Download as one document

• NEW 1 – Overview & Minors
• NEW 2 – Majors
• NEW 3 – Notrump
• NEW 4 – 2 Level
• NEW 5 – Other
• NEW 6 – Doubles
• NEW 7 – Overcalls
• NEW 8 – Cue Bids & Preempts
• NEW 9 – Slam Conventions
• NEW 10 – NT Overcalls
• NEW 11 – Defenses vs Notrump
• NEW 12 – vs Preempts
• NEW 13 – Carding
• NEW 14 – Leads

In bridge parlance, any time you speak or pull a card from your bidding box, you are going to be making a call. Even in an informal game, your vocabulary is limited to fifteen words:

• Fourth Suit Forcing
• Blackwood
• Cappelletti (Part 1)
• Cappelletti (Part 2)
• DONT
• DOPI, ROPI, DEPO
• Jacoby 2NT
• Jacoby Transfers
• Michaels
• Negative Doubles
• New Minor Forcing
• Overcalls (Part 1)
• Overcalls (Part 2)
• Puppet Stayman
• Responding to a Takeout Double
• Responsive Doubles
• Roman Key Card Blackwood
• Smolen
• Splinters
• Stayman
• Texas Transfers
• Unusual vs. Unusual
• Weak Two-bids (Part 1)
• Weak Two-bids (Part 2)

Questions about the recent changes in the Laws of Bridge? In the list of documents below, each Law is broken down individually, highlighting the differences between the 2007 and 2017 versions.

• Definitions
• Index
• Law 1 — The Pack
• Law 2 — The Duplicate Boards
• Law 3 — Arrangement of Tables
• Law 4 — Partnerships
• Law 5 — Assignment of Seats
• Law 6 — The Shuffle and Deal
• Law 7 — Control of Boards and Cards
• Law 8 — Sequence of Rounds
• Law 9 — Procedure Following an Irregularity
• Law 10 — Assessment of Rectification
• Law 11 — Forfeiture of the Right to Rectification
• Law 12 — Director's Discretionary Powers
• Law 13 — Incorrect Number of Cards
• Law 14 — Missing Card
• Law 15 — Play of a Wrong Board
• Law 16 — Authorized and Unauthorized Information
• Law 17 — The Auction Period
• Law 18 — Bids
• Law 19 — Doubles and Redoubles
• Law 20 — Review and Explanation of Calls
• Law 21 — Call Based on Misinformation
• Law 22 — Procedure After the Bidding Has Ended
• Law 23 — Comparable Call
• Law 24 — Cards Exposed or Led Prior to Play Period
• Law 25 — Legal and Illegal Changes of Call
• Law 26 — Call Withdrawn, Lead Restrictions
• Law 27 — Insufficient Bid
• Law 28 — Calls Considered to be in Rotation
• Law 29 — Procedure After Call Out of Rotation
• Law 30 — Pass Out of Rotation
• Law 31 — Bid Out of Rotation
• Law 32 — Double or Redouble Out of Rotation
• Law 33 — Simultaneous Calls
• Law 34 — Retention of Right To Call
• Law 35 — Inadmissible Calls
• Law 36 — Inadmissible Doubles and Redoubles.
• Law 37 — Action Violating Obligation to Pass
• Law 38 — Bid of More Than Seven
• Law 39 — Call After the Final Pass
• Law 40 — Partnership Understandings
• Law 41 — Commencement of Play
• Law 42 — Dummy's Rights
• Law 43 — Dummy's Limitations
• Law 44 — Sequence and Procedure of Play
• Law 45 — Card Played
• Law 46 — Incomplete or Erroneous Call of a Card From Dummy
• Law 47 — Retraction of Card Played
• Law 48 — Exposure of Declarer's Cards
• Law 49 — Exposure of Defender's Cards
• Law 50 — Disposition of a Penalty Card
• Law 51 — Two or More Penalty Cards
• Law 52 — Failure to Lead or Play a Penalty Card
• Law 53 — Lead Out of Turn Accepted
• Law 54 — Faced Opening Lead Out of Turn
• Law 55 — Declarer's Lead Out of Turn
• Law 56 — Defender's Lead Out of Turn
• Law 57 — Premature Lead or Play
• Law 58 — Simultaneous Leads or Plays
• Law 59 — Inability to Lead or Play as Required
• Law 60 — Play After an Illegal Play
• Law 61 — Failure to Follow Suit - Inquires Concerning a Revoke
• Law 62 — Correction of a Revoke
• Law 63 — Establishment of a Revoke
• Law 64 — Procedure After the Establishment of a Revoke
• Law 65 — Law 65 - Arrangement of Tricks
• Law 66 — Inspection of Tricks
• Law 67 — Defective Trick
• Law 68 — Claim or Concession of Tricks
• Law 69 — Agreed Clam or Concession
• Law 70 — Contested Claim or Concession
• Law 71 — Concession Cancelled
• Law 72 — General Principles
• Law 73 — Communication
• Law 74 — Conduct and Etiquette
• Law 75 — Mistaken Explanation or Mistaken Call
• Law 76 — Spectators
• Law 77 — Duplicate Bridge Scoring Table
• Law 78 — Methods of Scoring and Conditions of Contest
• Law 79 — Tricks Won
• Law 80 — Regulation and Organization
• Law 81 — The Director
• Law 82 — Rectification of Errors of Procedure
• Law 83 — Notification of the Right to Appeal
• Law 84 — Rulings on Agreed Facts
• Law 85 — Rulings on Disputed Facts
• Law 86 — In Team Play or Similar
• Law 87 — Fouled Board
• Law 88 — Award of Indemnity Points
• Law 89 — Rectification in Individual Events
• Law 90 — Procedural Penalties
• Law 91 — Penalize or Suspend
• Law 92 — Right to Appeal
• Law 93 — Procedures of Appeal

1. Bidding boxes will be used in all events held at NABC's except I/N events (0-500). Their use will be optional in I/N events.
2. Units and Districts are encouraged to use bidding boxes in their  games.
3. Handicapped players requiring bidding boxes will have preference  when availability is limited.
4. Non-handicapped players may use bidding boxes, if available, in  games in which such use is not mandated as long as no player at the table objects.

Any player has the right to use bidding boxes (assuming they are  available) for any ACBL event in which they play if they are needed  because of a hearing impairment. As a policy, we do not question players as to the details of a handicap when they state that one exists.

When bidding boxes are in use for this reason, no player has the right to refuse to play with them. Players who have a handicap which preclude  their use will have a distinctive card. The card will be displayed on the  table and read, "due to a physical or visual handicap, we are not using  bidding boxes."

A player is obligated to choose a call before touching any card in the  box. Deliberation while touching the bidding box cards may subject the offending side to the adjustment provisions of Law 16.

A call is considered made when a bidding card is removed from the bidding box and held touching or nearly touching the table or maintained in such a position to indicate that the call has been made. We should use unauthorized information where reasonably appropriate (where we can rule that a bid has not been made). For close cases  simply judge that the card had not left the confines of the box; therefore, a call has not been made.

A call may be changed without penalty, under the provisions of Law 25A, only if a player has inadvertently taken out the wrong bidding card and the player corrects or attempts to correct his mistake without pause for thought and the player’s partner has not made a call.

The onus is on the player to convince the director that a mechanical irregularity has occured. Calls from different pockets should rarely, if at all, be judged as inadvertent. One understandable exception is placing the double card out followed shortly with a bid card that skips the bidding. This appears clear that the double card was placed inadvertently on the table.

Use of the Stop card has been discontinued. No verbal or visual skip-bid warning should be used. Following a jump in the bidding, left-hand opponent is obligated to wait approximately 10 seconds (while giving the appearance of studying his hand and not in excess time to determine a choice of bids) before making a call.

Note: If a player accidently uses the Stop card, there is no penalty. It is each player’s responsibility to maintain appropriate tempo at all times.

In this area of the website, you will find conditions of contest for ACBL events. There is one column of general conditions which apply to all ACBL events and separate general conditions applicable to Pair, Swiss, B-A-M and KO events. Additionally, specific events have other conditions of contest which apply only to them. At the bottom of the page are the appendices which are referred to in some of the conditions of contest.

Please check to be sure you have read ALL applicable conditions for any event you are going to enter. If you have additional questions please contact the ACBL Tournament Department.

For other Rules and Regulations, please see the ACBL Codification, Chapter 8F.