BRIDGE GLOSSARY

Rabbi's Rule
When the King is a singleton offside, play the Ace. A satirical rule attributed to Mr. Milton Shattner of New York, nicknamed The Rabbi because of his most authoritative whimsical pronouncements and, as has been reported, stern observations after the play of the hand has been completed.

Rabbit
In England, the term for an inexperienced player.

Rack
1. A device used by handicapped players for holding a hand of cards;
2. A device to hold traveling scoreslips for inspection by the players after the game has been scored;
3. used to describe an action to ruin opponents by holding exceptionally good cards, or used to designate that player who holds such cards, also known as the cardrack.

Rags
Slang: a holding of only a few high or honor cards or only low spot cards, presumed to be unimportant in the bidding or play of the hand.

Rainbow Individual Movement
An Individual movement for tournaments involving players competing as individuals, in which contestants are divided into groups corresponding to their original starting directions, with separate instructions for progressing to each group. The guide cards are often printed in different colors, therefore the name Rainbow. This movement was devised by Mr. Oswald Jacoby and Mr. Shepard Barclay.

In comparison a Shomate movement is also an Individual movement, which is also called an Irregular Rainbow, and which does not keep the players in a particular group, thus allowing comparison across the field. This movement was devised for Individual Tournaments of 8, 9, or 10 tables. This movement is non-cyclic and must be conducted with Guide Cards.

In individual events section awards are earned by all four fields in a Rainbow movement but only by one field in a Shomate movement. Overall awards remain consistent and are based on the total number of tables in the event and the level of competition.

Raise
An increase of the contract in the denomination bid by the partner.

Raiser
A player who raises the suit of his partner.

Random Draw Knockout Teams
The teams that remain in competition are paired for their next match by means of a random draw. Typically all the possible positions are written on slips of paper, and the captain of each team draws his next assignment at the time he reports his winning match result. The pairings for the first match also are random.

Random Hands - Random Deals - Random Boards
This is an action produced by shuffling and dealing 52 cards, which are to be inserted into the appropriate boards, which are then to be played. The Laws of Contract Duplicate Bridge (Part III, The Deal) are specific when the selected dealer is predetermined, but non-specific when the players are requested to shuffle and deal random hands to be placed in the boards. There are several variations, from which the bridge player may choose. Since this feature remains undefined, the player may, at his/her discretion, deal the cards in any fashion he/she chooses and which correspond and meet with the requirements of the sponsoring bridge organization or local bridge club.

1. the player shuffles the cards and then places one card to the left, followed by a second card to the right, third card and finally a fourth card. The player then places the fifth card on the first card to the left and the sixth card on the second card to the left, etc., until all 52 cards have been dealt. Numerically expressed: 1-2-3-4 and then 1-2-3-4 and then 1-2-3-4 - etc., until all 52 cards have been dealt.

2. the player shuffles the cards and then places one card to the left, followed by a second card to the right, third card and finally a fourth card. The player then places the fifth card on the fourth card, the sixth card on the third card, etc., all in reverse. Once the player reaches the first card, then the next card is placed on the card to the left, creating a "back and forth" motion. Numerically expressed: 1-2-3-4 and then 4-3-2-1 and then 1-2-3-4 - etc.

3. the player shuffles the cards and then places one card to the left, followed by four more cards, creating 1-2-3-4-5, and then reversing: 4-3-2-1 and again reversing: 2-3-4-5. No card is placed double on one pile. In other words: 1-2-3-4-5-4-3-2-1-2-3-4-5-4-3-2-1- etc, finishing 1-2-3-4, then taking together the piles one and five, which contain 7 and 6 cards respectively, into four hands of 13 cards. This method has been deemed not allowed by some sponsoring organizations, but there is no Law of Duplicate Contract Bridge, which states otherwise.

4. the player shuffles the cards and then places two cards, or even three cards, in one pile, followed by the same amount of cards in the second pile, until four piles have been created and all 52 cards have been dealt.

These methods of dealing 52 cards are definitely incomplete and the mathematical variations definitely not exhausted, and other variations exist. Whether or not they actually produce random hands remains questionable. In order to counter these imprecise methods of dealing, engineers have created dealing machines which do not require and eliminate the human element. The popularity of such dealing machines increases with the connection to the computer which then computes all data, including the outcome of all scores attained by the players. However, the price for such computer equipment remains exorbitant for many bridge clubs.

Random Leads
All bridge sponsoring organizations have Conditions of Contest regulations, to which all participants should adhere. One regulation is that the players on defense abide by the partnership agreement regarding carding and signaling. This agreement is entered on the Convention Card in the appropriate manner. This agreement may include the information about leading from a sequence, leading a singleton, leading from a doubleton, employing certain defense conventional carding agreements such as Journalist Leads, Lavinthal Discards, Reverse Signals or UDCA, Rusinow Leads or Journalist Leads, Scanian Signals, and the like. The partnership may not include an entry stating that Random Leads are employed since such leads are not approved by the sponsoring organizations.

The obvious disadvantage in leading randomly is that informative communication between defenders becomes impossible and therefore the defenders are unable to communicate count, attitude, and preference, which is essential when defending. The declarer also has the right to inquire verbally about the manner of defensive carding and this information must be communicated to the declarer. If this information is incorrect or misleading, then the declarer has the right to call the director, who may award an adjusted score based on whether damage has occurred.

There is no such group calling themselves the Bridge Police Force for Random Leads. Therefore if a defender does indeed lead a "random card", when another possibility is stated on the Convention Card (sequence, fourth down, singleton), then the defender will not be arrested, barred, or led off in handcuffs. However, an experienced declarer or dummy will be able to reconstruct the holding of the defenders and may conclude that such a lead has indeed damaged the outcome. The director will be called, who will be called upon to rule on the situation.

The ACBL Conditions of Contest including the General Conditions at all ACBL Events state: 7. Carding Agreements: A pair may not elect to have no agreement when it comes to carding. There have been pairs that say they just play random leads or that they lead the card closest to their thumb. They must decide on a carding agreement and mark their convention cards accordingly.

Randy Against No Trump Opening
The origin of this conventional method is unknown. Source is: Trinity College. There is a Trinity College Bridge Club and this particular conventional defense method against an opening No Trump by the opponents is part of the curriculum. The designation is presumed to be named for one of the college students and/or alumnus of the Trinity College, and developed by him. This conventional defense method is based on the Landy conventional defense method developed by Mr. Alvin Landy.

Range Stayman
The origin of this conventional method is unknown, but the concept has become popular in certain bidding circumstances. It is applied in the Fourth Seat after two passes, which means that the Range Stayman becomes a balancing feature.

Rank
1. the priority of suits in bidding and cutting with the suits rank in alphabetical order starting with Clubs-Diamonds-Hearts-Spades, ending with No Trump as the highest rank;
2. the trick-taking power of each card within a suit. The Ace, the King, the Queen, the Jack, the Ten have the top rank;
3. the status of a player in a masterpoint ranking system.

Ranking
The position of a player, pair, or team in the section or in the overall tournament.

Rankings
All players in the American Contract Bridge League are ranked in twelve different categories:

1. Rookie: 0-5 masterpoints
2. Junior Master: 5-20 masterpoints
3. Club Master: 20-50 masterpoints
4. Sectional Master: at least 50 masterpoints, of which at least 5 masterpoints must be silver
5. Regional Master: at least 100 masterpoints, of which 15 must be silver and 5 must be either red or gold
6. NABC Master: at least 200 masterpoints, including at least 50 pigmented points of which at least 5 must be gold, at least 15 must be red and at least 25 must be silver
7. Life Master: at least 300 masterpoints, of which at least 50 must be silver, at least 25 must be gold, and at least another 25 must be either red or gold
8. Bronze Life Master: a player with 500-1000 masterpoints
9. Silver Life Master: a player with 1000-2500 masterpoints
10. Gold Life Master: a player with 2500-5000 masterpoints
11. Diamond Life Master: a player with at least 5000 masterpoints
12. Grand Life Master: a player with at least 10,000 masterpoints, with at least one win in a North American championship event that has no maximum masterpoints restriction

Raptor 1 No Trump Overcall - Raptor 1NT Overcall
The origin of this particular conventional method is somewhat disputed. The word raptor actually means a bird of prey, such as an eagle, falcon, hawk, and vulture.

Rating Points
See: Club Masterpoints

Rattle Off
Slang: to run, as a solid suit or when the remaining suit cards are all winners.

Rattlesnake
Slang: a colloquial term in the bridge community to describe a holding with 4-4-4-1 distribution.

Razzle-Dazzle
A bridge game derived from Mr. S.B. Fishburne’s Cutthroat, which was devised in 1936 and is regularly played at the Peninsular Club in Grand Rapids, Michigan.

RCO Two-Bids
An acronym for Rank-Color-Oddment. An opening two bid to show less than an opening bid and at least five-five in two suits: for two Hearts, Majors or Minors, sorted by rank; for two Spades, reds or blacks, sorted by color; for 2 No Trump, pointed suits or rounded suits, sorted by oddment.

Rebid
1. a player's second bid;
2. to bid again a suit already bid by the same player.

Rebiddable Suit
A suit long and/or strong enough to be bid again in a given bidding situation. Generally, a six card suit which can be rebid.

Rebid By The Opener
In reality, the Rebid of the Opener is perhaps the most crucial bid in the auction process. In general, there are about 10 basic guidelines for the opener to follow, and these should be memorized in order that they come natural to the bridge player.

Rebid By The Responder
The Rebid of the responder is considered by many to be the most critical of all bids after the Opening Bid. Therefore, it is important to adhere to the Basic Guidelines and to the Partnership Agreement. After an exchange of descriptive information by the three previous bids.

Recap or Recapitulation Sheet
This is a large printed form on which the scores on pickup slips are posted at bridge tournaments, and on which matchpoints are assigned to scores, and totals computed / totaled either manually or by computer. These sheets are available in three forms:

1. Howell Movement games of team-of-four.
2. Mitchell Movement games.
3. Swiss Team events.

Reciprocal Squeeze
A variant of the double squeeze, in which the squeeze card is not an established card in the fourth suit, but rather each opponent is squeezed in turn by a winner in the suit guarded by his partner.

Recorder
The term applied to a tournament or organization official, who keeps track of reports of non-standard behavior for possible subsequent action.

Recording of Masterpoints
The results of each masterpoint event was first developed by the ACBL. The results are reported by the tournament director to the national organization, and points are recorded to the credit of the winners of club games and to those players placing in local, sectional, or higher rated tournaments.

Recovery Trophy
The Recovery Trophy, sponsored by e-bridge and other sponsors of bridge tournaments, is an award given to those bridge players, who become the team making the most improvement in the second half of the event (in terms of places in the overall standings).

Rectification
An adjustment made to allow the auction process to proceed as normally as possible after an irregularity has been established. Rectification covers those instances when an offender inadvertently gains information, to which he/she is not allowed under normal play.

Rectifying The Count
This is the process of losing a trick and/or a number of tricks, in order to reach a certain number of remaining losers, thereby enabling a desired ending to be reached.

Recursive Diamond, The
The link is to the Internet documentation of this bidding system. A bidding system devised by Mr. Jason Woolever, Mr. Qixiang Sun, Mr. Adam Meyerson, and Mr. Greg Humphreys. As stated by the authors: This system provides many ways to describe distributional hands, letting partnerships reach (and stay out of) games and slams that are difficult or impossible to reach using standard methods. All opening bids except 1 are limited, allowing opener and responder to focus entirely on shape and controls. This information has also only been archived and preserved on this site in .pdf file format for future reference. See also: Mellon Diamond.

Most balanced hands with five card majors and some hands with six card minors are treated the same as balanced no trump hands. Thus, opening 1 or 1 suggests either a six card (or longer) suit or shortness in a side suit. To accommodate the wider variety of no trump hands, low information puppet stayman is used over all no trump bids (except 1C-1NT game forcing sequences).

Opening 1-bids (except 1) show 18-24 combined HCPs and the lengths of the two longest suits, discounting unprotected honors. They may be opened with as few as 9 HCP (5 in theory, but disallowed by the ACBL). 1 shows any hand with 25+ with the opener intending to rebid to show the equivalent opening bid or 2 to show a powerhouse (30+ combined), hence the name of the system.

The Opening Bids are as follows. Note that 1/2 is either 1st and 2nd Seat; 3/4 is either 3rd and 4th Seat.

1 : 1/2 NV: 13-15 balanced (possibly with 5-card minor or 6-card minor) OR
1/2 Vul or 3/4: 15-16 balanced (possibly with 5-card major or 6-card minor) OR
11-16 three-suited hand (w/o 5-card major) OR
12-14 5-5 or better in minors
1 : 16/17+ balanced OR (14)16+ unbalanced (rule of 25)
1 : 9-15 5+-carder, not 5332 shape
1 : 9-15 5+-carder, not 5332 shape
1 NT: 1/2 NV: 10-12 balanced, possibly with 5-card major or 6-card minor OR
Vul or 3/4: 12-14 balanced, possibly with 5-card major or 6-card minor
2 : 10-15 6+-carder
2 : 10-15 6+-carder
2 : Weak
2 : Weak
2 NT: 8-11 with both minors (equal vulnerability)
3 NT: Gambling

Red
Slang: to be vulnerable.

Red against Red
Slang: both sides are vulnerable.

Red against White
Slang: the situation whereby one pair is playing under vulnerable conditions, whereas the second pair is playing under non-vulnerable conditions.

Red Club or Rodklover
Published on the Internet by Mr. Bent Vangli and dated April 3, 2005. This bridge article is in Norwegian and if any reader could provide an English translation, it would be greatly appreciated. This article has also been archived and preserved only on this site in a .pdf file format in 168 pages.

Redeal
A second or subsequent replacement for a canceled deal. Hands are never redealt at duplicate except in special cases on the instructions of the director.

Redouble
A call, following an opposing double, that doubles all resulting scores and includes the penalties, the trick scores, and overtrick premiums.

Redouble Out Of Rotation
An improper call when it is partner’s or right hand opponent’s turn to call. If it is the partner’s turn to call, he must pass and continue to pass for the remainder of the auction. If the partner of the offender has the opening lead, the declarer may require or forbid him to lead a specified suit. If it is the turn of the right hand opponent to bid, the redouble must be repeated if this opponent passes. If the opponent bids, the offender may make any legal call, but his partner must pass at his next opportunity.

LAW 32 - DOUBLE OR REDOUBLE OUT OF ROTATION

A double or redouble out of rotation may be accepted at the option of the opponent next in rotation (see Law 29), except that an inadmissible double or redouble may never be accepted (see Law 35A if the opponent next in rotation nevertheless does call). If the illegal call is not accepted, it is cancelled, the lead penalties of Law 26B may apply, and:

A. Made at Offender's Partner's Turn to Call

If a double or redouble out of rotation has been made when it was the offender's partner's turn to call, (penalty) the offender's partner must pass whenever it is his turn to call (see Law 23 when the pass damages the non-offending side).

B. Made at RHO's Turn to Call

If a double or redouble out of rotation has been made at offender's RHO's turn to call, then:

1. RHO Passes

If offender's RHO passes, offender must repeat his out-of-rotation double or redouble and there is no penalty unless the double or redouble is inadmissible, in which case Law 36 applies.

2. RHO Bids

If offender's RHO bids, the offender may in turn make any legal call and (penalty) offender's partner must pass whenever it is his turn to call (see Law 23 when the pass damages the non-offending side).

Red Points
Regional tournaments and regional events at NABCS award red points except for overall and section tops (see: Gold Points). Grand National Teams (GNT) Events, North American Open Pairs (NAOP) events, and other special games afford players the opportunity to earn red points at their local clubs. They assist in determining the rank of the player as, for example, a player is required to earn 25 Red Points, or the equivalent, as part of a total of 300 masterpoints to become a Life Master.

Red Ribbon Pairs
An ACBL event with national rating held during the Spring North American Bridge Championships. It is limited to players with no more than 2000 points who have qualified to play by placing first or second in regionally rated two-session championship events where the upper masterpoint limit is no more than 1500 masterpoints.

Reduced Howell
When a Howell movement has too many rounds a Reduced Howell can be used. This movement has a reduced number of rounds, compared to the normal movement. The reduction occurs by increasing the number of stationary pairs, thereby decreasing the number of moving pairs, round, and board sets. The first Reduced Howell movement was published first by Mr. Sam Gold in 1947 for 8 to 12 tables and 13 rounds under the name of Three-Quarter Howells. Another variation was later constructed for 11 rounds and was known as the Short Howell.

Redwood - A version of the Kickback conventional method employed only when the agreed trump suit is a Minor suit. This concept is also based on the application called U.S.P., or Useful Space Principle conceived by Mr. Jeff Rubens.

Reed-Horn Club Opening Bids
These opening bids were devised by Mr. Stormy Horn of Texas and Mrs. Broma Lou Reed, nee Harrison, of Colorado. They represent a variation of the Precision bidding system or vice versa, since the similarities are quite evident in part although the Club opening was increased in values and the No Trump values were lowered.

1 : 18+ HCPs Any shape
1 : 13-17 HCPs 3+ Diamonds
or: 15-17 HCPs Balanced shape
1 : 13-17 HCPs 5+ Hearts
1 : 13-17 HCPs 5+ Spades
1 NT: 12-14 HCPs Balanced shape
2 : 13-17 HCPs 5+ Clubs
2 : 13-17 HCPs Distribution: 4-4-1-4 or 4-4-0-5
2 : 8-12 HCPs 6+ Hearts
2 : 8-12 HCPs 6+ Spades
2NT: 21-22 HCPs Balanced shape

Re-Entry
A card by which a player who has had the lead can regain it. This also includes the opening lead.

Reese Method
Several partnership agreements employ the Reese method, which uses the bid of 3 No Trump as a takeout after a preempt on the Three Level in a Major suit only. The call of a double is for penalty. If the preempt is in a Minor suit, then a double is takeout, even in the pass-out seat.

Reeveu Bidding System
This is the designation listed in the publication of Mr. Albert A. Ostrow titled The Bridge Player's Bedside Companion, published 1955. Additional information about this system and/or about the author is not available. Any assistance would be greatly appreciated.

Refuse
1. to deliberately to fail to win a trick because of reasons of the plan of attack or strategy;
2. used also in the sense of ducking or refusing to finesse or not taking what was previously a winning finesse in order to ensure the contract;
3. an obsolete term formerly used in Whist and Auction Bridge, which defined the term as a failure to follow suit.

Regional or Regional Tournament
A tournament level above Sectional and below National. Each of the 25 districts within ACBL sponsors such events and a specific unit may be delegated the responsibility of planning and organizing such an event. A regional tournament generally runs from four to seven days and offers games for all levels of players. However, at Non-Life Master Regional events are run periodically and is limited to players with fewer than 300 masterpoints. At Senior Regionals the event is limited to players who are 55 years old or older.

Regional Master
The designation for a member who has at least 100 to 200 masterpoints recorded by ACBL, of which 15 must be silver and 5 must be red or gold.

Registered Teacher
In 1992, Units were offered the opportunity to officially honor the accomplishments of established bridge teaches in their areas by giving each of them the title of ACBL Registered Teacher.

Regres
See: Weak Opening Systems

Reisinger
One of the major American national team championships, scored at board-a-match.

Reisinger Memorial Trophy
This trophy was donated by the Greater New York Bridge Association in 1965 in memory of Mr. Curt H. Reisinger and awarded to the winners of the Fall NABC Board-a-Match Championship. It replaced the historic Chicago Trophy.

Reisinger Trophy
This trophy was donated by Mr. Curt H. Reisinger in 1930 for the Knockout Teams-of-Four contest in the Eastern States Championships, one of the bridge world’s oldest team events.

Reiter System, The
The is the designation given to a bidding system for contract bridge contained and explained in the publication The Reiter System of Contract Bridge Bidding, published in Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States, in the year 1932. The Library of Congress code is LC: 33014945. Any additional information will be greatly appreciated.

Reith One-Over-One
A system of bidding described by Mr. George Reith in a five book series published between 1930 and 1933. It applied the method of Approach Bidding and any 4-card suits could be bid. At the core of the system was the concept of emphasizing distribution as opposed to showing strength.

Reith Point Count
A point count devised by Mr. George Reith regarding the point values of high cards, especially for No Trump. An Ace was assigned 6 points, the King 4 points, the Queen 3 points, the Jack 2 points, and the Ten 1 point.

Reject
1. regarding a game-try or a slam-try;
2. regarding an invitation to take a particular action;
3. fail either to make the call suggested or invited, or to move in that direction;
4. to state or imply unwillingness to cooperate with partner's suggestion;
5. regarding a transfer, fail to make the call suggested by the transfer.

Relay
1. a minimum bid unrelated to the bidder’s hand or holding with the goal of keeping the auction open in order that the bidder’s partner can further describe his hand or holding;
2. the practice of sharing boards at duplicate bridge, sometimes necessary playing 6 or 8 or 12 table Mitchell movement in which 24 boards are to be played;
3. in England, a term to describe a byestand.

Relay Bids
Tracing the history of Relay Bids, one comes across several notable names in bridge history. The first Relay System was developed by Mr. Pierre Ghestem of France around the early 1950s. In 1972 Mr. Dave Cliff developed the Relay System to the extent that it was accepted by many bridge players around the world. The Relay System is a system based on the idea that one player should make one or a series of minimum bids, or relays, in order to acquire sufficient information about the hand of his partner to be able to place the final contract.

Reverse Relay Bids
These are bids made per partnership agreement when using different bidding systems. There are employed in the Blue Team Club bidding system and also the Ultimate Club bidding system. For additional information, review especially the 1 Club opening in .pdf file format at Ultimate Club.

Shape Showing Relay Bids
These are bids made per partnership agreement when using different bidding systems. There are employed in the Blue Team Club bidding system and also the Ultimate Club bidding system. For additional information, review especially the 1 Club opening in .pdf file format at Ultimate Club. The object of the Shape-Showing Relay bids is to show the shape of the holding after the number of controls have been established.

Unbalanced Hand Relay Bids
These are bids made per partnership agreement when using different bidding systems. There are employed in the Blue Team Club bidding system and also the Ultimate Club bidding system. For additional information, review especially the 1 Club opening in .pdf file format at Ultimate Club.

Relay Club Opening Bids
These opening bids were devised by Mr. S.G. Bose Mullic of New Delhi, India, in 1976. They are the result of the study of several other opening bidding sequences and/or requirements such as the French Alpha, Beta, Gamma, and Monaco opening bids, all of which employ the use of canapé and relay sequences.

1 : 17+ HCPs Any shape
1 : 10-16 HCPs 4+ Diamonds
or: 15-16 HCPs Balanced shape
1 : 10-16 HCPs 4+ Hearts
1 : 10-16 HCPs 4+ Spades
1 NT: 12-14 HCPs Balanced shape
2 : 10-16 HCPs 6+ Clubs
or: 10-16 HCPs Distribution: 4-4-4-1 or 5-4-5-0 with 4-5 Clubs
2 : 10-16 HCPs Distribution: 5-4 plus in both Major suits
2 : 10-16 HCPs 5+ Hearts and 4+ Clubs
2 : 10-16 HCPs 5+ Spades and 4+ Clubs
2NT: 10-16 HCPs Distribution: 5-4 plus in the Minor suits

Relay Mitchell
A method of play for duplicate based on the Mitchell Movement when there are an even number of tables. For an even number of tables the Relay Mitchell method is used when it is desired to play as many rounds as there are table. A set of boards is shared throughout between Table 1 and the high-numbered table. A spare set of boards is left on a byestand at the mid-point: between 4 and 5 for an 8-table game, between 5 and 6 for a 10-table game, etc. Boards moving down after each round must include the byestand. This method has the advantage that all players play all boards and meet all opponents in the other line.

Relay Precision
Written by Mr. Hugh Grosvenor and Mr. Ian Robinson. This is an adaption of methods developed in New Zealand over the last few years. It is a strong club system, similar in many ways to Precision Club but using relay continuations over all of the openings. Symmetric Relay System.

Relay Precision
This version of the Symmetric Relay System is by Professor Roy Kerr and has been modified by Mr. Richard Hills in November 2000. This version has only been archived on this site in .pdf file format.

Relay Systems
These are bidding systems based on the concept that one player should make a series of minimum bids, or relays, until he has attained enough information about his partner’s hand in order to place the final contract. The first relay system was developed by Mr. Pierre Ghestem of France in 1950. Other relay systems were developed by Dr. Bertrand Romanet called the Alpha, and Mr. Pierre Collet calling his relay system the Beta, both relay systems dating back to 1965.

Relay Table
One of the tables at which the players are sharing boards for that round with an adjacent table.

Relays Over Weak Two-Bids
1. a method of responding to weak two-bids using the relay system or the cheapest bid possible. The relay bid asks the opener to bid a stopper outside of his suit, if he has one. The relay bid is absolutely forcing;
2. another method is the Symmetric Relay method, applied by any pair using weak two-bids. This method uses 2 No Trump as a relay whenever the opening is 2 Hearts or 2 Spades.

Remainders
The remaining cards of a 4-card suit or longer, outstanding in the other three hands at the bridge table. Two or three card remainders are called Balanced Remainders. One card and four card remainders are called Unbalanced Remainders.

Remove
To continue to bid after the partner has doubled for penalties.

Renege
The failure to follow suit when holding one of more cards of the suit led. A synonym for revoke. The term is a carry over from Two-Handed Pinochle and French Whist, in which players are allowed to revoke.

Renounce
This is a term from Auction Bridge and means to fail to follow suit even though it is possible.

Reopening
To take a balancing action in a position where it was possible to end the auction by passing.

Reopening Double of 1 No Trump Responses and Rebid
This is a contribution of Mr. Marvin French of San Diego, California, to whom we are indebted. This is a revised version of the original article, which appeared in Popular Bridge magazine, June 1977, and in The Bulletin of ACBL in February 1995, page 93. This is a .pdf file which will automatically be opened by your browser without being downloaded to your computer.

Reopen the Bidding
To make a bid after two passes have followed some other bid; refuse to allow the opponents to buy the contract at the present level. See: Balance.

Repeated Squeeze
See: Triple Squeeze

Repeating Triple Squeeze
See: Progressive Squeeze

Repeating
The action of leading to the establishment of a new winner as a squeeze card, typically resulting in a multi-trick gain.

Repechage
A second chance after losing in a knockout competition. A tournament form in which entrants temporarily eliminated from the main event reenter after outstanding performance in a secondary event. This was a feature of the Rosenblum Cup Teams. This event was added to the World Pair Championships in 1978 to honor Mr. Julius Rosenblum, who was the former President of the World Bridge Federation. Although the event was primarily a knockout, the event originally had an unusual feature, and that was the element that allowed a defeated team to get a second chance, or a Repechage, to compete.

Replay Duplicate
A form of duplicate in which just two pairs play against each other, playing the same boards but first in one position, and then in the other position. Popular in the Twenties, but now obsolete.

Replier
This designation refers to a player, who makes a call based on the request by the partner for specific information based on a partnership understanding.

REPO
A form of responsive bids after the opponents attempt to disrupt the line of communication when using any form of Blackwood to determine the amount of Key Cards. A Redouble indicates an Even number of Key Cards whereas a Pass indicates an Odd number of Key Cards. See: Blackwood After Interference.

Re-Raise
Slang: a term for opener’s rebid on the Three Level of the same suit after partner has raised the same suit only to the Two Level, indicating an invitation to game with maximum and to pass with a minimum.

Rerebid
This is a term to designate the third bid of a player pertaining to the same suit or to bid again a suit already bid twice by the same player.

Rescue
This is a term for partner’s action of bidding another suit or No Trump after partner has already doubled for penalties. There are three factors to be considered when taking such an action:
1. the length of the doubled suit;
2. the level of the potential rescue;
3. the quality of the rescuer’s suit compared with the likely quality of the doubled suit.

Rescue Bid
A bid, normally based on a long suit, made with less than normal values owing to a misfit with the partner’s bid suit after it has been doubled.

Rescue Redouble
A S.O.S. redouble.

Reserve One’s Rights
A player, in special tournaments and circumstances, can announce that he reserves his rights. The announcement is made when there is a possibility of an opponent having received certain unauthorized information. This feature is not available in ACBL sanctioned events, rather the director must be called immediately.

Resock or Rewind
Slang: to redouble.

Respond
To make a bid after an opening bid by partner.

Responder
The partner of the opener.

Responder’s Rebid
The second bid by the responder after his partner has rebid.

Responding To An Opening Bid
The first response by the partner of the opener should follow certain guidelines in assessing the values and the strength of his holding.

Response
Normally the bid by a player whose partner has opened the bidding, but can be applied to describe a response to an overcall, a takeout double, a cuebid, a conventional bid, and so forth.

Responsive Double
The use of a double for takeout when there has been an immediate raise to the two or three level over partner’s takeout double. The concept was originated by Dr. F. Fielding-Reid. For example: in the bidding sequence 1 Spade - double showing Hearts - 2 Spades - double by the doubler's partner shows the two unbid suits, generally 4-4 distribution.

Restricted Choice
A mathematically based guideline for analyzing suit combinations. In general, the guideline states that a play of a card which may have been selected as a choice of equal plays increases the chance that the player started with a holding in which his choice was restricted. The main principles of the Rule of Restricted Choice were first mentioned by Mr. Alan Truscott in the Contract Bridge Journal, and later published by Mr. Terence Reese in his book Master Play.

Result Merchant or Player
A partner, or a spectator, who suggests a line of play that would have been successful after declarer has failed to fulfill the contract with a different strategy of play. Sometimes referred to as: Monday-Morning Quarterback.

Retain The Lead
To continue to lead the first card to a trick after having won the previous trick.

Retek Trophy
This trophy is awarded to the player who wins the most masterpoints at the CanAm Regional.

Retransfer
The act of transferring one's partner into a suit previously transfered into.

Return
To lead back the same suit partner has lead or signaled.

Reunion - Comité de Bridge de la Reunion
Founded in 1993.
Contact Address
83 bis Chemin Stephan Rebecca
97410  Saint Pierre
Reunion
Telephone: +262-253 276

Revaluation
The reassessment of a hand after receiving information through the bidding process. This reassessment procedure can, based on the ascertained information, increase or decrease the value of the hand.

Revalue
To adjust the hand valuation based on the progress of the auction.

Reverse Benjamin
A version of ACOL, where 2 Clubs is game-forcing, 2 Diamonds shows an ACOL Two Bid, and 2 Hearts/Spades are weak. See Benjamin convention.

Reverse Bid
This is an unforced rebid at the Two Level or more in a higher ranking suit than that originally bid. This bidding method normally shows a 5-card length in the lower first-bid suit and at least a 4-card length in the higher ranking suit, and at least 15 high card points. A reverse bid can also be used by the responder. The High Reverse method used in England is to bid a third suit in an uncontested auction which prevents the responder from returning to the original suit at the level of two.

Reverse Count
A method of giving count by playing low-high to indicate an even number of cards. The reverse is to play high-low to indicate an odd number of cards. The concept originated in Sweden.

Reverse Drury
After a third or fourth seat opening of 1 Spade or 1 Heart, a 2 Clubs response shows a strong raise of opener’s suit, about 9 to 11 points. The opener then rebids his suit on the Two Level to show a minimum hand. Other rebids by the opener are natural and considered forcing.

Reverse Dummy
See: Dummy Reversal.

Reverse Flannery
An opening bid of 2 Diamonds to show a minimum opening hand with four Hearts and five Spades. This method is generally used by those partnerships playing Canape.

Reverse Signals or UDCA
A defense signaling method of informing one's partner as to attitude towards the card led and/or both count and attitude.

1. A relatively low card encourages the continuation of a suit being led.

2. A relatively high card discourages the continuation of a suit being led.

Advantages:

Avoids wasting a high card to signal positive attitude in a suit.

Reduces the possibility of false carding by declarer.

Reverse Smith Echo or Signal
See: Smith Echo or Signal

Reverse Swiss
The use of an unusual jump shift rebid by the opener to make a game raise of responder’s suit and which promises strength in values as opposed to distributional strength.

Review The Bidding
A player who has not heard or understood a call or bid has the right to require that a previous call or the entire auction be repeated or reviewed. This is the right of any player at his/her turn, unless he/she is required by Law to pass. In duplicate, the declarer or either of the defenders can require such a review at his own first turn to play, even after the auction has been completed and play has started. See Law 20.

LAW 20 - REVIEW AND EXPLANATION OF CALLS

A. Call Not Clearly Heard

A player who does not hear a call distinctly may forthwith require that it be repeated.

B. Review of Auction during Auction Period

During the auction period, a player is entitled to have all  previous calls restated when it is his turn to call, unless he is required by law to pass; Alerts should be included in the restatement.

C. Review after Final Pass

1. Opening Lead Inquiry

After the final pass either defender has the right to ask if it is his opening lead (see Law 47E and Law 41).

2. Review of Auction

Declarer or either defender may, at his first turn to play, require all  previous calls to be restated (see Law 41B and Law 41C).

D. Who May Review the Auction

A request to have calls restated shall be responded to only by an opponent.

E. Correction of Error in Review

All players, including dummy or a player required by law to pass, are responsible for prompt correction of errors in restatement (see Law 12C1 when an uncorrected review causes damage).

F. Explanation of Calls

1. During the Auction

During the auction and before the final pass, any player, at his own turn to call, may request  a full explanation of the opponents' auction (questions may be asked about calls actually made or about relevant calls available but not made); replies should normally be given by the partner of a player who made a call in question (see Law 75C).

2. During the Play Period

After the final pass and throughout the play period, either defender at his own turn to play may request  an explanation of opposing auction. At his or dummy's turn to play, the declarer may request an explanation of a defender's call or card play conventions.

Revised Cappelletti
This concept is a variation of the Cappelletti Convention, which is a defense mechanism to an opening by an opponent of No Trump. The origin is unknown. Mr. Michael Cappelletti created the original defense mechanism to an opponent's No Trump opening and it is employed either in the direct seat or in the balancing seat.

Revised Pottage
This designation describes a defense mechanism employed after the opponents have opened the auction with No Trump. It is also referred to as: Crowhurst and Multi-Landy.

Revoke
The play of a card of another suit by a player who is able to follow suit or comply with a lead penalty. See Laws 61 to 64.

Revolving Discards
This version of discarding to communicate with the partner playing defense was devised and developed by Mr. J. Attwood. This is a method of discarding which assigns a suit preference meaning to the first discard on any hand. A low card calls for the suit below the suit in which the signal is given, and a high card for the suit above. The suits are considered in a circle - Spades - Hearts - Diamonds - Clubs - Spades - etc. - with Spades below the Club suit. Therefore, a low discard of a Club on a Heart lead would request a Spade return, and a high Club would call for a Diamond return.

A second method is that a low card asks for the lower-ranking of the other two suits, and a high card asks for the higher-ranking suit. See: Lavinthal Signals

Rewind
Slang: to redouble.

Rex Bridge
This is a Swedish variation on contract bridge in which any player may introduce a Rex call at any time, which ranks between Spades and Hearts. It is a No Trump contract except that the Ace of each suit ranks below the deuce, and the King is the high card in each suit. The remaining cards maintain their own rank with respect to the King of that suit.

R/H 4 No Trump Convention
A non-jump bid of 4 No Trump after a trump suit has been established to ask about the three top honors of the trump suit. The responses are:

1. 5 of the trump suit with none of the top three trump honors
2. 5 No Trump with three of the top three trump honors
3. responds in a non-trump suit with one or two of the top three trump honors, as follows
Responses: a. Lowest side suit shows either a King or a Queen
b. Middle side suit shows an Ace
c. Highest side suit shows any two of the top three honors

RHO
An abbreviation for Right-Hand Opponent or the player to one's right.

Rhythm
The situation in which the bidding and the play follows in a uniform tempo. The accent is not on speed of the bidding and/or the play, but based on its uniformity.

Ribbon Event Eligibility

These Conditions of Contest may not be changed at any level of play during the course of this event.

Lack of knowledge does not constitute cause for exemption.

I. RED RIBBON ELIGIBILITY:

(Qualifications that were won previous to 1991 that expired and/or were credited to a player entered in a Blue Ribbon Event prior to 1991 no longer count as a Red Ribbon Qualification. No qualification earned previous to 1986 may count.)

1. First through eighth in all North American Bridge Championship knockout events with an upper masterpoint limit of at least 300 and not more than 1500.

2. First through 10th and ties in North American Bridge Championships of four or more sessions that have an upper masterpoint limit of no more than 1500 masterpoints.

3. First and second (including ties) in all regionally rated red or gold point events of two or more sessions that have an upper limit of at least 300 points and of no more than 1500 masterpoints.

4. Members of the Flight B and the Non-Life Masters District Champions in the Grand National Teams.

5. First and second (including ties) in Non-Life Master single-site District finals; first-place pairs at each site in split-site District finals.

6. First and second (including ties) in the North American 49er Pairs final at the NABC.

7. 10th overall or better in the North American Junior Pair Championship for players who do not receive Blue Ribbon qualification.

8. First and second (including ties) in the North American Youth Championship.

9. First and Second place finishers in the National Final of Flight B and Non-Life Master Flight of the GNT and the Non-Life Master Flight of North American Pairs (NAP).

10. Players with a Blue Ribbon or Silver Ribbon qualification provided they do not have more than 2000 masterpoints as of the last point notification prior to the event.

11. First and second in any bracket of a bracketed KO which does not award 100% gold points for overall placing when no member of the team has more than 1500 masterpoints.

II. SILVER RIBBON ELIGIBILITY

Silver Ribbon eligibility will be earned for first and second place (and ties) in the following qualifying events: gold and/or red point, regional and higher-rated Senior (55 years of age or older) events of at least two sessions with an upper masterpoint limit at least 300.

Players with Blue or Red Ribbon qualification provided that they are 55 years of age or older at the beginning of the event.

III. BLUE RIBBON ELIGIBILITY

(Qualifications that were won previous to 1991 that expired and/or were credited to a player entered in a Blue Ribbon Event prior to 1991 no longer count as a Blue Ribbon Qualification. In no instance may a qualification won prior to 1986 be counted.)

1. First through eighth in the Vanderbilt, Spingold, Women's, or Senior Knockout Teams at NABC Championships.

2. First through 10th and all ties in all other nationally rated events that have an upper masterpoint limit of more than 1500 masterpoints.

3. Except for Continuous Pairs/Side Game Series type events, first and second (including ties) in all Gold Point Regionally-Rated Events with no upper masterpoint limit or with an upper masterpoint limit of more than 1500 masterpoints. For bracketed KOs the foregoing applies to brackets issuing 100% gold points and for an applicable team in any bracket having at least one member with more than 1500 masterpoints.

4. The 100 players having the greatest total of master-points as of the Sept. 1 ACBL computer cycle.

5. All members of the Championship and A Flight District champions in the Grand National Teams and the winners and zonal champions in the Canadian National Team Championship Flight A.

6. Winners of the Canadian Women's Team Championship.

7. First and clear second in single-site District finals of North American Open Pairs - Flight A and Flight B. First and ties for first in multiple site District finals.

8. First through 10th in the North American Junior Pair Championship (not to exceed 5% of pairs entered).

9. First and Second (including ties) in the National Final of the Championship and A Flights of the GNT and Flights A and B of the North American Open Pairs (NAOP).

10. All past world champions.

11. Canadian Open Pairs - Regionally Rated (COPC), Mexican Grand National Teams,(MGNTC), Bermuda National Pairs (BNPC), and Bermuda National Teams (BNTC). 1st and 2nd place finishers in the pair events and winners of the team events.

IV. RIBBON RELATIONSHIPS

The following chart shows how Blue, Silver and Red Ribbon relate:

Qualification

Where qualification can be used

Qualification Earned Blue Red Silver
Blue Yes *Yes **Yes
Red No *Yes **Yes
Silver No *Yes **Yes

* Player must have fewer than 2000 masterpoints as of the last point confirmation card mailed prior to the event. If you do not receive point confirmation cards, call 901-332-5586, Ext. 307, for information on your status.

** Player must be at least 55 years of age as of the beginning of the event.

Richmond Trophy
The Richmond Trophy was first introduced in 1974. Named after Mr. David G. Richmond it is annually awarded to the Canadian that wins the most Masterpoints each year. Mr. David G. Richmond donated a handsome trophy in May, 1976 to be awarded each year to Canada's top masterpoint winner. It was retroactively awarded first to the 1974 and 1975 winners. Mr. David Richmond was a well-known and historic figure in Winnipeg history. He was elected treasurer of the Winnipeg Bridge Club in 1951, became Winnipeg's second Life Master in 1958 and in that year assumed the Presidency of the Manitoba Unit No.181. Under his leadership the unit flourished. He sponsored Saskatchewan’s entry into District 14 and also helped Thunder Bay become a full fledged member in the District. He served two three-year terms as President of District 14 and was second alternate of District 14 for six years. Mr. David Richmond was a registered Life Member of the National Goodwill Committee of the ACBL and a member of the Board of Governors of the ACBL for District 2. His greatest concern was for the charity aspect of the ACBL and he claimed that he derived the most satisfaction when he and his committee brought the Charity Shield to the Manitoba Unit for the first time in District 14. The Charity Shield came to the Manitoba Unit two years later for a repeat performance.
1974 John Carruthers Toronto, Ontario
1975 Mike Schoenborn Toronto, Ontario
1976 Bruce Ferguson New Westminster, British Columbia
1977 Bruce Ferguson New Westminster, British Columbia
1978 Bruce Ferguson Calgary, Alberta
1979 Mark Molson Montreal
1980 Mark Molson Montreal
1981 George Mittelman Toronto, Ontario
1982 Mark Molson Montreal
1983 Mark Molson Montreal
1984 Mark Molson Montreal
1985 Cliff Campbell Thunder Bay, Ontario
1986 Cliff Campbell Thunder Bay, Ontario
1987 Gary Tomczyk Parksville, British Columbia
1988 Robert Crawford Vancouver, British Columbia
1989 Gary Tomczyk Parksville, British Columbia
1990 Robert Crawford Vancouver, British Columbia
1991 Cameron Doner Vancouver, British Columbia
1992 Cliff Campbell Thunder Bay, Ontario
1993 Cliff Campbell Thunder Bay, Ontario
1994 Martin Caley Montreal
1995 Ken Warren Pickering, Ontario
1996 Martin Caley Montreal
1997 Hans Jacob Aurora, Ontario
1998 Kenny Gee Regina Saskatchewan
1999 Kenny Gee Regina Saskatchewan
2000 Kenny Gee Regina Saskatchewan
2001 Kenny Gee Regina Saskatchewan
2002 Kenny Gee Regina Saskatchewan
2003 Kenny Gee Regina Saskatchewan
Kenny Gee
2003 Year of the Ram
Kenny Gee wins 6 in a row
Retires from the Richmond Trophy Race

I would like to thank all my partners and teammates for their efforts which contributed to my 6th straight win of the Richmond Trophy. This will be my last Richmond. I have asked the CBF to remove my name from the Richmond Trophy Race. I have enjoyed the last 6 years and it is time to pass the torch. I wish all the Canadians luck this year. I am sure 2004 will be another great year for all bridge players.

Richter 1 Spade Response to a 1 Club Opening Bid
The origin of this response is unknown. This first response to a 1 Club opening bid by partner can show any of the following holdings. Source: Orange Book EBU, Section 13.

1. A balanced holding with no 4-card Major suit and any defined values.
2. May show Diamonds. Invitational or better values.
3. A very weak raise in Clubs.

Ride
1. to take a finesse;
2. to fail to cover;
3. a large penalty, referring to the usage in the illegal side of the law when a victim is "taken for a ride".

Riffle
A form of light shuffling in which the cards from two halves of the pack are interleaved.

Right-Hand Player
The player who, in rotation, acts before the given player. There are distinctions in the rules between irregular acts committed by the right-hand or left-hand player. Generally, the term is used to refer to the player sitting to the right of the declarer after the play commences.

Right Side
A term which refers to the more favorable placement of declarer in relation to the cards held by the opponents as compared to the opposite side of the table, which could eventually result in a losing finesse, for example.

Rightside
The act of placing the declarer on the more favorable side, generally to put a particular opponent on lead, who has taken such action as to suggest that this action would be preferable.

Rights of the Player
A player does not forfeit his/her rights if the director is called after an irregularity has occurred. Neither does an opponent of the violator lose any rights if the violator or his partner is the first to call attention to the irregularity.

Righty
Slang: right hand opponent.

RIPO
The reverse of ROPI. RIPO is a method for dealing with interference after the start of Blackwood, and is an acronym for Reverse 1 (One), Pass zerO. This method has lead to some misunderstanding between the partners, and is now not commonly applied.

Ripstra
An overcall of an opening of 1 No Trump in a Minor suit to show a three-handed holding. This method was developed by Mr. J.G. Ripstra, and promises a shortage in the unbid Minor.

Rise
To play a high card as opposed to a low card.

Ritter Stayman or Ritter Strength Showing Stayman or Ritter Stayman Variation
These are unsubstantiated designations for a seldom employed Stayman variation, which asks via a Stayman bid of 2 Clubs the No Trump bidder to first show minimum or maximum values and possible distribution. See: Stayman - Strength Showing, which is the accepted designation.

RKCB
An acronym for Roman Key Card Blackwood.

Robert Coup
This coup is the unnecessary expenditure of a trump in order to preserve a plain suit card to lead later in the play. This coup was named by Mr. Robert Darvas of Hungary. For example a typical ending: West holds KQ10 of trumps, North J2 of trumps and a plain-suit card, South A3 of trumps and a plain-suit card of a different suit. By leading South's plain-suit card, North-South can take two tricks.

Robertson Point Count
A point count published by Mr. Edmund Robertson in 1904.

Ace:
 7 points
King:
 5 points
Queen:
 3 points
Jack:
 2 points
Ten:
 1 point

A variation of this point count is the Bamberger Point Count used by the Vienna System:

Ace:
 7 points
King:
 5 points
Queen:
 3 points
Jack:
 1 point

Robinson
A defensive bidding system against the Forcing Club Convention. It was developed by Mr. Kit Woolsey and named for his long time partner, Mr. Steve Robinson.

Double:
 Strong, promising 16+ high card points.
1 :
 Shows a black two-suiter or a red two-suiter.
1 :
 Shows a Major two-suiter or a Minor two-suiter.
1 :
 Natural and generally weak in values.
1 NT:
 Shows a Club-Heart two-suiter or a Diamond-Spade two-suiter.
2 any suit:
 Promises a natural one-suited overcall.

Roche Defense Against 1 No Trump
The origin of this modification of the convention is unknown, although the concept may attributed to Mr. Michael J. Roche of Ontario, Canada. The features behind the concept of this variation are employed after a No Trump opening by an opponent.

Rock Crusher
Slang: a very powerful hand.

Rockwell Trophy
This trophy was donated by Helen Rockwell in 1946 for the North American Mixed Pair Championship. This trophy replaced the Hilliard Trophy contested as a four-session event at the Fall North American Championships.

Rolling
1. This is a term referring to any variation of the Blackwood and Gerber conventions, whereby the cheapest rebid outside the agreed trump suit asks for Kings wholesale.
2. This term also refers to the bid of 4 No Trump, which encourages the partner to bid slam without making any explicit reference to any specific control or controls.

Rolling Blackwood
A variation of the Blackwood convention in which the cheapest non-trump bid, instead of 5 No Trump, asks for the holding of Kings. Also called Sliding Blackwood.

Rolling Gerber
A variation of the Gerber convention in which the cheapest non-trump bid, instead of 5 Clubs, ask for Kings.

Roman Asking Bids
A feature of the Roman System which has partly incorporated into the 1969 version of the Kaplan-Sheinwold System. Both systems limit the use of the asking bids to jump bids that would otherwise or normally carry no meaning. For example: 1 Diamond is raised to 3 Diamonds, and the opener would rebid 4 Diamonds, which then becomes a cuebid. If the opener rebids 5 Diamonds, then this is an Asking Bid.

Roman Blackwood
This conventional method, devised by expert bridge players from Italy, is a variation on the conventional method of Mr. Easley Blackwood and shows either matching and non-matching Aces, and later Kings, of the color and/or rank.

Blue Team Club Responses - Blue Team Roman Responses
The Roman Blackwood conventional method, itself a variation of the original Blackwood Convention, has a variation. This variation was devised by the Blue Team Club of Italy and was applied with some success. Blue Team was the popular name given to the Italian International Bridge Team, which had a series of huge successes starting in 1956 and ending in 1969. The main concept of the Blue Team Club Responses or Blue Team Roman Responses is the same as with the Roman Blackwood conventional method, but the first two responses have been reversed.

British Style Roman Blackwood
The Roman Blackwood conventional method, as devised by the successful Blue Team Club of Italy, proved to have a flaw in the responses in so far that the response of 5 Hearts was ambiguous. Bridge players in the United Kingdom devised a variation to overcome this flaw.

Roman Discards or Signals
A method of showing that odd-numbered spot cards are encouraging, and even-numbered spot cards are discouraging and signify a suit preference signal. Originally a part of the Roman System.

1. An odd discard encourages continuation of a suit being led.

2. An even discard discourages continuation of a suit being led.

3. A relatively high even-card suggests a shift to the higher-ranking suit other than the trump suit.

4. A relatively low even-card suggests a shift to the lower-ranking suit other than the trump suit.

Advantages:

When wishing the continuation of a suit, but lacking an odd card to encourage, the attempt to give a preference signal would appear inconsistent.

Romanet
A variation of the Secondary Squeeze, whereby one opponent, by the play of the declarer, is forced or squeezed out or a side winner or a card, which may be led to his partner's winner.

Roman Gerber
This is a modified version of the Gerber Four Club slam convention, beginning with the bid of 4 Clubs.

4 : 0 or 3 Aces
4 : 1 or 4 Aces
4 : 2 Aces

If the 4 Clubs bidder continues the bidding process with the cheapest possible bid, then he is asking for the number of Kings and subsequently Queens in the same manner. Using this method, the next-cheapest bid asks for clarification of the previous response. Holding 1 or 3 of the specified honor cards, the responder bids the control he does or does not have. With 2 honors still to be identified, the responder makes the minimum bid if they are of the same color, and the second possible bid if they are unmatched in color and rank, and the third possible bid if both are Majors or Minors.

Roman Jump Overcall
The use of a jump overcall to show a two-suited hand, specifically the suit bid and the next higher ranking suit excluding the suit of the opener. For example, if the opening bid is 1 Diamond, then:

2 : Shows Hearts and Spades
2 : Shows Spades and Clubs
3 : Shows Clubs and Hearts

The strength needed to overcall in such a manner is generally that necessary to make an opening bid. If the two-suited holding is stronger in values and/or distribution, then this is indicated by a conventional 2 No Trump overcall.

Roman Key Card Blackwood
This variation of Blackwood includes the King of trumps as the fifth Ace. After a 4 No Trump bid, the responder bids 5 Clubs to show 0 or 3 Key Cards; 5 Diamonds to show 1 or 4 key Cards; 5 Hearts to show 2 or 5 Key Cards without the Queen of trumps, and 5 Spades to show 2 or 5 Key Cards with the Queen of trumps.

RKCB Void Showing Variation - This variation of the original conventional method was developed by Mr. Chip Martel and Mr. Lew Stansby to show a void in addition to the number of held Keycards. This variation employs different responses if the void has been established in advance during the auction.

Roman Key Card Gerber 0314 and 1430
This variation of the Gerber convention is devised similarly to the variation of Roman Keycard Blackwood, and has also a variation designated as Roman Keycard Gerber 1430. The principles are the same, but they are not to be confused with Key Card Gerber or Roman Gerber.

6-Ace Roman Key Card Blackwood
This conventional method, otherwise known by its abbreviated designation 6A-RKCB, is considered to be a natural extension of the concept known as Roman Key Card Blackwood, whereby the Key Card Bidder asks for five known Key Cards. However, the 6A-RKCB conventional method asks for eight known Key Cards, the four Aces, the two Kings, and the two Queens. The one difference is that the Roman Key Card Blackwood conventional method applies to only one known suit fit, whereas the 6A-RKCB conventional method applies to two known suit fits.

Roman Leads
The origin of these specific leads is an additional innovation to the Roman Discards method, and is an extension thereof. Roman Discards and Roman Signals were an integral part of the Roman System. It is a method of showing that odd-numbered spot cards are encouraging, and even-numbered spot cards are discouraging, and also to signify a suit preference signal. The principle behind Roman Leads is to lead the second highest ranking honor of two touching honors, especially when on lead, and later when a partner plays a new suit.

Roman MUD or Roman Middle-Up-Down
A method of leading from four small cards. The opening leader leads the second highest from his four small cards, then follows with the highest, then with the third highest and finally plays the lowest. An example would be: S: 8642. The lead is the 6, followed by the 8, followed by the 4, followed by the 2. This principle of leading is normally confined to the opening lead only.

Roman System
A bidding system developed by Mr. Walter Avarelli and Mr. Giorgio Belladonna. A 1 Club opening is forcing and can show four different distinct types of holdings. A 1 Club opening can show 12 to 16HCPs with a 4-3-3-3 or 4-4-3-2 distribution. A 1 Diamond, a 1 Heart, and a 1 Spade opening are natural bids, and show at least a 4-card suit, and are also forcing. 2 Clubs and 2 Diamonds openings show 3-suited holdings of 4-4-4-1 or 5-4-4-0 distribution and at least 12 to 16HCPs or 17 to 20HCPs respectively. 2 Hearts and 2 Spades openings promise at least a 5-card suit with at least a 4-card Club suit. A 2 No Trump opening shows a balanced hand with 23 to 24HCPs.

Roman Two Diamonds
A bid used in the Roman System to show a strong hand with 5-4-4-0 or 4-4-4-1 distribution.

Romex Award
This award is presented by the International Bridge Press Association for the Best Bid Hand of the Year. The award was donated annually by Mr. George Rosenkranz of Mexico, who is the author of the Romex System of bidding.

Romex Bidding System
This is a 2 Clubs system developed by Mr. George Rosenkranz and by Mr. Phillip Alder. The main feature of this system is the use of the Dynamic No Trump opening, which shows a balanced hand with 19 or 20 high card points and at least 6 controls, or an unbalanced hand slightly short of the requirements for a natural 2 Clubs opening. A second feature is the application of the Mexican Two Diamonds opening, which shows a balanced hand with either 21 to 22 high card points and at least 7 controls, or 27 to 28 high card points and 10 controls, or an unbalanced game force bid with Diamonds as the longest suit, or a three-suited game force.

Dynamic No Trump - This method of opening No Trump is an integral feature of the Romex Bidding System, devised by Mr. George Rosenkranz of Mexico and Mr. Phillip Alder. The concept is that the opener may show a relatively strong holding, which is unbalanced, and which can be made on any distribution except 4-3-3-3, 4-4-3-2, or 5-3-3-2 holdings. The strength is restricted to exactly 18 to 21 points and must have at least five controls and which has only four to five losers.

Romex Gerber
After the Gerber Convention was devised, many bridge players began to apply it in their bidding auctions. They discovered that the convention had several drawbacks and decided to alter the convention. One variation is the Roman Gerber, which was adopted by many partnerships. Other partnerships devised a modification of the Roman Gerber variation, and this modification was used in the Romex Bidding System. The advantage of this modification was the fact that the certain pairs of Aces could be identified by the partnership, and therefore the location of the Aces.

Romex Jump Shifts - A short description of the requirements and restrictions included in the Romex Bidding System to allow for the bids by either partner to be forcing.

Romex Namyats - This concept is an integral part of the Romex Bidding System, devised and developed over the years by Mr. George Rosenkranz of Mexico in cooperation and collaboration with Mr. Phillip Alder. The principle behind the concept is based on the original Namyats convention, devised by Mr. Samuel Stayman. The basic structure remains the same, but the requirements are stricter and more accurately defined.

Romex Opening Bids
These opening bids were developed by Mr. George Rosenkranz of Mexico. The following schematic shows the requirements. These bids have been developed over a period of time and published in his books, co-authored with Mr. Phillip Alder, Bid To Win, Play For Pleasure, Godfrey's Bridge Challenge, and Godfrey's Stairway To The Stars.

1 : 12-22 HCPs 3+ Clubs or balanced shape
1 : 12-22 HCPs 3+ Diamonds or balanced shape
1 : 12-22 HCPs 5+ Hearts
1 : 12-22 HCPs 5+ Spades
1 NT: 19-22 HCPs Balanced shape
2 : 23+ HCPs Any shape
2 : 22+ HCPs 5+ Diamonds or distribution of 4-4-4-1 or 5-4-4-0
or: 23-24 HCPs Balanced shape
2 : 7-11 HCPs 6 Hearts
2 : 7-11 HCPs 6 Spades
2NT: 25-26 HCPs Balanced shape

Romex Stayman
A feature of the Romex Bidding System used after a 2 No Trump opening, or after a second round bid of 2 No Trump, to show similar holdings of slightly different strength and values.

3 NT: shows both Major suits
3 : shows a 5-card Spade suit
3 : shows either a 4-card or 5-card Heart suit
3 : shows neither condition of the above

1. After a 3 Diamond rebid, a bid of 3 Hearts asks for a 4-card Spade suit.
2. After a 3 Hearts rebid, a bid of 3 Spades asks for additional information. The opener will rebid 3 No Trump with only a 4-card Heart suit.

Using the Romex Stayman method, the partnership can locate a 3-5 fit in either of the Major suits.

Romex Stayman Over 2 NT and 1 NT - Mr. Marshall Miles, Mr. George Rosenkranz, the developer of the Romex Bidding System, and others developed this alternative to Puppet Stayman.

Romex Trump Asking Bids - The Romex Bidding System, devised by Mr. George Rosenkranz and Mr. Phillip Alder employs the 2 Clubs opening as an artificial bid, which is forcing to game. The Trump Asking Bids are conducted in Step Responses, and the trump suit may change during the bidding sequence. This asking bid occurs also after a 1 No Trump opening or a 2 Clubs opening bid. If both partners have agreed upon a trump suit, any other bid suit or a No Trump bid becomes, by partnership agreement, a Trump Asking Bid or TAB.

RONF
An acronym for Raise Only Non-Force, and used as a response to Weak Two-Bids.

Rookie
An ACBL member who has fewer than 5 full masterpoints recorded by the ACBL.

ROPI
There have been bridge experiences in the past, where the Blackwood Convention has been initiated, and the Left Hand Opponent of the Blackwood Bidder has doubled. This double could be a Lead-Directing Double. Some bridge players have agreed to use ROPI if this call has been made. ROPI stands for Redouble shows zero (0) Aces and a Pass shows one (1) Ace.

Rosenblum Cup Teams
This event was added to the World Pair Championships in 1978 to honor Mr. Julius Rosenblum, who was the former president of the World Bridge Federation. Although the event was primarily a knockout, the event originally had an unusual feature, and that was the element that allowed a defeated team to get a second chance, or a Repechage, to compete.

Rosenkranz Award
This award was endowed by Mr. George Rosenkranz and is the Romex Award for the Best Bid Hand of the Year, presented annually by the International Bridge Press Association. The Award is only given in respect of a hand which occurred in play, whether in tournament, in a match, or even in a private play.

George Rosenkranz Control Showing Responses
The original concept is designated as Control Showing Responses (also Step Responses) to a Strong, Artificial 2 Clubs opening. These original responses should be viewed first and then the variation and/or version as suggested by Mr. George Rosenkranz, which not only show the number of controls but also possible stoppers in suits for a suitable No Trump contract.

Rosenkranz Double and Rosenkranz Redouble
A convention devised by Mr. George Rosenkranz of Mexico to help an overcaller more accurately judge and evaluate his holding in respect to the response of the responder. If a player overcalls an opening bid and the next player makes a bid, a double by the partner of the overcaller shows a raise in partner's suit that includes the Ace, King or Queen of that suit. If the partner of the opening bidder makes a Negative Double over the overcall, then a Redouble by the partner of the overcaller shows a raise with one of the top three honors. This feature has also been designated as the Rosenkranz Redouble and also Honor Redouble.

Conversely, if the partner of the overcaller, in either situation, merely raises the suit bid by the overcaller, this indicates that he does not hold one of the top three honors in the suit of his partner.

Some partnership agreements contain the feature of the Reverse Rosenkranz Double, whereby the double, or redouble, denies a top honor in the suit of the overcaller.

The following auction plus the explanations of the multiple responses by West, known as the advancer, illustrates the original conventional method. If South doubles, then West can redouble to communicate the exact same information.

North
East
South
West
1 //
1
2 //
?
Double:
This promises a minimum raise with at least a 3-card plus support for partner's suit, AND includes either an Ace, a King, or a Queen in the suit of the overcaller.
2 :
This promises a minimum raise with at least a 3-card plus support for partner's suit, AND denies either an Ace, a King, or a Queen in the suit of the overcaller.
3 //:
(or the suit of the overcaller) - This is a limit raise or better, AND denies either an Ace, a King, or a Queen in the suit of the overcaller.
3 :
This is a preemptive raise in the suit of partner.

The alternative meaning for the double after three suits have been bid is for Takeout, showing five cards in the unbid suit and moderate strength. See: Snapdragon.

See also: Guildenstern, which is a variation whereby the meanings of the redouble and the direct raise are reversed.

See also: Munson Redouble, which is a variation whereby the redouble shows a shortage, which includes also either the Ace or King, devised by Kitty Munson Cooper.

Rosenkranz Spiral Scan
The following is a description of the Spiral Scan originated by Mr.George Rosenkranz. The conventional method is used for uncovering key side-suit Kings and Queens. Using the Spiral Scan, the bridge player does not have to ask for cards already held. The player can immediately zero in on the card, which is hopefully the partner holds.

Rotation
The order in which actions occur at the bridge table. In the auction, the dealer has the first action which can be a call or bid. The dealer is followed by the player to his left, followed by the dealer’s partner, and then by the declarer’s right hand opponent. Regarding the play of the hand, the player to the left of the declarer makes the initial lead, followed by declarer’s play from the tabled dummy, then by the declarer’s right hand opponent, followed with a play by the declarer. Any deviation from this clock-wise rotation in the auction or play constitutes an irregularity and the director must be summoned to clarify the situation, and assign penalties if necessary.

Roth Asking Bid
A method used by the responder, whose partner has opened the bidding at a preemptive Three Level, to clarify the holding of the preemptive bidder. Devised by Mr. Alvin Roth. An overcall of 4 Clubs asks for the following responses:

4 : shows a bad Diamond holding and a weak values
4 : shows a good Heart suit and two of the top three honors
4 : shows a good holding and a broken Spade suit
4 NT: shows a solid suit and possible slam possibility

Roth Count
The Roth Count was devised and named after Mr. Alvin Roth. This count method quantifies the point-count adjustments in evaluating the hand. It applies the 4-3-2-1 Work point-count for honor cards and the basic 3-2-1 Goren Count for shortness. It adds distributional points for long suits, and 1 point for any 6-card Major suit or for a good 6-card Minor suit. For any 7-card Major suit or for a good 7-card Minor suit, 2 distributional points are added.

Roth Four Clubs Response To Preemptive Bids on the Three Level - This conventional method was originated by Mr. Alvin Leon Roth, a bridge author and theoretician, who partnered often with Mr. Jeff Rubens and Mr. Tobias Stone. The following concept was conceived by him to force the continuation of the auction following a preemptive bid by the partner on the three level in any suit. The main feature of this concept entails the desire of the responder to explore the possibilities of not only a game contract, but also the possibility of a slam contract.

Roth Hand Evaluation
This evaluation is based on the Roth Point Count, developed by Mr. Alvin Roth and published 1968 in the book Modern Bridge Bidding Complete by Mr. Alvin Roth and Mr. Jeff Rubens. Also in .pdf file format.

Roth Over No Trump
This conventional defense method was devised and developed by Mr. Alvin Roth. This particular conventional defense method, employed after an opening of No Trump by an opponent, allows the intervenor to show weak, but distribution holdings with a 5-5 distributional pattern. The defense method also includes the possibility of showing a one-suited holding in either Major suit, but not a Minor two-suited holding.

Rothschild Contract Bridge Bidding System, The
This is a designation for a bidding system contained and explained in the publication titled The Rothschild Contract Bridge Bidding System, publisded in 1931. Library of Congress code is LC: ca 31000449. The originator and developer is assumed to be Mr. Joseph M. Rothschild. Any additional information will be greatly appreciated.

Roth Stone Astro
This is a modification of the Astro convention. A 1 No Trump opening is overcalled by an opponent and the different calls and bids mean certain features.

1. an overcall of 2 Clubs shows Clubs and Spades
2. an overcall of 2 Diamonds shows Diamonds and Spades
3. an overcall of 3 Hearts shows Clubs and Hearts
4. an overcall of 3 Spades shows Diamonds and Hearts
5. an overcall of a double shows Hearts and Spades

Roth-Stone Opening Bids
These opening bids were developed by Mr. Alvin Roth and Mr. Tobias Stone.

1 : 13-21 HCPs 3+ Clubs
1 : 13-21 HCPs 3+ Diamonds
1 : 13-21 HCPs 5+ Hearts
1 : 13-21 HCPs 5+ Spades
1 NT: 15-17 HCPs Balanced shape
2 : 22+ HCPs Any shape
2 : 8-12 HCPs 6 Diamonds
2 : 8-12 HCPs 6 Hearts
2 : 8-12 HCPs 6 Spades
2NT: 20-22 HCPs Balanced shape

The bidding sequence of 1 Major - 1 No Trump, in their system is forcing for one round, which is now considered to be the 1 No Trump Forcing convention. Any 2-over-1 bidding sequence is considered to be game-forcing. The system also employs controlled psychic bids and is considered to be the forerunner or foundation, upon which Mr. Richard Walsch based his more modern version.

Roth-Stone System
A bidding system based on sound opening bids, five-card Majors, forcing 1 No Trump responses, preemptive jump overcalls and responses, and negative doubles. Developed by Mr. Alvin Roth and Mr. Tobias Stone. Since the first publication of this system in 1953, the system has been constantly modified and re-published in 1958.

Roth Texas Convention
This variation of the Texas Convention was developed by Mr. Alvin Roth, and was described in his publication Picture Bidding, published in 1991 by Granovetter Books, ISBN: 0940257114.The idea of the concept is the realization that a Texas transfer bid may result in a game contract, which may catch the No Trump bidder with a very weak 2-card suit.

Roudy Convention - This conventional method is considered popular in the country of France and is applied after the responder has bid 1 Spade, which has a definite significance.

Round