Congress Readiness

Congresses are where club players test themselves against the best in their state and beyond. They’re friendly, well run and great fun, but the rules are applied more carefully than at a club night, and good players expect you to know them.

This module covers what happens at the table under the ABF Tournament Regulations and Alerting Regulations, and the Laws of Duplicate Bridge:

Pre-alerts, announcements and alerts.
Asking and answering questions.
Unauthorised information and tempo.
Stop cards, screens and mobile phones.
Calling the Director and what happens next.

A bidding box with cards for each bid, pass, double and redouble — A bidding box. At congresses, the alert card and stop card are used with the bidding box. (Image: Wikimedia Commons, Bidding_box.png)

1. Full disclosure

The ABF Alerting Regulations begin with a principle: there are no secret agreements. Your opponents are entitled to know everything you and your partner have agreed, including understandings that have grown up from playing together.

The principle is to disclose, not as little as you must, but as much as you can.

General bridge knowledge (what any new partner would assume) doesn’t need explaining. Anything that comes from your partnership’s agreements or experience does.

2. The three stages of alerting

Stage 1: pre-alerts

At the start of each round, tell the opponents your basic system, the length of your one-level openings and your 1NT range. For example:

“We play two over one, five-card majors, 15–17 no trumps, 1♣ could be three cards.”

Also pre-alert anything unusual that the opponents might need a defence against, and highly unusual carding (such as leading low from doubletons).

Stage 2: announcements and alerts during the auction

Announcements. When partner opens 1♣ or a natural 1NT, you (responder) make an announcement instead of an alert:

After 1♣ in a natural system, announce the minimum length: in our Standard American, “Three plus”.
After a natural 1NT, announce the range: “Fifteen to seventeen”.

Alerts. When partner makes an alertable call, you say “Alert” and place the alert card from your bidding box across their call. You alert partner’s calls, never your own (except with screens).

A call is alertable if it’s conventional (it means something other than a desire to play in that denomination), or if it’s natural but has a meaning the opponents are unlikely to expect. Examples from earlier modules:

Forcing 1NT, inverted minors, Jacoby 2NT, Bergen raises, splinters below the four level, fourth suit forcing.
The Unusual 2NT, transfers, Lebensohl.

Self-alerting calls are never alerted. The opponents may ask about them:

Doubles and redoubles.
Cue bids of an opponent’s suit.
All calls at the four level or higher, except conventional opening bids.
Any 2♣ response to a 1NT opening in an uncontested auction (Stayman).

Stage 3: delayed alerts

At the end of the auction, the declaring side should point out any unusual calls that weren’t alerted, before the opening lead. Defenders don’t do this: they explain their calls only when asked.

3. Asking and answering questions

Asking:

You may ask about an alerted or self-alerted call at your first turn after it. Otherwise, ask about the whole auction (“Please explain the auction”) rather than one call.
Ask for your own benefit only, never to help partner.
If you’re going to pass whatever the answer, don’t ask. Questions can give partner unauthorised information.

Answering:

Give a full explanation of your agreement, not just the convention’s name. “Michaels” isn’t enough; “Hearts and an unknown minor, at least five-five” is.
Explain your agreement, not what you think partner holds. If you have no agreement, say so.
If you realise partner’s explanation was wrong:
- As declarer or dummy, call the Director before the opening lead is faced.
- As a defender, wait until the end of play, then call the Director.
If you’ve forgotten what partner’s call means, still alert it, then explain that you’ve forgotten. The Director will usually ask you to leave the table while partner explains.

4. Unauthorised information and tempo

Your partner’s hesitations, speed, remarks, questions and explanations are unauthorised information to you (Law 16). If partner’s hesitation suggests one action over another, and the other action is a logical alternative (one that a good number of your peers would seriously consider), you may not choose the action suggested.

Example. Partner thinks for a long time and then passes partner’s 3♥. You have a borderline hand for bidding 4♥. Partner’s hesitation suggests they were close to bidding on, so you must not bid 4♥ unless it’s clear-cut. If you do, and it works, the Director may adjust the score.

Tempo and the Laws (Law 73):

Try to call and play at an even pace.
Never hesitate to mislead (for example, thinking with a singleton). Law 73D doesn’t allow it.
Remarks, gestures and the way you place cards must not convey information.

This isn’t about cheating. Everyone hesitates sometimes. The rules simply make sure partner doesn’t benefit from it.

5. Stop cards and skip bids

A skip bid is a jump: skipping one or more levels of the bidding (for example, opening 3♠ or jumping from 1♥ to 4♥).

Before making a skip bid, place the stop card from your bidding box on the table.
Then make your bid, and remove the stop card.
Your left-hand opponent should pause for a few seconds before calling, as if thinking, even with an easy pass. That way their speed doesn’t pass information to their partner.

6. Screens

At the top level of ABF events, screens may be used. A screen is a diagonal barrier across the table, so you can see only your screenmate (one opponent), not your partner.

Bidding is passed under the screen on a tray.
With screens, you alert your own alertable calls to your screenmate. When the tray passes under the screen, your partner alerts the same call to the opponent on their side.
Questions are asked and answered in writing, to and by your screenmate.
Events with screens allow 8.5 minutes per board, compared with about 7 minutes for most other ABF events.

You won’t meet screens in most congresses, but it’s good to know how they work.

7. Mobile phones and timing

Under the ABF Tournament Regulations, mobile phones must be switched off during session time, until the scheduled end of the session. A phone that rings or is consulted in the playing area can attract a penalty. Some finals require players to lodge their phones.
Arrive early. Be seated about five minutes before play starts.
Keep pace. Most ABF events allow about 7 minutes per board. If you’re slow, play faster on easy hands.

8. Calling the Director

When something goes wrong (a lead out of turn, a revoke, an insufficient bid, a disputed claim or an unexpected hesitation):

Stop and call “Director, please.” Don’t sort it out yourselves, even if you think you know the Law.
Don’t argue with the opponents. The Director will hear everyone and give a ruling.
Calling the Director isn’t an accusation. It’s simply how rulings are made fairly.
If you disagree with a ruling, you can ask for a review or appeal within the time allowed in the regulations.

9. Protected pairs and system cards

The ABF System Regulations let less experienced pairs claim “Protected Pair” status in events where it’s offered. Both players must be below Life Master, or one player below State Master, and the pair must play a Green system with no Brown Sticker conventions. Protected pairs display a green and an orange sticker, and opponents may not use Yellow (highly unusual) methods or Brown Sticker conventions against them.

For gold-point (national) events, each pair must have two identical ABF system cards on the table for the opponents. Module 12 shows you how to prepare them.

Rules worth remembering

Full disclosure: explain as much as you can, not as little as you must.
Pre-alert your basic system, 1NT range and anything unusual.
Announce partner’s 1♣ (“Three plus”) and 1NT (“Fifteen to seventeen”).
Alert partner’s alertable calls, not your own. Doubles, cue bids and four-level calls are self-alerting.
Ask only at your turn, only for your own benefit.
Partner’s hesitations are unauthorised information: choose the logical alternative they don’t suggest.
Use the stop card before skip bids, and pause after an opponent’s.
Phones off. Call the Director. Don’t sort out problems yourselves.

Try these

1. Partner opens 1♣, which in your Standard American could be three cards. What do you do?

2. Partner doubles the opponents’ 1♥ for takeout. Do you alert?

3. Partner explains your 2♦ bid as “both majors”, but your agreement is that it’s a weak two in diamonds. You become declarer. When should you speak up?

4. Same situation, but you’re a defender. When should you speak up?

5. You overcall 2♠ and LHO bids 3♥. Partner thinks for a long time, then passes, and RHO passes. You have a hand where 3♠ and pass are both reasonable. What should you do?

Answers

1. Announce “Three plus”. Don’t say “Alert”.

2. No. Doubles are self-alerting. The opponents may ask what it means.

3. Before the opening lead is faced. Call the Director and correct the explanation.

4. At the end of play. As a defender, you must not correct partner’s explanation until then. Then call the Director.

5. Pass. Partner’s hesitation suggests they were thinking of competing, so 3♠ is the action it suggests. Pass is a logical alternative, so you must pass.

Words to know

Term	Meaning
Pre-alert	Telling the opponents about your system and any unusual methods before the round starts
Announcement	A prescribed statement by responder after partner’s 1♣ or natural 1NT opening, such as “Three plus” or “Fifteen to seventeen”
Alert	Drawing attention to partner’s call that has a special or unexpected meaning
Self-alerting	A call that is never alerted (doubles, redoubles, cue bids, four-level calls and above, and 2♣ Stayman)
Delayed alert	The declaring side’s explanation of unusual unalerted calls before the opening lead
Unauthorised information (UI)	Information from partner’s tempo, remarks or questions that you may not use
Logical alternative	A call or play that a significant number of your peers would seriously consider
Stop card	A card placed before a skip bid to warn the next player
Screen	A barrier that separates partners at the table in top-level events
Protected Pair	A less experienced pair playing a Green system, protected from Yellow and Brown Sticker methods

What next?

Practise your pre-alert with your partner. Keep it to one sentence.
Enter a congress. Use My ABF to find events near you and to enter.
Move on to Module 12: Building your system card, so you arrive with everything written down.