Glossary S

BRIDGE GLOSSARY

Sack
Slang: to sacrifice.

Sacrifice
To deliberately bid above one's trick-taking potential in the hope of losing fewer points than if the opponents were allowed to play and make their contract.

Sætre, Jan Einar and Skoglund, Tore System Declaration
In this System Declaration of these two bridge players from Norway, they have established guidelines, by which their partnership understanding has been established. This information is only preserved and archived here. Attention has been carefully given to the format of this System Declaration, which is in English, and nothing has been added or substracted. This is a .pdf file format, and, depending on your browser, will be automatically downloaded to your computer and automatically opened with Adobe Acrobat or opened automatically by your browser without being downloaded.

Safety Level
This is the maximum level which a partnership can reasonably reach without any risk in order to explore the possibility of a higher contract, game, slam, or even to compete against the bidding of the opponents.

Safety Play
The best line of strategy by the declarer to make the contract, or to reduce the risk of a defeat, disregarding extra tricks that might be made in some other way. A safety play refers normally to a specific suit and the management thereof, in order to win the most tricks possible in that suit by respecting and recognizing the possible unfavorable split held by the opponents.

Saint Mandé
In the Acol bidding system, especially the Benjamin Opening Bids on the two level, a 2 Clubs opening promises a range of 20-23 points and a long unspecified suit or 22-23 plus points and a balanced distribution. If the long, strong suit is actually the Club suit, then the player, by partnership agreement, can employ the bid of 3 Clubs to show this specified suit, and which has earned the nickname of 3 Clubs Saint Mande. The source of or the reason for this designation is unknown. However, Saint-Mandé is an administrative division in France, located in the department of the Valley-of-Marne and the area Island-of-France. Its inhabitants are called Saint-Mandéens. V:3-1017.

Sanction
This term refers to the permission given by the ACBL to a Club, a Unit or a District to hold a duplicate bridge event within the ACBL governed areas and to award masterpoints.

Sandbag
Slang: to pass with strong values, hoping to trap the opponents or to reenter into the bidding later in the auction.

Sandwich No Trump
This term refers to the bid of 1 No Trump, generally on the one level, of a player made between two bidding opponents after two suits have been mentioned. Generally the overcall can be made in Third Seat, but more often in Fourth Seat after partner has passed. This bid describes a distribution of 5-5 in the other two unbid suits.

If the No Trump overcall were to represent the normal No Trump range, then the opponents would secure the contract knowing that they have the majority of the points, and knowing that the partner of the No Trump overcaller holds a perhaps worthless hand double for penalty, which would result in a possible better score.

The range required is not the important factor although the values should normally be between 5 and 10/11 high card points, which are mainly located in the two unbid suits. This information, as related to the partner, can be the deciding factor in whether to sacrifice or to compete for a possibly positive score. There are many individual partnership agreements regarding a possible strictly defined range when making this bid and this is a matter of partnership agreement. The general consensus is that the application of the bid of 1 No Trump indicates that the values are generally weaker and more distributional than generally necessary to double. Two examples follow, and both represent the distribution needed and illustrate that the range is not strictly the deciding factor.

West North East South

5

KQ1085

83

AQJ92

1 Pass 1 1 NT

West North East South

5

QJ954

83

KQ1085

1 Pass 1 1 NT

Both examples may be used to apply the method of bidding 1 No Trump. However, presently the general consensus is that many bridge players, on the first example, would prefer to double to show the other two suits and possible values close to an opening, whereas the second example would be used to imply the generally accepted range of 5-10/11 high card points.

The responder normally makes a suit preference at the highest level which, if doubled, will not cost more than the opponents' expected game or part-score. If the responder cuebids, this shows equal values in the suit of the overcaller, and asks the overcaller to bid the better one.

The general consensus is also that when the player in the fourth seat, after partner passing, actually holds values for a No Trump opening, then pass is the preferable action since the partner will hold insufficient values to compete.

Sandwich Overcall
This is a term used mainly in Europe to describe an overcall and/or bid made in the fourth position after both opponents have bid. This sandwich bid may prove disadvantageous in the sense that the overcall and/or bid must be interpreted according to the partnership understanding, which would allow for several interpretations of the overcall and/or bid.

Sandwich Defense or Surrounding Play
A group of defensive suit combination plays calling for the play of the second-highest card from particular broken holdings.

San Francisco Convention
This is a 4 No Trump convention, which is sometimes referred to as the Warren Convention. It was used by many bridge players when the game of bridge was evolving and it is, to some degree, very similar to the concept of the Culbertson Four-Five No Trump convention. The origin of the designation of the convention is unknown. The 4 No Trump opener is required to hold at least two Aces before being able to make this opening. The responses by the partner show the holding of both Aces and Kings by using only one bid. In order to accomplish this, the Aces are counted as 3 points and the Kings as 1 point, and the responses are as follows:

Responder:

5 : Shows less than 3 points: no Ace and at most 2 Kings

5 : Shows 3 points: 1 Ace and no Kings, or 3 Kings

5 : Shows 4 points: 1 Ace and 1 King, or 4 Kings

5 : Shows 5 points: 1 Ace and 2 Kings

5 NT: Shows 5 points: 1 Ace and 3 Kings, or 2 Aces

6 : Shows 7 points: 2 Aces and 1 King, or 1 Ace and 4 Kings

6 : Shows 8 points: 2 Aces and 2 Kings

6 : Shows 9 points: 2 Aces and 3 Kings

6 : Shows 10 points: 2 Aces and 4 Kings

The responder can also show the number of points for the Aces and Kings even if the opener decides to open the auction with a strong, artificial 2 Clubs bid or, by partnership agreement, a Strong Two-Bid in any suit. After this opening the responder uses other bids to communicate to partner the number of points held. This is outlined below using the example of 2 Clubs:

Opener Responder

2 5 Shows no points

5 Shows 1 point

5 Shows 2 points

5 Shows 3 points

5 NT Shows 4 points

6 Shows 5 points

6 Shows 6 points

6 Shows 7 points

6 Shows 8 points

6 NT Show 9 points, etc.

In the case of Strong Two-Bids, made in any suit, the immediate jump to the Five Level proves to be cumbersome upon the partnership since much bidding space has been eliminated. The possibility and the percentage of ambiguity is increased since the opener must decide as to the number of Aces and Kings held by inference.

San Marino Bridge League - Sammarinese Bridge
The Bridge Federation of San Marino
Contact Address
c/o Fiorenzo Fiorini
Via G. Giacomoni 73
I-47031 San Marino
San Marino (RSM)
Telephone: 378-992 114
Facsimile: 378-990 434

Sans Atout
French for No Trump

Sans Atout Comique
Devised by Mr. Nico Gardener, London. As a defense mechanism, a 1 No Trump overcall can be very effective. It is definitely obstructive. However, the Gardener No Trump overcall has two interpretations, one of which signifies a weak holding with a long suit. If the overcall is always weak, the French refer to it as the Sans Atout Comique.

Santa Fe Canapé
Written by Mr. Bill Isham and Mr. Paul Lanier.

Sarjeant
The origin of this conventional method is unknown. We have no information regarding the continuances regarding rebids after an opening of one of a suit. If any visitor is able to supply us with additional information, we would greatly appreciate the information. See: Orange Book 2002.

Saturated Squeeze
The origin of this particular squeeze postion is unknown. This is a squeeze similar to the hexagonal squeeze, but all four suits are, or become involved in the play, with each opponent singly holding length guards in two suits, and then the two other suits are shared. See article by Mr. Don Kersey in The Bridge World magazine of August 2003.

Saudi Arabian Bridge Federation
Contact Address
Box 5660
31311 Dhahran
Saudi Arabia
Telephone: 966-3-874 3617
Facsimile: 966-3-878 4783

Save
Slang: to sacrifice.

SAYC or Standard American Yellow Card
An acronym for Standard American Yellow Card, which is a bidding system defined by the current set of listings on a form of convention card identified by its color. Clicking on the following .pdf file formats will, depending on your browser, cause the file to be automatically downloaded to your computer and automatically opened with Adobe Acrobat or be automatically opened by your browser.

For a Picture of the Front and Reverse Side of the SAYC Card, click on: Standard American Yellow Card.

SAYC - Version 2006 by ACBL. This is a .pdf file, which has also been archived and preserved on this site for future reference.

SAYC Simplified - October 2001. This format, explaining the Standard American Yellow Card was originally developed as ACBL Standard Yellow Card. Expanded by Mark London. Further Simplified and Expanded by Wayne Flournoy and Anna Marsh. This is a .pdf file format. This .pdf file will, depending on your browser, be automatically downloaded to your computer and opened with Adobe Acrobat or automatically be opened by your browser.

SAYC OKBridge-Style Simplified - Part 1 - July 2002. Revised and Simplified by Wayne Flournoy and Anna Marsh. The original Internet URL is located at: http://www.annam.co.uk/sayc01.htm. This is a .pdf file format. This .pdf file will, depending on your browser, be automatically downloaded to your computer and opened with Adobe Acrobat or automatically be opened by your browser.

SAYC OKBridge-Style Simplified - Part 2 - March 2003. Conventions used with SAYC, but mainly with 2/1. The original Internet URL is located at: http://www.annam.co.uk/sayc02.htm. This is a .pdf file format. This .pdf file will, depending on your browser, be automatically downloaded to your computer and opened with Adobe Acrobat or automatically be opened by your browser.

SAYC - Short Summary - This is a short summary of the Standard American Yellow Card written for the Internet by Jukka K. Korpela. This is a .pdf file format. This .pdf file will, depending on your browser, be automatically downloaded to your computer and opened with Adobe Acrobat or automatically be opened by your browser.

Scanian Signals
Definition contributed by Mr. Stephen Tu. A defense signal mechanism devised by Mr. Anders Wirgren, and which uses standard or upside-down attitude signals depending on the situation, in an attempt to retain the advantages of each while not taking on the disadvantages. Standard signals fail when a clear signal might waste a critical spot card. Upside-down signals fail when a clear signal might block a suit. The basic principle of Scanian signals is to use upside-down signals when the dummy contains a card which can be finessed, or when it is presumed that the signaling player is long in the suit and declarer short, or when discarding. Standard signals are used otherwise. Several examples are illustrated below.

J742

AK105

Q83

The object is to use normal signals unless the dummy contains a card, which can be finessed. Once the Ace or King is lead, East signals "upside-down" with the

3. West will then lead the

10.

873

KQ104

9652

Lead is the

8, or top of nothing, and the dummy plays

A. To signal encouragingly in third seat, the play of the

4 is necessary.

KQ954

A102

J873

The contract is No Trump and the lead is

K. The Scanian signals in this example are standard and the

10 is played, which simultaneously encourages and unblocks. If the upside-down carding were used, then either the suit would be blocked or the

10 may be interpreted as discouraging.

SCBA
See: Singapore Contract Bridge Association

Schenken System or Schenken Club or
Shenken System or Shenken Club
An artificial 1 Club system devised by Mr. Howard Schenken.

Schizo Club Opening Bids
These opening bids are based on the Precision and Symmetric Relay bids and were devised by Mr. Steve Starkey of Pecs, Hungary. The main feature of this method is that most opening bids show various distributional holdings, different possible value ranges and definite card length in at least one suit. The special feature of the Forcing Pass is to be noted, since it communicates information to the partner. The various meanings of the opening bids may be connected to the state of vulnerability depending on partnership agreement, although this feature is not known as of yet. The majority of the responses are mostly natural. However, the bidding sequences: Pass - 1 Club; 1 Club - 1 Diamond; 1 No Trump - 2 Clubs are invitational relay bids.

Pass: 0-7 HCPs Balanced shape; Distribution: 4-3-3-3.

or: 16-20 HCPs Various shapes.

1 : 8-11 HCPs Unbalanced shape; one suit must be a 5-card suit.

or: 21+ HCPs Various shapes.

1 : 0-7 HCPs HCPs Unbalanced shape; possibly Diamonds.

or: 12-14 HCPs Balanced shape.

or: 12-15 HCPs 4-card plus Diamond suit, otherwise balanced.

1 : 0-7 HCPs Unbalanced shape but a 4-card plus Heart suit.

or: 12-15 HCPs 5-card plus Heart suit.

1 : 0-7 HCPs Unbalanced shape but a 4-card plus Spade suit.

or: 12-15 HCPs 5-card plus Spade suit.

1 NT: 8-11 HCPs Balanced shape.

or: 15-17 HCPs Balanced shape.

2 : 12-15 HCPs 5-card plus Club suit.

2 : 8-11 HCPs 5-card plus Major suit.

or: 21-22 HCPs Balanced shape.

2 : 8-11 HCPs Distribution: 4-4 in both Major suits.

2 : 8-11 HCPs Shows any 6-card suit.

2NT: 8-11 HCPs Distribution: 5-4 plus in both Minor suits.

School Instant Matchpoint Game
Each spring, the ACBL sponsors such an event for students under the age of 20 years old in schools throughout North America. All schools are eligible to participate and to compete. The highest scoring North-South and also East-West pair each receive a $500 scholarship provided by the ACBL Educational Foundation.

Schroeder Squeeze
This is a triple trump squeeze without the count in a three-card position.

Schwab Cup
This cup is for the World Pairs Championship which was first contested in Cannes, France, in 1962. It was presented by Mr. Charles M. Schwab in 1933 for the contest between the United States and England. The cup was redonated to the World Bridge Federation by the heirs of Mr. Ely Culbertson.

Science Opening Bids
These opening bids gained a certain popularity among bridge players os the Cambridge University Bridge Club. They were first devised by Mr. Tom Townsend. They are illustrated in the schematic below.

1 : 12-21 HCPs 4+ Clubs

1 : 12-21 HCPs 4+ Diamonds

1 : 10-21 HCPs 4+ Hearts

1 : 10-21 HCPs 4+ Spades

1 NT: 14-16 HCPs Balanced shape

2 : 22+ HCPs Any shape

2 : 6-10 HCPs 5 Hearts or Spades

2 : 6-10 HCPs 6 Hearts

2 : 6-10 HCPs 6 Spades

2NT: 20-21 HCPs Balanced shape

With these opening bids, the player is sometimes able to not communicate any information about a longer held Minor suit. Once a partner has opened with any suit, a first response of 1 No Trump reveals a range between 4 and 12 points and a semi-balanced holding. If the opener holds less than 13 points, the opener will pass since game is not assured. Any 2-over-1 bidding sequence is game-forcing as is the bidding sequence: 1 any suit - 2 No Trump. The system also employs the use of Multi 2 Diamonds and Flannery and is more accurately Acol-based. The advantages of these opening bids is that the partnership can bid more often, more agressively and preemptively without disclosing much information to the opponents.

Scientific
A style of bidding in which the partners attempt to clarify their hands as accurately as possible.

Scissors Coup
This is a loser-on-loser play intended to deny an entry and/or to interrupt the line of communication of the opponents to each other. Generally applied with the intention of preventing a ruff. Also referred to as The Coup Without a Name.

Score
1. the number of game or premium points earned as a result of bidding and play of the hand;
2. to record the score, which can be different according to the type of bridge is being played. The scoring is/can be different if the game is rubber bridge, Chicago, or tournament bridge;
3. to take a trick with as in score the Queen of Spades.

Scorecard
A personal sheet of paper used in tournaments, which is normally referred to as the Convention Card. If the game is party or progressive bridge, then this scorecard is referred to as a Tally. The link provided here shows a web page with all possible contracts and all possible scores.

Score Sheet
In club games, the score sheet is the summary sheet on which the masterpoints won by a pair or partnership are entered. In tournaments, the score sheet is generally referred to as the recapitulation sheet which contains the posted scores. Since the introduction of the computer, these score sheets have become less popular.

Scoreslip
This is the printed form on which the results of a round of duplicate play are entered. These are then collected by the caddies for the director, who enters the scores either manually or in the computer.

Scoring
This is the act of tallying the results of a game or an event.

Scoring Across the Field
A method of scoring a multi-section Matchpoint Event designed to prevent inequitable score comparisons when the results in one section are at extreme variance with the results in other sections. The score on each board is matchpointed not just against other contestants in the same section, but against the contestants in all sections playing in the same direction.

Scoring Corrections
Any correcting of the scores are provided for in the regulations concerning tournament bridge as set forth by the ACBL. These regulations for scoring corrections underwent drastical changes during the year 1994, and are explained in Law 79C.

LAW 79 - TRICKS WON

C. Error in Score

An error in computing or tabulating the agreed-upon score, whether made by a player or scorer, may be corrected until the expiration of the period specified by the sponsoring organisation. Unless the sponsoring organisation specifies a later time, this correction period expires 30 minutes after the official score has been made available for inspection.

Scoring Duplicate Bridge
The scoring of Duplicate Bridge can be different depending on the bridge event. The mathematical calculations, however, remain universal.

Scottish Bridge Union

Purpose: The purpose of the Union shall be the development and control of Duplicate Bridge in Scotland.

Government: Government of the Union shall be vested in the Council, subject to directives from a General Meeting of the Union resulting from motions properly notified to the Secretary.

Geographical Districts: The Union shall be divided into seven geographical Districts, namely:

1. Ayrshire District shall be North Ayrshire, South Ayrshire, East Ayrshire and Wigtownshire.

2. Central District shall be Perthshire and Kinross, Angus, City of Dundee and Fife (excluding South Fife).

3. East District shall be South Fife, City of Edinburgh, West Lothian, Midlothian, East Lothian, Clackmannan, Falkirk and Borders.

4. Highland District shall be Highland, Moray, Orkney and the Western Isles.

5. North District shall be Aberdeenshire, City of Aberdeen and Shetland.

6. South District shall be Dumfries and Galloway (excluding Wigtownshire).

7. West District shall be Stirling, Argyll and Bute, Dumbarton and Clydebank, East Dunbartonshire, North and South Lanarkshire, City of Glasgow, East Renfrewshire, Renfrewshire and Inverclyde.

8. A Club will normally be affiliated to the District containing its geographical location as defined above, but in special circumstances a Club may apply for affiliation or transfer to another District which may be more convenient to it.

Scramble
1. to run to a new contract;
2. to take tricks without attempting to retain control of trumps.

Scrambled Mitchell Movement
This movement is a modification of the Mitchell Movement and used when it is desired to produce one winning pair. The pairs play some boards as North-South and the remaining pairs play East-West. This is done by switching the arrows pointing North so that they point to the original East simultaneously at the end of designated rounds.

Scrambling
1. to maneuver into an acceptable contract when the opponent's intention is to acquire a better score on a low-level penalty;
2. to attempt to score additional trump tricks by ruffing in the long trump hand with trumps that would otherwise by losers.

SCRAPE or Strong Club Relay Avoiding Passing Ever
Mr. Mark Abraham of Australia has compiled a collection of various bidding systems. His web pages provides links to the various bridge bidding systems and a personal list of artificial and/or transfer-based symmetric relay systems. The SCRAPE bidding system, formerly known as the Strong Club Relay, Opening Transfers Emphasising Majors, is to be found by clicking on the link above, which will transfer the interested reader to the web pages of Mr. Mark Abraham. These web pages have been archived only on this site for reference and preservation. These archived files are in .pdf file format and, depending on your browser, will be automatically downloaded to your computer or opened automatically by your computer.

Included on the Website of Mr. Mark Abraham are:

Notes on T-Rex
CATOMULT
REGRESsion
Transfer-Oriented Symmetric Relay or TOSR
Relay Precision
Suspensor Forcing Pass

SCRAPE - Preliminaries
SCRAPE - Relay Structure
SCRAPE - After Negative Responses to 1 Club
SCRAPE - Very Strong Relays
SCRAPE - Alternate 1 Club-1 Diamond Artificial Game Force
SCRAPE - Major Suit Openings
SCRAPE - Minor Suit Openings
SCRAPE - 1 No Trump Opening
SCRAPE - Weak Two-Level Openings
SCRAPE - Other Agreements
SCRAPE - Puppet Stayman

Scratch
Slang: to place high enough in a section or overall standings to earn masterpoints. Generally applied to pairs play.

SCREAM or Strong Club Relay Excessively Accentuating Majors
Presented on the Internet by Mr. Mark Abraham at the above link. This strong club system is the latest in the SCRAPE family. It features a strong Club with variable-captaincy relays for positive responses that ensure an unbalanced hand shows shape opposite a balanced hand whenever this occurs. The 1 and 1 opening are transfer-style, eaching show the next higher-ranking suit. Both of these deny the other Major (a sound tactical idea) and the 1 opening caters for those hands that have both Majors. The 1NT opening is approximately a weak notrump, but includes the 5-4 minor two-suited hands. Long-Minor hands are opened with 2 and 2. Enhanced relay structures are found throughout, improving right-siding of contracts. Relayer has the option to ask for AKQ, AK or A controls after full shape resolution, and after an AKQ-showing response, the new King Parity technique developed by Mr. David Morgan is used to improve denial cue-bidding effectiveness. Competitive bidding agreements are treated in detail. This .pdf file has also only been archived on this site for future reference.

Screen
A divider that prevents a player from seeing his partner. As a result of this screen, each player can see only one opponent. Screens were first used by the ACBL for the Vanderbilt Knockout Teams in 1974 and proved to be practical and popular to some degree, because the result was that there were almost no complaints regarding secret signals, etc.

Screen-Mate
The term for the opponent on the same side of the screen, when screens are used during the event.

SCUM Convention - The origin of this conventional method is unknown. The previous variation of the present concept appeared gradually some time in the 1970s, but the origin is also unknown as is the original version. This defense method considers the Shape, Color, and the Major suit.

Seat
The position a bridge player occupies at the bridge table, designated by North, East, South, or West. North and South are partners and East and West are partners and each partnership is the opponent of the other partnership.

Seating Assignments
At duplicate tournaments, the entries sold to the players carry a section designation, a table number, and a direction, and are referred to as seating assignments.

Sebesfi-Woods-1-Notrump-Escape
See: Swine, which is a feature of ACOL.

Secondary
1. describing a call made at a player's second turn to call or second opportunity to act;
2. describing honors or high-card strength, lower than the strongest values but still potentially useful;
3. describing a second-round control;
4. describing support, but less than primary; sometimes, the length just below primary.

Second Game
The second game of a rubber. Two games are necessary to win a rubber.

Second Guesser
The result player.

Second Hand
1. the player who is second to have the opportunity to bid or the player at the dealer's left;
2. the player second to play to a trick.

Second Hand Low
A general but established principle of card play, originating in the days of Whist.

Second Negative Response After Artificial Forcing Opening
A rebid by a responder who has made a negative response to his partner’s strong artificial opening bid that shows a hand worth about 0 to 3 points.

Secondary Honors
The lower honors or the Queens and Jacks. The King can be considered a secondary honor if not headed by the Ace.

Secondary Squeeze
A squeeze in which the squeeze card is followed by the loss of one or more tricks to the opponents. It is also called a Strip-Squeeze and Squeeze Without The Count.

Secondary Values
Queens and Jacks, which are also called Soft Values.

Section
A group of contestants who constitute a self-contained unit in the competition in one event for one session of a tournament.

Sectional
A group of contestants who constitute a self-contained unit in the competition in one event for one session of a tournament. This is an ACBL tournament run by a unit or by a club to which the unit has been given the authority to run the tournament. Silver points are awarded an all events of a sectional.

Section Markers
These are signs at tournaments indicating the location of each group of tables forming a section.

Sectional
An ACBL tournament run by a unit or by a club. The unit or club has been given the authority by the ACBL to hold a sectional. At these events, silver points are awarded to the winners.

Sectional Master
a member who has at least 50 but fewer than 100 masterpoints recorded by ACBL, of which 5 must be silver.

Sectional Player of the Year
The annual Sectional Player of the Year race is won by the player who earns the most masterpoints at sectional tournaments.

Sectional Tournaments
Units are the sponsors of sectional tournaments, which generally last from three to five days. Units are allowed to conduct several special kinds of sectionals each year known as IN sectionals, or Intermediate Newcomer sectionals, and STaCs. The masterpoints awarded at sectional tournaments are silver points.

Security Level
A phrase to describe the bidding height to which it is presumed that the partnership can bid without significant risk, even with no additional values beond those already promised by the earlier bidding. For example: If North opens 1 Heart and South offers a game-forcing raise, the North-South security level at that point is four Hearts.

Seed or Seeding
To seed is to assign certain bridge tables to especially strong contestants when entries are sold in order to insure that there will no imbalance due to strong pairs in direct competition within one section. In pair events, these tables are normally 3 and 9; at national tournaments the tables are normally 3, 6, and 9; at board-a-match events these tables are normally adjacent to one another such as 1 and 2, 9 and 10, etc.

Seeded
1. The act of being selected in a seeding procedure;
2. The result of being rated higher than the current opponent.

Seesaw Squeeze
See: Entry Shifting Squeeze

Semi-Balanced Hand
A hand with suit distribution of 5-4-2-2 or 6-3-2-2.

Semi-Artificial Raises - These are Limit Raises devised by Mr. Thomas Ahmann and Mr. Thomas Ahmann, Jr. This approach is presented in a .pdf file format, which will be automatically opened by your browser. This presentation has been contributed by the authors, to whom we owe our gratitude for sharing this information. The authors are also published in The Bridge Wolrd, November issue, page 21, 2004, and this approach is only archived and preserved on this site for future reference.

Semifinal
1. the round of four or six in a knockout team tournament;
2. in a pair, team, or an individual tournament, the round immediately following the qualifying round and immediately preceding the final round.

Semi-Forcing
A term to describe a wide point range, including hands of game-invitational strength, over which opener will rebid as over a forcing 1 No Trump response, but not including game-going hands, so that opener is permitted to pass.

Semi-Psychic
A term to describe a departure from normal bidding methods which are, however, not entirely deceiving, but designed to confuse the opponents. Refers to an opening bid two points or more below minimum values required for an opening bid.

Semi-Solid
Pertaining to a suit with approximately one additional loser compared to a solid suit. The suit is likely to have one loser without any contribution from partner.

Sender Award
The Precision Award was donated by C.C. Wei and after his death continued to be donated by his widow, Kathie Wei, presently Kathie Wei-Sender. It is awarded by the International Bridge Press Association for the Best Article or Series on a System or Convention. The Precision Award was renamed in the year 1985 to the Sender Award and was presented to honor the best Defensive Play of the Year. Kathie Wei-Sender renamed the award in honor of her husband, Mr. Henry Sender of Nashville, Tennessee.

Send It Back
Slang: to redouble.

Senior
A bridge player over 55 years of age.

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

Senior Player of the Year
The Senior Player of the Year contests recognizes the player 55 or older who wins the most points each year in the ACBL. These Senior Tournaments were begun in Sun City, Florida, in 1977 and became very popular. The player receives The George Burns Trophy.

September
A variant of the Ogust Convention as developed by Mr. Jeff Goldsmith. See Modified Ogust.

Sequence
1. all calls made in an auction;
2. an auction;
3. two or more cards of consecutive order.

Sequence Discards
The discard of an honor normally indicates an honor sequence, of which the discard is the highest card. Using this method, the discard of a Queen denies possession of the King, but guarantees the possession of the Jack.

Sequence Re-Entry
A method of suit preference signal. After leading a King against a No Trump contract from a holding of the King-Queen-Jack, the defender can follow with the Queen or the Jack at his choice, in order to suggest a reentry in a high-ranking or low-ranking suit.

Seres Squeeze
Although this combination is quite rare, it is a triple squeeze in a three card ending, which means that the squeeze begins with trick 10. It was first described by Mr. Tim Seres in 1965.

Serious
A term to indicate that a situation is strongly suggestive or invitational, as a serious slam-try as opposed to a mild slam-try or mere indication of willingness to cooperate in an investigation.

Serious 3 No Trump
A slam bidding method which was conceived of by Mr. Eric Rodwell. After an 8-card Major suit fit has been established below 3 No Trump, a bid of 3 No Trump is a serious slam invitation, and therefore forcing. Certain partnerships play that the 3 No Trump bid is a serious and strong slam try to which the responses of 4 Clubs or 4 Diamonds signify a mild slam try; the response of 4 Hearts offers the partner a choice of games. In other partnerships, the 3 No Trump bid is a so-called non-serious slam try, and the cuebid is the serious and strong slam try.

Serpent’s Coup
A term based upon the biblical event between Adam and Eve, where Eve surrendered to the deceit of the serpent and tempted Adam to also eat of the forbidden fruit. The declarer tempts the defender to act in a certain, appealing manner although the wiser choice by the defender would be not to take the bait, but rather play prudently.

Session
1. a group of deals played consecutively without a break;
2. a group of deals whose scores are added together;
3. one morning, afternoon or evening of play, usually of 24 to 36 deals.

Set
1. to defeat the contract or to prevent the declarer from fulfilling the contract;
2. playing in fixed partnerships;
3. the term also applies to the number of boards played.

Set Game
A pre-arranged match of rubber bridge or four-deal bridge with each pair remaining the same for the duration of the contest or competition.

Set Up
To establish one or more cards in the hand of either the player himself, or in the hand of his partner, or in the hand of an opponent. The result of having been established.

-seventh
To be within or heading a seven-card holding. For example: Jack-seventh means seven cards headed by the Jack.

Seven
The eighth ranking card in a suit.

Seven-Odd
Seven tricks over book, or 13 tricks in total.

Seven Tables
At duplicate, seven tables provide for competition among 28 players as individuals, 14 pairs, or 7 teams-of-four. Seven tables has proven to be an ideal number of tables since it provides a basic pattern for all numbers of tables up to thirteen for pair contests.

Sextet Bridge
This is presently a seldom played bridge game for 6 players or 3 partnerships. In order to play this game, two new suits had to be introduced and they were called Rackets or Racquets and Wheels. Wheels is a major suit ranking below Hearts and Racquets is a minor suit ranking above Diamonds. The concept of bidding, which occurs with two partners, is based on logical lines, and even provides a method to ask for Aces. The play of the hand is different in that there are two exposed dummies.

Shaded
Pertaining to a bid made on slightly fewer values than the minimum requirements.

The Shaggy Giant
A friendly manner of referring to one of the great bridge players of all time, Mr. Phillip Hal Sims.

Shah, Shivam
As reported from Montreal, Canada
August 16-31, 2002, for the
2002 International Bridge Press Association Awards

This would make a good quiz question: if you have recently traveled to Kenya, Eygpt, Ivory Coast, Poland, USA and Canada, what sport might you have been engaged in?

And for a bonus point, how old would you be?

Of course, you have instantly got the first part right, it can only be Bridge. However, you are unlikely to get Part Two correct as the winning answer is nine.

Well at least it was, as on Tuesday Shivam Shah of England celebrated his tenth birthday.

Shivam has won enough master points on his travels to be a Life Master, although he does not have the title officially, and has already partnered Zia Mahmood in a competitive event.

Shake
Slang: to discard, usually a loser.

Shape
1. Slang: the distribution;
2. This designation also refers to pointed suits, Spades and Diamonds, and to rounded suits, Hearts and Clubs.

Sharif, Omar - (aka Michel Demitri Shalhoub - Michel Demitri Chalhoub)
Born April 10, 1932, in Alexandria, Egypt, he was educated at Victoria College in Cairo, Egypt. It was while he was working in the lumber business that he was offered a lead role in an Egyptian film in 1954. The name of the film is not listed in his filmography, but Fatin Hamama also played in this film, and it was she whom he married in 1954, and the divorce was 1974. His rise to fame or world-wide recognition and stardom began when he played in Lawrence of Arabia with Peter O'Toole in 1962, playing the role of Sherif Ali. The second most memorable film was when he played Yuri Zhivago in Doctor Zhivago in 1965. It is a little known fact that their son, Tarek Sharif (born 1957), played at the age of eight the role of the young Yuri Zhivago in this film. He was also a bridge player and played mainly on the international level. One of his memorable quotes is: 'I'd rather be playing bridge than making a bad movie.' Omar Sharif lent his name to many publications about the game of bridge and co-authored many books. He lent (licensed) his name for an evolving process in the game of bridge, namely interactive software for computer games, which was initially released in a DOS version in 1992, and called Omar Sharif Bridge. He also co-wrote with Tannah Hirsch a syndicated newspaper bridge column for the Chicago Tribune. In a public interview in 2006 he stated that he no longer played bridge, explaining, 'I decided I didn't want to be a slave to any passion any more except for my work. I had too many passions, bridge, horses, gambling. I want to live a different kind of life, be with my family more, because I didn't give them enough time.'

Sharif Bridge Circus
This was a professional team of world class bridge players, which was put together, organized and promoted by the actor Mr. Omar Sharif. They toured the country and played a series of exhibition matches against European and North American teams. The first performance began in 1967.

Sharing Boards
It is necessary in some bridge movements for two tables or more to share the same set of boards in a single round. These shared boards can be played out of the normal numerical order.

Shark
Slang: a hustler or a bridge professional whose specialty is playing for money.

Sharples
1. a convention developed by Mr. James Sharples and Mr. Robert Sharples, and which is a natural extension of the Stayman convention.
2. a defense to an opening of 1 No Trump whereby an overcall of 2 Clubs shows a hand of an unspecified shape, but definitely four Spades. An overcall of 2 Diamonds shows a weak distributional hand with club shortness. See: Sharples Against No Trump Opening.

Sharples Against No Trump Opening
As a defense mechanism the concept of the Sharples convention can be employed against a No Trump opening by the opponents.

Modified Sharples Against a No Trump Opening
This version of the defense method can be employed either in the immediate seat or in the balancing seat. The range of the No Trump opening is generally on the stronger side, but the concept can / may be adapted to confront all ranges of No Trump. This variation is dissimilar to the original concept by including a multi-purpose 2 Diamonds bid.

Sharples Against No Trump Opening: Version One
This version of the Sharples conventional defense method can be employed either in the immediate seat or in the balancing seat. The range of the No Trump opening is generally on the stronger side, but the concept can / may be adapted to confront all ranges of No Trump. The main difference is that this version assigns significance to idle bids above 2 Diamonds.

Shift
1. to change suits from one originally led on defense;
2. the declarer changing suits in the plan of the play during the play;
3. regarding the bidding, to continue describing the holding by bidding a new suit.

Shomate Movement
This is an Individual movement, also called an Irregular Rainbow, and 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 comparison a Rainbow movement is an individual movement in which contestants are divided into groups corresponding to their original starting directions, with separate instructions for progressing to each group.

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.

Shoot or Shooting
A situation of playing deliberately for an abnormal result in the scoring. This does not mean the act of overbidding. The goal of shooting consists in arriving at a contract which is wrong, but only slightly wrong, and based on the percentages of success or failure in order to obtain a positive abnormal result or top board.

Short Club
In general, the short prepared or convenient club is the first bid to open the auction and is made with a 3-card or less Club suit. If this is not the case, then the opener will bid 1 Diamond. This short club method was first adopted by the Four Aces, and the 3-card club holding had to be headed at least by the Queen. This configuration gave the opener a comfortable rebid. This method is mostly used by advocates who open a Five Card Major. It is important to remember that a Short Club is not a system or convention, but rather only an opening.

Short Diamond
Those partnerships that use strong club systems, such as Precision, which employ 5-card Majors for opening Majors, use the Short Diamond for holdings that are not suitable for any other opening bid. This bid must be alerted and made known to the opponents as to the minimum length of the Diamonds, which under certain conditions may be zero Diamonds. However, a 2 Diamond response as the first response is natural and forcing. The Short Diamond is sometimes referred to as the Loose Diamond, the Nebulous Diamond, and the Phony Diamond.

A Short Diamond, or a holding of a 3-card Diamond suit, also describes the standard form of modern methods and partnership understandings. In relation to the distribution of the holding, this term describes a 4-4-3-2 distribution which allows no other opening bid, unless the values of the entire holding justify another opening bid, such as No Trump.

Shorten
The act of forcing a player to reduce the number of cards in a particular suit, especially in the trump suit, for example by forcing the declarer to ruff.

Short Hand
A term to describe a hand holding fewer trumps than in the hand of the partner.

Short Howell Movements
A term designating a Reduced Howell.

Short Suit
A suit containing two or less cards. Either a doubleton, a singleton or a void.

Short Suit Game Try
This systemic method was developed as a feature of the Kaplan-Sheinwold system. It is employed when the opening Major suit by one partner has been raised to the Two Level, which normally shows less than 10 high card points and a 3-card support in that particular Major suit, and the opener rebids his shortest suit. The responder is then requested to bid game in the Major suit, if his values are mainly not located in the short suit rebid by the opener. If the main values of the responder are located in the rebid suit of the opener, then the responder should sign-off on the Three Level.

Short Suit Leads
This is a term for the opening lead of a singleton or a doubleton, when the auction clearly indicates such a lead. This lead can also be employed against No Trump contracts and are considered normal if and when the partner has bid that particular suit.

Short Suit Points
The valuation points awarded to short suits because of their trick taking ability, or the trick-taking ability of the long suits whose possession they imply.

Short Suit Trial Bid
This bidding method, used after a Major suit opening, is very useful if the responder shows immediate support to determine whether the partnership should be in partscore or in game. Using the Short Suit Trial bid, a new bid by the opener shows a singleton. This web page also includes Short Suit Trial Bids and Long Suit and Short Suit Trial Bids combined. This concept has similar features as in the method known as Help Suit Game Try or Short Suit Game Try.

Show Out
The failure to follow suit because the player does not have any card left of that suit.

Show Up Squeeze
A squeeze position in which declarer refuses a finesse in the ending because if the missing card(s) were onside it would have already been played, thereby allowing the declarer to avoid a guess between a finesse and a play for a drop. Sometimes referred to as a Pop-Up Squeeze.

Shuffle
To mix the cards. The most common shuffle is the riffle. The cards are divided into two halves and then shuffled. It has been determined by mathematicians that seven riffles are necessary in order to produce a good mix and distribution of the cards.

Shut-Out Bid
A preemptive bid.

Shuttle Dummy
The term for a procedure used for a team of two in rubber bridge or Chicago, when there are only 7 players. After the first table has reached a contract, the dummy moves to the second table to begin the auction. Whoever becomes dummy at the second table then moves to the first table to continue the auction for the second deal, etc. Only individual scores are kept, and not team scores.

SID
An acronym for the term Stayman In Doubt.

Side
A team of two in a rubber bridge or Chicago game. The term can also be used to describe a pairing in a duplicate contest, or, in team-of-four play, the entire team.

Side Game Series
This is the designation for a series of at least three one-session games at a Championship Tournament which is held concurrently with a championship event and is open to all players. Overall ranking is done on an individual basis by computing the sum of each player's two best games. At NABC and regional tournaments, gold points are awarded to section-top players who have competed in at least two sessions of this even. Each session may also be run as a one-sessionstratified pairs.

Side Suit
1. a suit other than the trump suit;
2. a suit of four or more cards other than the trump suit in declarer's or dummy's hand;
3. in the auction, a suit of at least four cards held by a player whose first bid is in another suit, unless defined as a cuebid.

Sidney H. Lazard Jr. Award for Sportsmanship
This award was established by Mr. Sidney Lazard in honor of his son, who died in 1999 after a year-long battle with cancer.

Signals
Conventional plays made by the defenders in order to exchange information. The methods of signaling differ with the systems and partnership agreements used.

Signals is a designation employed for a set of agreements between partners relating to the meanings of cards played on defense. There are several carding and signaling methods devised for the game of bridge by experts experimenting with different variations. Many methods have withstood the proof of time and have lasted from the days of the game of Whist in order to communicate to partner generally attitude, count, and preference.

See also: Signaling.

See also: Signal Defense Summary.

See also: Signals by Mary Hemenway (.pdf file).

See also: Signaling, Leading, and Discarding Summary by Mary Hemenway (.pdf file).

See also: Carding Signals Summary (.pdf file) by BridgeSlam.com.

Sign-off Bid
1. a call that requests partner to pass;
2. a call that denies additional values.
3. a bid intended to close the auction for one partnership.

Silodor Trophy
This trophy was presented officially and originally in 1963 in memory of Mr. Sidney Silodor, but the recogniztion for winning the event was made retroactive to include the winners of the Spring North American Open Pairs Championship since its beginning in 1958.

The Silodor Trophy, presented in memory of Mr. Sidney Silodor, winner of the Bermuda Bowl, the McKenney Trophy and more than 30 North American championships, is awarded to the winners of Open Pairs I. Mr. Sidney Silodor was a member of the team that won the first Bermuda Bowl World Championship in 1950, won the Vanderbilt eight times, the Spingold, the Open Pairs and the Master Mixed Teams three times each and the Mixed Pairs five times, which constituted a record at that time. At the time of his death in 1963, Mr. Sidney Silodor was third on the list of all-time masterpoint holders with a total of 6,450, a number great enough to hold that place until a year later when his total was surpassed by Mr. Norman Kay, who had been his regular partner.

Mr. Sidney Silodor was an original member of the Bridge Hall of Fame, elected in the 1960s when the institution was the province of its creator, The Bridge World magazine. The trophy was presented in 1963 in memory of Mr. Sidney Silodor and made retroactive to include winners of the event, which began in 1958. The four-session event consists of two qualifying sessions and two final sessions.

Silver Life Master
A Life Master who has at least 1,000 masterpoints recorded by ACBL.

Silver Points
These are masterpoints awarded for sectional and overall placing at sectional tournaments. They are also awarded at Sectional Tournaments at Clubs (StaC). Barry Crane Top 500 race: This trophy is presented to the ACBL player who wins the most masterpoints during a calendar year. Originally the McKenney Trophy, it was put into play by William E. McKenney, ACBL executive secretary. It was known as the McKenney Trophy from 1937 to 1981. The list was expanded to include the top 500 players in 1982 and called the Top 500 from 1982 to 1985. It was renamed the Barry Crane Top 500 in 1986. Crane, who was first in July 1985, and was ACBL's top masterpoint holder at that time and was acknowledged by his peers to be unequaled as a masterpoint winner and a matchpoint player.

Silver Ribbon Pairs
This is an ACBL event with national rating for players 55 years old or more. The participating pairs earn the qualification by placing first or second in a regionally rated senior event.

Simon Award
This is the award for the Bridge Sportsman of the Year and was endowed by Mr. John E. Simon. It was presented yearly by the International Bridge Press Association, but has become temporarily inactive since 1986.

Simple
In regards to an overcall or a response, the term means a non-jump, holding values only sufficient to make that bid or call.

Simple Finesse
A finesse for a single card held by one of the opponents.

Simple Honors
During the age of Auction Bridge, this was a term denoting three honors in the trump suit, for which 30 points were scored.

Simple Overcall
A non-preemptive overcall. An overcall with minimum values.

Simple Squeeze
The term for a squeeze against one opponent in two suits. Generally the minimum requirements for a simple squeeze are twofold:
1. a 2-card menace and a 1-card menace, both guarded by the same opponent;
2. all the remaining tricks except one.

Simple System
This is a designation for a bidding system or conventional method listed in the publication The Bridge Player's Bedside Companion, authored by Mr. Albert A. Ostrow, published 1955. During the early evolution of the game of bridge there occurred a proliferation of many such bidding systems. However, many have been forgotten and were discarded for the newest version of another bidding system. Any additional information would be greatly appreciated.

Simplified Club System
The Simplified club System incorporates and combines several of the features of the Blue Team Club and the Oman System, and was originated by Mr. Larry Weiss. Among the fundamental features of the system is:

1. An opening of 1 Club promises 16 points or more, and responses shows controls. A 2 Clubs rebid shows a stronger holding with game values. After the rebid by the opener, the responder once again rebids controls.

2. A 2 Diamonds rebid by the opener promises a strong three-suited holding.

3. The bidding sequence, without competition: 1 Diamond - 1 Heart - 1 Spade promises a two-suited holding with at least a 5-4 distribution. The shorter suit is bid first unless the suit is Clubs.

4. A 1 No Trump response is an artificial and positive bid, and promises about 10 points. The suit immediately above the suit of the opener is an artificial negative bid. However, the reaponder is not required to employ this bid if the responder has a fit with the suit of the opener.

5. An opening of 1 No Trump promises 12 to 15 points and balanced to semi-balanced distribution.

6. An opening of 2 Clubs promises 11 to 16 points and shows a three-suited holding with a possible singleton and/or void.

7. Openings on the two level, other than 2 Clubs, promise single-suited holdings with a range of 11 to 16 points.

8. Single-suited holdings with Clubs requires a 2 No Trump opening bid promising 11 to 16/17 points. However, by partnership agreement, the single-suited Club holding can also be shown by an opening bid of 3 Clubs, promising a range of 11-14 points, which is also preemptive in nature.

Simplified New Minor Forcing
A variation of the original concept devised and contributed by Mr. Martin Gellman. The addition of Mr. Martin Gellman to the New Minor Forcing convention is presented due to the understanding of certain partnership agreements. The idea behind this simplified form is readily understood and should be made available to the bridge players, who use different interpretations of the auction to mean different things.

Simplified Precision
This Simplified Precision version of the Precision Club system differs from the Precision Club system in that it uses no Asking Bids, the 2 Diamond opening shows Diamond length instead of Diamond shortness, and the Four Level Minor-suit openings are natural preempts.

Sims System
In the early days of Contract Bridge, Mr. Philip Hal Sims developed his system in the years 1930 to 1932. His system placed importance on strong first and second-hand opening bids. All opening bids on the Two and Three Level were forcing, and weak defensive bids were only made when not vulnerable. The employment of the so-called psychic bids, as introduced by his wife Dorothy was added later to the Sims System. In addition, in the publication The Bridge Player's Bedside Companion authored by Mr. Albert A. Ostrow, published 1955, it is mentioned that The success of Sims at Asbury Park and the fact that a couple of youngsters named John Rau and William Barret were doing sensationally with the methods advocated by Hal and Dorothy brought the Sims System of bidding into prominence. It was only after an organized and highly publicized bridge challenge with and/or against Mr. Ely Culbertson, which Mr. Philip Hal Sims eventually lost, that the popularity of the Sims System began to rapidly fade from the favor of the bridge players.

The serious student can also purchase the publication by Madeleine Kerwin titled One-Over-One For Everyone: The Philip Hal Sims System, c1932, Publisher: The Kerwin Company, New York, New York, LC: 32024946.

Simultaneous Calls, Leads, or Plays
Covered by the Laws of Duplicate Bridge, the corresponding Law treats a simultaneous call, lead, or play, if they are in legal rotation, as normal. If the simultaneous call, lead, or play is not in legal rotation, then the Law provides the applicable penalty for such a call, lead, or play.

Simultaneous Pairs
An event played at the same time in different locations, using the same deals.

Simultaneous Play
The play of pre-duplicated boards at more than one table in a section at the same time, allowing for instant scoring.

Singapore Contract Bridge Association - Official Website

Singapore Contract Bridge Association
Contact Address
51 Bishan Street 3
#01-01 Singapore 579799
Singapore
Telephone: 65-6356-8540
Facsimile: 64-6259-7832

Short History of the Singapore Contract Bridge Association
On Christmas Eve in 1962, some Singapore bridge players met at the then Adelphi Hotel along Coleman Street and established the Singapore Branch of the Malayan Contract Bridge Association. The Founder Chairman was Colnel J.A.M. Gemmel, a British army officer. Mr H. Kurd, then the Singapore Manager of Amsterdam London Insurance Co. Ltd, was elected Honorary Secretary and Treasurer. The four Committee Members were Mr. A.H. Gould, a senior civil servant, Mr. Wee Eng Lock, a solicitor, Mrs. J.F. Wilson, housewife, and Mr. V.R. Marar, a solicitor's clerk. The registered address of the Branch was c/o Amsterdam London Insurance Co. Ltd, at Chartered Bank Chambers, Battery Road.

Following Singapore's separation from Malaysia on 9th August 1965, the Branch Members decided that the Republic should have its own bridge association. The then Chairman, Mr. Wee Eng Lock, prepared a Constitution for the new association, and on 22nd July 1966, he filed a Notice of Change of Name at the Registry of Societies, Singapore. Thereafter, the Singapore Branch of the Malayan Contract Bridge Association became known by its new name, the Singapore Contract Bridge Association.

In its early days, SCBA objectives were confined to encouraging the growth and development of duplicate bridge in Singapore, and to this end, it ran two weekly duplicate bridge evenings on Tuesday and Fridays, and initiated various annually duplicate bridge tournaments for bridge players in Singapore. As SCBA did not then have its own premises, its bridge activities were initially held at the Adelphi Hotel, then at the Hollandse Club, the Cricket Club, and a long line of other clubs,associations and hotels.

As of 2004, thanks to the People's Association, SCBA has a permanent home at the Singapore Intellectual Games Centre in Bishan. It is a Member of the World Bridge Federation (WBF), the Pacific Asia Bridge Federation (PABF) and the ASEAN Bridge Council. It is recognised by the Singapore Sports Council as the National Sports Association (NSA) for Contract Bridge in Singapore, and by the WBF and the PABF as the National Contract Bridge Organisation (NCBO) for Singapore, and in this last capacity, it is responsible for selecting the Republic's National Bridge Teams and players for participation in International Competitions as well as hosting such tournaments as WBF and the PABF may decide.

SCBA hosted the PABF (previously known as the Far East Bridge Federation) Championships in 1972, 1990, 1993 and 2001, as well as the inaugural Far East Bridge Congress in 1988. The Members countries of the PABF are Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Philippines, Indonesia, Japan, Hong Kong, Macau, China, Taiwan, New Zealand and Australia. SCBA also hosted the ASEAN Bridge Clubs Championships in 1981, 1985, 1992 and 1997. The Members countries of the ASEAN Bridge Council are Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Philippines, Indonesia and Brunei. SCBA organises numerous tournaments annually. Its two annual International Bridge Congresses are the Easter Congress and the Pesta Sukan. In 1987, it anaugurated the annual Singapore Inter-Club Bridge League. This is today the largest and most popular by far domestic bridge event in Singapore.

Single Coup
This is a coup in which the declarer shortens his hand once in trumps by ruffing a card from the dummy, in order to reduce his trump holding to the same number held by his right hand opponent.

Single Dummy
This describes a situation, whereby everything is based on the sight of only the dummy and one's own cards as opposed to a double dummy, whereby all four hands are exposed.

Single Grand Coup
Using this manner of play, the declarer shortens his hand once in trumps, in order to reduce his holding to the same number of trump held by his right hand opponent, and does so by ruffing one winner from the dummy.

Single Raise
A raise of opener’s suit to the Two Level, showing a normal range between 6 and 9 support points. The length differs in the suit bid, relative to the Minor suits and the Major suits.

Singleton
An original holding of exactly one card in any given suit.

Singleton Swiss
The guidelines and the requirements are the same as for the Swiss convention. The cards of the responder must have a definite distribution, otherwise the bid can not be made.

Sit or Sit For
Slang: to allow to stand, usually a double, although the double by the partner is for takeout.

Sit Out
1. to miss a round of play in a duplicate game owing to the odd number of tables;
2. to wait in order to cut in to a Chicago or rubber bridge game.

Sitting
1. a session of bridge;
2. a term referring to one’s position at the table.

-sixth
Within or heading a six-card holding. For example: Jack-sixth shows six cards headed by the Jack.

Six No Trump Opening
Although highly rare, this opening bid shows a balanced hand containing twelve sure tricks. The opinion is that the responder should raise to 7 No Trump if he holds an Ace or King.

Six Of A Suit Opening
Although highly rare, this opening bid guarantees twelve sure tricks, but is missing only the Ace or King of trumps.

Six-Odd
A term describing six tricks over book, or twelve tricks in total.

Six Tables
At duplicate, six tables provide for competition among 24 players as individuals, 12 pairs, or 6 teams. As a pair contest, either the Mitchell or Howell movement can be applied.

Skip Bid
The term for any bid at a higher level than is required by the previous auction.

Skip-Bid Warning
In tournament play, a verbal warning to an opponent to be prepared to pause before taking his next action to avoid giving illegal information to partner with a quick pass. The normal procedure is to announce: "I am about to make a skip bid, please wait." This has been reduced to: "Skip bid." The next player in rotation is expected to wait about 10 seconds before making his bid or call, in order to prevent the impression that he is communicating unauthorized information to his partner. When bidding boxes are being used then the player making a Skip Bid places the Stop card on the table, makes his Skip Bid and the following player must refrain from making his call until the skip bidder has picked up the Stop card and replaced it in the bidding box.

Skip 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 Skip Mitchell method is used, and the East-West players skip one table after the half-way round.

Skip Movement
This is an irregularity in the progression of the traveling pairs, or boards, in a Mitchell Movement pair game with an even number of tables, where it is not necessary that all contestants play every board in play. With an even number of tables, caution must be exercised to prevent the East-West pairs from playing the same boards twice. This is generally accomplished by having the East-West pairs skip one table after they have played the number of rounds equaling one-half of the total number of tables in play. Therefore in an 8 table game, a skip must be called after 4 rounds, and in a 10 table game, a skip must be called after 5 rounds of play, in a 12 table game, the skip is called after 6 rounds, and so on.

It is of the utmost importance that the skip be called at the proper time. In the case that the director is playing, the director should mark the skip round on his private score. If the director is not playing, the director may ask one of the players to mark his/her score and remind him/her at the proper time.

It is also possible to run a game with an even number of tables without a skip. This movement is called a Bye-Stand And Relay. One set of boards is out of play and on a bye-stand each round and two tables (usually table 1 and the highest-numbered table) relay boards. During a relay the two tables exchange their boards during the play of each round.

Skrot
This designation is a slang term used by Swedish bridge players, especially the younger players, for the variation of the Carrot Club bidding system, which was developed to meet the criteria of the sponsoring organizations of bridge events, which disallowed the use of the original version of the Carrot Club bidding system. See also Svan for the opening bids.

Slam
The winning, but not expressly the bidding, of any contract of six, called a small slam, or seven, called a grand slam.

How many points does it take to make a slam? This question has always triggered a debate among many bridge mathematicians and bridge theorists since there are several factors involved in attempting to find the solution, such as the so-called point count systems, the re-evaluation after finding a suitable fit of a known minimal length, the trump suit split held by the opponents, the discovery of singletons and more importantly voids, and just plain dumb luck. One example below illustrates the possibly lowest yet number of points required to make a grand slam. It is only an example:

North

765432

432

5432

West

Q

KJ9765

K10

AQ108

East

K

AQ108

AQJ

KJ976

South

AJ1098

98765432

Although East-West have 35 points and the possibility of bidding and making only a 6 Heart small slam contract, North-South can comfortably make a contract of 7 Spades with only 5 points.

Many bridge theorists have attempted to further improve upon this example, which has been around for many decades, but without success. The suits, but not the cards, of all four hands can be rearranged accordingly so that the contract of 7 Clubs or 7 Diamonds, etc., by North-South can be made, but which still does not permit East-West to make more than a small slam. Maybe one of our visitors has some ideas. If so, please let us know.

Slam Bidding
Any of the various methods or treatments available by which slam contracts are first investigated and then bid if the correct requirements are fulfilled.

Slam Leads
The opening lead against any slam contract is of the utmost importance and must be considered carefully. One general guideline if your partner has remained silent throughout the auction is to make a passive lead against a small slam contract and an active lead against a grand slam contract.

Slam-Try
Any call or bid that invites partner to bid a slam under the presiding partnership agreement.

Slam-Try Stayman
The Slam-Try Stayman is a variation of the Stayman convention and is generally used as a feature of Two-Way Stayman, which is the use of any of a variety of conventions, variations, modifications that use a 2 Clubs response to a 1 No Trump opening as Stayman, and that use a response of 2 Diamonds as a supplement to Stayman, with separate meanings given to the rebids of the partnership, allowing a two-way communication between the partners in order to describe the holding further.

Slawinski Leads - Combine Leads
This method of leading is attributed to Mr. Lukasz Slawinski. It is also sometimes referred to as Combine Leads. This method of leading may also be designated as either encrypted or coded by the sponsoring organization and should be clarified prior to the event since there are generally regulations governing such leads. The additional clarification / designation of Combine Leads may remove such strict categorization since such leads are intended to prevent the declarer from realizing the location of certain honor cards.

The bridge player should remain aware of the fact that this method is not etched in stone since it is perhaps less structurally strict than other carding methods. This concept may also be altered and personalized to meet the requirements of the individual partnership.

Combine Leads, for example, are so defined that if the declarer holds K87 in hand and AJ53 in dummy and plays the King, then both defenders provide a so-called honest small card only count. If one defender has the Q62, then this defender will show even combine signal and the other defender with 1094 will show odd combine signal. The declarer remains uncertain as to the full distribution of the suit since the defenders would have signaled identically with Q962 and 104.

Slawinski Leads: This method of leading is employed when the first player to lead has one or more honors in a suit and the lead specifies direct counting. A small card with an odd number of cards, and a high card with an even number of cards. When the suit has no honors the lead signifies a reverse counting, or small with an even number of cards, and high with an odd number of cards. Several examples follow to illustrate this method:

Holding Lead

K6532: 2

K653: 6

9832: 2

983: 9

92: 2

Logical Exceptions

1062: 6

10962: 10 against a suit contract

10962: 2 against a No Trump contract

10654: 4

KJ92: 2

In this method the 10 is not considered an honor but holding 10x the general consensus is to lead with the 10 spot.

Sliding Blackwood
See: Rolling Blackwood

Sliding Gerber
See: Rolling Gerber

Sliver Bid
This is an extension of the Splinter Bid treatment. It was devised by Mr. George Rosenkranz for the use with weaker responding hands.

Slovenia Bridge Association
Bridge Zveza Slovenije
Founded in 1972 and joined the WBF in 1992.
Contact Address
PP 1638
SLO-1101 Ljubljana
Slovenia
Telephone: 386-61-123 1393

Slow Arrival
A jump to the level to which the bidding is already forced showing specific values. For example: 1 Heart - 2 Clubs - 2 Spades - 4 Spades to show unusually strong Spades.

Slow Pass
The term for a pass at a slow tempo which could reveal that the passer was considering an alternative action. If the passer becomes the dummy or the declarer, then no ethical problem is attached to the slow pass. If, however, the slow pass is perceived as having passed unauthorized information to the partner, and they become the defenders, the partner may not use this information to his advantage. Otherwise the director must be called.

Slow Play
Slow play must be distinguished from careful or thoughtful play. There are several contributing factors, which result in a violation of the Proprieties of duplicate play, and which may be subject to penalty in national and international championships:

1. to delay in arriving at the table after the round has been called;
2. discussing the boards previously played;
3. the failure to pass at least one completed hand promptly;
4. failure to pass one board if the other has not been completed;
5. the inattention during the bidding which could result in necessitating frequent reviews of the auction;
6. the failure to accept a ruling from the director in the event of an irregularity;
7. the discussions or post mortems;
8. blaming the previous opponents for present tardiness instead of finishing the present hand;
9. waiting purposely for the opponents to forget the count and foregoing play of the hand in order to lessen the damage expected by being in a bad contract.

As a example of a possible penalty, it was at the conclusion of the Venice Cup championship in 2000, which Mr. Robert Hamman won, that Mr. Shawn Quinn and Mr. Tobi Sokolow lost by half an IMP after their teammates were penalized more than an IMP for slow play.

Slow Shows, Direct Denies
The concept that a Lebensohl bid followed by a cuebid or 3 No Trump promises a stopper in the suit of the opponent. Several partnerships reverse the meaning and play Slow Denies, Direct Shows.

Sluff
1. to discard a worthless card;
2. to discard a loser by throwing it off on the lead of a suit not held by the sluffer.

Slush
Slang: the honor strength mostly, or entirely, in Queens and Jacks.

Small Card
A spot card in any suit lower than the 6, which is considered to be insignificant in trick-taking ability.

Small Slam
The bidding and the fulfilling of any contract in any suit or No Trump which makes twelve tricks.

Smart Blonde Bridge - This is a bidding system developed by Will Aubrey and Gretchen Ohstrom, and outlines the Opening Bids, Bids after a 1 No Trump opening, explains the 2 Clubs Opening structure and the 2 Diamonds Opening structure.

Smith Convention
1. a Club takeout as a Defense To Opening Three-Bid, developed by Mr. Curtis Smith;
2. a 4 No Trump slam convention devised by Mr. William S. Smith and Gertrude Smith in 1935. Very similar in principle to the Norman 4 No Trump;
3. a term applied to the cheating device supposedly used at rubber bridge. Any player holding a Yarborough would announce that he has 14 cards, and his partner, also with a worthless hand, would announce that he has 12 cards, and the two players quickly throw their hands in for a redeal. In case the partner has a good hand, he will ask for a recount.

Smith Echo Signal
A card signal, showing attitude, at the first opportunity by the partner of the opening leader against a No Trump contract indicating the attitude for the opening leader’s suit. This signaling feature is attributed to Mr. T.R.H. Lyons of England, although Mr. I.G. Smith of England suggested the same principle in the British Bridge World magazine in 1963.

Smith Trophy
This trophy is awarded to the winners of the Life Master Women’s Pairs contested at the Fall North American Championships. The trophy was donated by Mr. Charles H. Goren in 1969 in memory of his longtime partner Helen Sobel Smith.

Smolen Transfer
A modification of the Stayman and Jacoby Transfer Bids for game-going holdings by the responder who has a distribution of 5-4 or 6-4 in both majors, and bidding in such a manner that the No Trump opener becomes the declarer. Devised by Mr. Mike Smolen of California.

Smother Play
A rare endplay to enable the capture of an onside trump when a higher card behind it has insufficient supporting cards for a finesse. For example: Spades are the trump suit. North has Spade Ace and the Heart Ace. West has Spade King-Ten. South has Spade Queen-Jack. East has Club Ace-King. If East is on lead, West's King of Spades is smothered.

SNAP
An acronym for Strong No trump After Passing. A 1 No Trump response by a passed hand showing 9-12HCPs. See: Strong No trump After Passing

Snapdragon
After each of the preceding players, including one’s partner, has bid each a different suit, a double by the fourth hand shows a 5-card suit and moderate values. Each partnership must agree upon the level of bidding where this double should still apply.

Sneak
Slang: a singleton.

Snoopy
Mr. Charles M. Schulz created Peanuts, a comic strip, which appears in many newspapers around the world and which has been translated into many languages for enjoyment and pleasure. In May 1997 he created four consecutive comic strips with Snoopy, the pet dog of Charlie Brown, which show Snoopy as playing featured bridge hands. Since Mr. Charles M. Schulz was an avid bridge player, the ACBL made Snoopy and Woodstock honorary Life Masters.

The New York Times
By: Alan Truscott
Published: July 10, 2000

BRIDGE: Snoopy's Finest Card Game

Trump That, Red Baron!

Most bridge players are not aware that Snoopy and his creator, Charles M. Schulz, were bridge enthusiasts. Members of the public did not understand the bridge that appeared occasionally in the strips, but they put up with this little quirk in the makeup of the beloved cartoonist, who died in February, 2000.

In May 1997 four consecutive strips featured bridge hands, and the American Contract Bridge League made Snoopy and Woodstock honorary life masters. Schulz was delighted. His strip that appeared on November 7 centered on the bridge deal shown in the diagram.

The same layout appears in Ely Culbertson's ''Gold Book,'' first published in 1936, allowing a pleasant speculation. Did the bridge exploits of World War I's greatest fictional flyer find their way into the archives of the great bridge authority two decades later? Or was it the other way round?

In the first frame Snoopy, in flying gear, is sitting on a doghouse decorated with suit symbols. In the second he is engaged in a game with three small helmeted friends. The third shows the diagram, and Snoopy correctly interprets his partner's mumbled bid as a raise to three no-trump.

The reader is left to guess that a Spade is led and can see that South has eight tricks. If he routinely attempts to set up a ninth trick in Clubs he will almost surely fail. The defenders will establish Spades and make at least five tricks in the black suits.

At this point duty calls. ''Sorry, men,'' Snoopy says. ''We'll finish that hand when I return.''

He and the doghouse take to the air, and he boldly faces a barrage of anti-aircraft fire. He is in great danger but succeeds in returning to base.

''Flying Ace Snoopy reporting, mon capitaine,'' he says.

The capitaine, one infers, is not pleased.

''Yes, sir. Everything went bad,'' says Snoopy. ''Perhaps the captaine could tell me what I did wrong.''

The chastened flyer returns to the bridge game, where the troops have been patiently waiting.

''He said I should have led a low Heart to the Queen.''

Responder:
5 :		Shows less than 3 points: no Ace and at most 2 Kings
5 :		Shows 3 points: 1 Ace and no Kings, or 3 Kings
5 :		Shows 4 points: 1 Ace and 1 King, or 4 Kings
5 :		Shows 5 points: 1 Ace and 2 Kings
5 NT:		Shows 5 points: 1 Ace and 3 Kings, or 2 Aces
6 :		Shows 7 points: 2 Aces and 1 King, or 1 Ace and 4 Kings
6 :		Shows 8 points: 2 Aces and 2 Kings
6 :		Shows 9 points: 2 Aces and 3 Kings
6 :		Shows 10 points: 2 Aces and 4 Kings

Opener	Responder
2	5	Shows no points
	5	Shows 1 point
	5	Shows 2 points
	5	Shows 3 points
	5 NT	Shows 4 points
	6	Shows 5 points
	6	Shows 6 points
	6	Shows 7 points
	6	Shows 8 points
	6 NT	Show 9 points, etc.

Pass:	0-7 HCPs	Balanced shape; Distribution: 4-3-3-3.
or:	16-20 HCPs	Various shapes.
1 :	8-11 HCPs	Unbalanced shape; one suit must be a 5-card suit.
or:	21+ HCPs	Various shapes.
1 :	0-7 HCPs HCPs	Unbalanced shape; possibly Diamonds.
or:	12-14 HCPs	Balanced shape.
or:	12-15 HCPs	4-card plus Diamond suit, otherwise balanced.
1 :	0-7 HCPs	Unbalanced shape but a 4-card plus Heart suit.
or:	12-15 HCPs	5-card plus Heart suit.
1 :	0-7 HCPs	Unbalanced shape but a 4-card plus Spade suit.
or:	12-15 HCPs	5-card plus Spade suit.
1 NT:	8-11 HCPs	Balanced shape.
or:	15-17 HCPs	Balanced shape.
2 :	12-15 HCPs	5-card plus Club suit.
2 :	8-11 HCPs	5-card plus Major suit.
or:	21-22 HCPs	Balanced shape.
2 :	8-11 HCPs	Distribution: 4-4 in both Major suits.
2 :	8-11 HCPs	Shows any 6-card suit.
2NT:	8-11 HCPs	Distribution: 5-4 plus in both Minor suits.

1 :	12-21 HCPs	4+ Clubs
1 :	12-21 HCPs	4+ Diamonds
1 :	10-21 HCPs	4+ Hearts
1 :	10-21 HCPs	4+ Spades
1 NT:	14-16 HCPs	Balanced shape
2 :	22+ HCPs	Any shape
2 :	6-10 HCPs	5 Hearts or Spades
2 :	6-10 HCPs	6 Hearts
2 :	6-10 HCPs	6 Spades
2NT:	20-21 HCPs	Balanced shape

Holding		Lead
K6532:		2
K653:		6
9832:		2
983:		9
92:		2

Logical Exceptions
1062:		6
10962:		10 against a suit contract
10962:		2 against a No Trump contract
10654:		4
KJ92:		2