. The article has also been preserved and archive on this site in a .pdf file format.
Overlead
This is the general term in Australia for the opening lead. Usually the higher of touching honors.
Overruff
To ruff with a higher trump after another player ruffs, and after a non-trump lead or play.
Overtake
To play a higher card when partner's card is already the highest on the trick, the reason perhaps being to secure entries for oneself or for partner. This action applies not only to the defenders but also can be an action taken by the declarer.
Overtaking Squeeze
A specialized form of triple squeeze in which the squeeze trick can be won in either hand.
Overtrick
Any trick made in excess of those tricks required to fulfill the contract.
Overtrump
To overruff.
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