Acol Bidding in our Indi Tourneys

Bids must not be explained to partner.

All alerts and explanations must be made privately to opponents - not to partner or to the table.

All players in our Indi Tourneys must use the Acol bidding system :

1. Unless a pair (when first arriving at a table) agrees anything different or additional, they will play the whole of the following basic system :

	Weak 1 NT = 12/14	4 Card Majors
	Stayman       (not puppet or extended)
	2clubs = strong game force, or 23+ balanced hand
	Weak other 2 bids (not benji)	Blackwood
	Strong jump shift responses	Weak jump overcalls
	Takeout X	Negative X
	4NT over actual or effective NT opening is quantative slam invitation
	HELD discards
None of the above bids need to be alerted. They should, however, be explained to opponents upon request.

2. A pair may play other bids including the following, but must agree to do so at the beginning of the round :

	benji (ordinary or reverse)	three strong 2 bids
	splinters	gerber
	Unusual NT	RKCB 0314 (or as agreed)
	unassuming cue bid	michaels cue bid
	landy	gambling 3NT
	transfers
All of these additional bids must be alerted to opps (not to partner or to the table).

3. A player may make any other bid which has not been agreed with partner (except a Psyche or HUM).  In this case no explanation may be given to the bidder's partner and :
• If the bidder expects the partner to interpret the bid using only 'common bridge knowledge', no alert or explanation shall be given to opponents other than "No agreement".
• If the bidder and partner have previous experience together which will help the partner to interpret the bid then the bidder shall give the opponents a full explanation.