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(Rev.NABC041) CHARTS.041 (PAGE 1)
___________________
ACBL GENERAL CONVENTION CHART
1. The conventions listed below must be allowed
in all ACBL
sanctioned tournament play (other than in
events with an upper
restriction of 20 or fewer masterpoints and
events for which the
ACBL conditions of contest state otherwise)
and at club-level
events with multiple-site overall
masterpoint awards. Clubs have
full authority to regulate conventions in
games conducted solely
at their clubs.
DEFINITIONS
1. An opening suit bid or response is
considered natural if in a
minor it shows three or more cards in that
suit and in a major it
shows four or more cards in that suit. A
notrump opening or
overcall is natural if not unbalanced
(generally, no singleton or
void and only one or two doubletons).
2. An overcall in a suit is considered natural
if, by agreement, it
shows four or more cards in that suit.
3. A sequence of relay bids is defined as a
system if, after an
opening of one of a suit, it is started
prior to opener's rebid.
**ALLOWED - Unless specifically allowed,
methods are disallowed **
OPENING BIDS
1. ONE CLUB OR ONE DIAMOND may be used as an
all-purpose opening bid
(artificial or natural) promising a minimum
of 10 high-card
points.
2. FORCING 1NT OPENING BID indicating a
balanced or unbalanced hand
and a minimum of 16 HCP.
3. TWO CLUBS ARTIFICIAL OPENING BID indicating
one of:
a) a strong hand
b) a three-suiter with a minimum of 10 HCP
4. STRENGTH SHOWING OPENING AT THE TWO LEVEL OR
HIGHER that asks for
aces, kings, queens, singletons, voids or
trump quality and
responses thereto.
5. TWO DIAMOND ARTIFICIAL OPENING BID
indicating one of:
a) both majors with a minimum of 10 HCP.
b) a strong hand.
c) a three-suiter with a minimum of 10 HCP.
6. OPENING BID AT THE TWO LEVEL OR HIGHER
indicating two known suits,
a minimum of 10 HCP and at least 5-4
distribution in the suits.
7. OPENING NOTRUMP BID AT THE TWO LEVEL OR
HIGHER indicating at least
5-4 distribution in the minors.
8. OPENING THREE NOTRUMP BID indicating one of
a) a solid suit or
b) a minor one-suiter.
9. OPENING FOUR-LEVEL BID transferring to a
known suit.
RESPONSES AND REBIDS
1. ONE DIAMOND as a forcing, artificial
response to 1 club.
2. ONE NOTRUMP response to a major suit opening
bid forcing one
round; cannot guarantee game invitational or
better values.
3. CONVENTIONAL RESPONSES WHICH GUARANTEE GAME
FORCING OR BETTER
VALUES. May NOT be part of a relay system.
CHARTS.041 (PAGE 2)
___________________
4. TWO CLUBS OR TWO DIAMONDS response to third
or fourth-seat
major-suit openings asking the quality of
the opening bid.
5. SINGLE OR HIGHER JUMP SHIFTS AND/OR NOTRUMP
BIDS AT THE TWO LEVEL
OR HIGHER to indicate a raise or to force to
game.
6. ARTIFICIAL AND OR CONVENTIONAL CALLS after
strong (15+ HCP),
forcing opening bids and after opening bids
of 2 or higher. (For
this classification, by partnership
agreement, weak two-bids must
be within a range of 7 HCP and the suit must
contain at least five
cards - See #7 under DISALLOWED.)
7. ALL CONSTRUCTIVE CALLS starting with the
opening bidder's second
call.
8. CALLS THAT ASK for aces, kings queens,
singletons, voids or trump
quality and responses thereto.
9. ALL CALLS AFTER A NATURAL NOTRUMP opening
bid or direct overcall,
EXCEPT for natural notrump opening bids or
overcalls with a lower
limit of fewer than 10 HCP or with a range
of greater than 5 HCP
(including those that have two
nonconsecutive ranges). See #7
under DISALLOWED.
COMPETITIVE
1. CONVENTIONAL BALANCING CALLS.
2. CONVENTIONAL DOUBLES AND REDOUBLES and
responses (including free
bids) thereto.
3. NOTRUMP OVERCALL for either
a) two-suit takeout showing at least 5-4
distribution and at least
one known suit (At the four level or higher
there is no
requirement to have a known suit.) or
b) three-suit takeout (at least three cards
in each of the three
suits.)
4. a)JUMP OVERCALLS INTO A SUIT to indicate at
least 5-4 distribution
in two known suits and responses thereto.
b)SIMPLE OVERCALLS INTO A SUIT to indicate
a minimum of 10 HCP, at
least 5-4 distribution in two known suits
and responses thereto.
5. TRANSFER RESPONSES/ADVANCES to overcalls
where the call shows
length or values in the suit of the
transfer.
6. CUEBID of an opponent's suit and responses
thereto, except that a
cuebid that could be weak (fewer than 10 HCP)
directly over an
opening bid, must show at least one known
suit.
7. DEFENSE TO:
a) conventional calls (except see #9
RESPONSES and REBIDS above
and #7 under DISALLOWED below),
b) natural notrump opening bids and
overcalls, except that direct
calls, other than double and 2 clubs must
have at least one known
suit.
c) opening bids of 2clubs or higher.
8. Numbers 4 through 8 under RESPONSES AND
REBIDS above APPLY TO BOTH
PAIRS.
DISALLOWED
1. Conventions and/or agreements whose primary
purpose is to destroy
the opponents' methods.
2. Psyching of artificial or conventional
opening bids and/or
conventional responses thereto. Psyching
conventional suit
responses, which are less than 2NT, to
natural openings.
CHARTS.041 (PAGE 3)
___________________
3. Psychic controls (Includes ANY partnership
agreement which, if
used in conjunction with a psychic call,
makes allowance for that
psych.)
4. Forcing pass systems.
5. Relay (tell me more) systems.
6. Opening one bids which by partnership
agreement could show less
than 8 HCP. (Not applicable to a psych.)
7. CONVENTIONAL RESPONSES, REBIDS AND A
CONVENTIONAL DEFENSE TO AN
OPPONENT'S CONVENTIONAL DEFENSE after
natural notrump opening bids
or overcalls with a lower limit of fewer
than 10 HCP or with a
range of greater than 5 HCP (including those
that have two
non-consecutive ranges) and weak two-bids
which by partnership
agreement are not within a range of 7 HCP
and or do not show at
least five cards in the suit.
CARDING
Dual-message carding strategies are not
approved except on each
defender's first discard. Except for the first
discard, only
right-side-up or upside-down card ordering
strategies are approved.
Encrypted signals are not approved. In
addition, a pair may be
prohibited from playing any method (such as
suit preference systems at
trick one), when they are deemed to be playing
it in a manner which is
not compatible with the maintenance of proper
tempo (much like dual
message signals). This decision may be appealed
to the tournament
committee.
(Rev.NABC032) CHARTS.041 (PAGE 4)
___________________
ACBL MID-CHART
This chart applies to:
1. All NABC+ events with no upper masterpoint
restrictions played at
an NABC.
2. All unrestricted Flight A regionally rated
events at an NABC.
3. Any bracket of a bracketed KO at an NABC
which contains no team
with a bracket designator (average
masterpoints of the entire team
or top two players) of less than 1000
points.
This chart (or any part) may apply to any
sectionally or regionally
rated event or tournament at sponsor's option
provided that this has
been included in tournament advertising. (The
requirement for
advertising does not extend to use in Flt A or
high brackets of KOs.)
When using a method permitted by the Mid-Chart
but not by the General
Convention Chart, a pair is required to:
1. Pre-Alert the method(s)*
2. Have a written description of the method(s)
available for the
opponents.
3. Except for those methods authorized by
sections below with an
asterisk (numbers 2, 3, and 9 under
ALLOWED), have a copy of the
approved suggested defense available for
opponents. Approved
defenses are available in the ACBL defense
database at
www.acbl.org.
A defense to a method which requires the above
pre-Alert may be
referred to during the auction by both pairs.
To get a defense approved, a complete written
explanation of the
method and a complete written defense must be
submitted to ACBL in
Memphis, attention Chief Tournament Director by
regular or e-mail to
chief.tournament.director@acbl.org
In addition, a method may be approved
experimentally for Mid-Chart
events. In order to have a method approved
experimentally, a complete
description with suggested defense must be
submitted to ACBL,
attention Chief Tournament Director, as above.
ALLOWED ** Unless specifically allowed, methods
are disallowed **
1. All of the ACBL General Convention Chart.
2. *Relay (tell me more) systems that promise
game-forcing values.
3. *All other constructive rebids and responses
are permitted -
except for:
a. relay systems that show less than
game-forcing values,
b. conventional calls after natural
notrump opening bids or
overcalls with a lower limit of fewer
than 10 HCP or with a
range of greater than 5 HCP (see #9
under RESPONSES AND REBIDS
and #7 under DISALLOWED on the General
Convention Chart) -
however, this prohibition does not
extend to notrumps that have
two non-consecutive ranges neither of
which exceeds 3 HCP, and
CHARTS.041 (PAGE 5)
___________________
c. conventional calls after a weak two-bid
with an agreed range of
more than 7 HCP or an agreement where
the suit length may be
four cards (see #6 under RESPONSES AND
REBIDS and #7 under
DISALLOWED on the General Convention
Chart). THIS APPLIES TO
BOTH PAIRS.
4. Any call that promises four or more cards in
a known suit, except
that weak opening at the two-level or higher
that show hands with
two suits must be no less than 5-4
distribution in the two suits.
(See items #6 and #8 in DISALLOWED below.)
5. Opening 2 Diamond showing a weak two-bid in
an unspecified major
and may include additional strong (15+ HCP)
meaning(s).
6. A 2 Spade or 2NT opening bid showing an
unspecified minor or both
minors.
7. A transfer opening bid at the two-level or
higher showing a weak
bid in the suit being transferred to or a
type or types of strong
hand.
8. Any strong (15+ HCP) opening bid.
9. Notrump overcall as a two-suit takeout
showing at least 5-4
distribution.
10. *Defense to natural notrump opening bids
and overcalls.
11. Any opening bid at the three level or
higher showing an
undisclosed solid suit.
DISALLOWED
1. Conventions and/or agreements whose primary
purpose is to destroy
the opponents' methods.
2. Psyching of artificial opening bids and/or
conventional responses
thereto.
3. Psychic controls. (Includes ANY partnership
agreement which, if
used in conjunction with a psychic call,
makes allowance for that
psych.)
4. Forcing pass systems.
5. Relay (tell me more) systems except those
that are game-forcing.
6. Opening one-bids which by partnership
agreement could show less
than 8 HCP. (Not applicable to a psych.)
7. Psyching a conventional agreement which may
show less than 10 HCP
and which is not permitted by the General
Convention Chart. This
includes psyching responses to or rebids of
these methods.
8. Any weak opening bid which promises an
unknown suit may not
include as the unknown suit the suit named
(the suit opened).
CARDING
Same as listed on the General Convention Chart.
CHARTS.041 (PAGE 6)
___________________
ACBL SUPER-CHART
This chart applies to all NABC+ events with no
upper masterpoint limit
played at an NABC in which contestants play
segments (no change of
opponents) of 12 or more boards. This chart (or
any part) may be used
at a sectionally or regionally rated event or
tournament at sponsor's
option in any event with 12-board or longer
segments provided this has
been included in tournament advertising.
Pre-Alerts are required for all conventional
methods not permitted on
the ACBL General Convention Chart. Description
of, and suggested
defenses to, such methods must be made in
writing. A defense to a
method which requires the above pre-Alert may
be referred to during
the auction by opponents of the convention
user.
For NABC+ events in which this chart is
permitted, pairs playing
SuperChart methods must furnish the above
descriptions of their
methods to the Director-in-Charge of the event
the day prior to the
session in which they choose to play them.
ALLOWED * * Unless specifically allowed
methods are disallowed * *
All of the ACBL MidChart plus any other
non-destructive convention,
treatment or method except that:
1. Artificial weak bids at the two or three
level (including those
with strong adjuncts) must possess:
a) a known suit, or
b) one of no more than two possible suits
not to include the suit
bid.
2. Defenses over opponents' natural suit bids
must promise:
a) for non-cuebids showing a single-suited
hand, one of no more
than two possible suits
b) a cuebid which could show a weak hand
with four or more cards
in the suit bid must promise four or
more cards in another
known suit.
3. The prohibitions contained in item #9 under
RESPONSES AND REBIDS
on the General Convention Chart are
effective for this Chart.
(However, this prohibition does not extend
to notrumps that have
two non-consecutive ranges neither of which
exceeds 3 HCP.)
DISALLOWED
1. Conventions and/or agreements whose primary
purpose is to destroy
the opponents' methods.
2. Psyching of artificial opening bids and/or
conventional responses
thereto.
3. Psychic controls. (Includes ANY partnership
agreement which, if
used in conjunction with a psychic call,
makes allowance for that
psych.)
4. Forcing pass systems.
5. Opening one bids which by partnership
agreement could show fewer
than 8 HCP. (Not applicable to a psych.)
6. Psyching a conventional agreement which may
show fewer than 10 HCP
and which is not permitted by the General
Convention Chart. This
includes psyching responses to or rebids of
those methods.
CARDING
Same as listed on the General Convention Chart.
CHARTS.041 (PAGE 7)
___________________
ACBL LIMITED CONVENTIONS
(May be used in games with an upper limit of 20
or fewer MPs)
CLUBS: Club management shall determine the
conventions permitted in
club games with an upper limit of 20 or fewer
masterpoints.
LOCAL & HIGHER EVENTS:
The sponsoring organization of local and higher
rated tournaments may
determine the conventions permitted in games
with an upper limit of 20
or fewer masterpoints.
OPENING BIDS:
A 1 Club opening bid may be both artificial
(says nothing about clubs)
and forcing (partner must respond at least
once), but opener must have
at least 10 HCP. A negative 1 Diamond response
may be used.
A 2 Club opening bid may be artificial and
strong. It may be balanced
(a hand stronger than a traditional 2NT
opening) or unbalanced (a hand
with which you would open a strong two-bid if
playing that way).
Further bidding will describe the hand.
A 3NT opening bid may show a hand with a long,
solid suit (gambling).
RESPONSES AND REBIDS:
A jump shift of one or more levels (into a suit
or into notrump) may
be used either to force to game or to show a
raise of partner's suit.
Any meaning may be given to the responses and
rebids after an opening
bid of 1NT. Exception: if the 1NT opening has a
point range which
exceeds 5 HCP, or if the 1NT opening has an
agreed lower limit of
fewer than 10 HCP, responses and rebids may not
be conventional --
they must be natural.
Any meaning may be given to the responses to
and rebids after an
opening bid of 2 Clubs or higher. Exception: if
the opening bid is a
weak two-bid with: (a) an agreed point range of
more than 7 HCP, (b)
an agreement that the bid suit can contain
fewer than five cards, or
(c) an agreement that the hand can contain
fewer than 5 HCP, responses
and rebids may not be conventional - they must
be natural.
Any call may be used to ask partner or to
respond to partner about
aces, kings, queens, singletons, voids or trump
quality with the
exceptions noted above.
COMPETITIVE AUCTIONS:
Any meaning may be given to a double or a
redouble.
A notrump overcall or jump overcall may be use
to show a two-suited
hand (at least 5-4 distribution in the two
suits). At least one of the
suits must be known. The second suit may be
known or unknown.
Any meaning may be given to the cue bid of an
opponent's suit.
CHARTS.041 (PAGE 8)
___________________
Any meaning may be given to calls used to
defend against opponents'
conventional calls or opening bids of 2 Clubs
or higher.
Any meaning may be given to calls used to
defend against natural
notrump opening bids or overcalls except that
direct calls other than
double and 2 Clubs must have at least one known
suit.
DISALLOWED:
Conventions and/or agreements with a primary
purpose of destroying the
opponents' methods are not allowed (e.g., a bid
telling nothing about
the bidder's hand, made simply to use up
bidding space).
Agreements allowing the partnership to open the
bidding at the one
level with fewer than 8 HCP are not allowed.
This does not preclude a
psychic opening bid.
Psyching of artificial opening bids or
conventional responses to
artificial opening bids is not allowed.
Psychic controls (bids designed to determine
whether partner has
psyched or to clarify the nature of the psych)
are not allowed.
Relay systems (one player tells nothing about
his own hand while
interrogating partner about his hand through a
series of conventional
calls) are not allowed.
CARDING:
A discard (a card played while not following
suit) can convey a
message to partner. The message can pertain to
the length of the suit
of the card discarded, to the attitude toward
that suit (desire to
have partner lead that suit) or to another suit
(no information about
the suit of the card discarded). A pair may
decide to attribute the
attitude message (good-bad) to the cards on
either a higher-to-lower
basis (a higher card is more positive than a
lower card) or a
lower-to-higher basis (a low card is more
positive than a higher
card).
A discard may carry more than one message, but
only at each defender's
first discard of the deal. Dual-message
discards are not permitted as
second or subsequent discards. Encrypted
signals (the order and/or
message is based on information known to the
other defender but not
yet to declarer) are not allowed at any time.
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