Glossary of Contract Bridge Terms - B

B

Back in

To make a partnership's first bid, having previously passed. For example, in 1♥ - (P) - 1NT - (P); 2♣ - (Dbl), the doubler has backed into the bidding.

Backward finesse

A combination of two finesses in a suit such that the first finesse is "backward" (that is, the reverse of the normal direction).

Balance

To keep the bidding open when it is about to be passed out at a low level. For example, if the bidding goes 1♥ - (P) - P - (1NT), the 1NT bid is a balancing action. The balancing bid is often made with a hand of substandard strength in order to prevent the opponents from securing a low-level contract.

Balanced distribution

1) Narrowly, balanced distribution of a hand or suit is 4-3-3-3, 4-4-3-2 or 5-3-3-2. Equivalently, there are no voids, no singletons, and at most one doubleton.

2) Balanced is commonly used in a broad sense that includes semi-balanced. Broadly, balanced distribution permits no void, singleton, or 7-card suit.

Balanced hand

A 13-card hand with balanced distribution in the narrow or wide sense just above. On the first round of bidding, natural notrump bids generally denote balanced hands.

BAM

Board-a-match, one method of scoring a duplicate bridge session or tournament.

Bar

To prevent a player from making a bid, either by a penalty caused by an irregularity, or because partnership agreement requires a pass in a given situation. In either case, the player is said to be "barred."

Barometer scoring

In a duplicate event, the posting of contestants' running scores after each round. Knowledge of the current standings often adds excitement to the contest, and can affect the strategies adopted by those in a position to win the event.

Bath coup

A holdup by declarer, to prevent an opponent from continuing a suit. In the classic position, declarer holds ♠AJ2 and West leads ♠K from ♠KQ1098. By playing the 2 on West's K, South makes it impossible for West to continue spades without giving South a free finesse.

Beer Card

The ♦7.

Below the line

In rubber bridge, the location on the scorepad below the main horizontal line where points awarded for a successful contract, i.e. tricks bid for and taken exclusive of bonus points, are recorded. These are the points counted towards game. See Above the line and Bridge scoring.

Bermuda Bowl

The cup awarded to the winner of the international team championship, the most prestigious award in bridge. Also, the championship contest itself.

Bid

A specification of both level and denomination or strain, such as three notrump or four hearts. While any legal bid constitutes a potential contract, some bids carry special coded meanings when used by the partnership as a conventional bid and as such are not normally intended as a potential contract.

Bid out of turn

A bid erroneously made when it was another player's turn to bid. Subject to penalty.

Biddable suit

A suit that a partnership regards as long and strong enough to be bid. Partnerships often employ different standards of length and strength for suits named in opening bids, in responses, in rebids and in overcalls.

Bidding

The first stage of a deal, when players jointly determine the final contract. Having examined their own cards, they make a series of calls in rotation, which is called the auction or the bidding.

Bidding box

A box, placed on the table, that contains cards with calls printed on them. By selecting and displaying a card, a player can make a call without speaking. Silent bidding removes one source of unauthorized information from the game.

Bidding space

The number of steps available in an auction (see Useful space principle), or the number of steps consumed by a bid. The sequence 1♣ - 1♦ consumes only one step, whereas 1♦ - 2♣ consumes four steps. Because alternative bids are skipped, it often happens that the more steps a bid takes up, the more specific meaning it carries.

Bidding system

The complete set of agreements and understandings assigned to calls and sequences of calls used by a partnership, including a full description of the meaning of each treatment and convention.

Blackwood convention

Popular bidding convention in contract bridge, used to determine number of partner's aces/kings to evaluate for slam bids.

Blank

1) (Adjective) Unprotected by other, usually lower cards in the same suit: "I held the blank king of spades."

2) (Verb) To discard in such a way as to leave a card unprotected: "She blanked the king of spades."

Blitz

(Slang) A win by the widest possible margin.

Blocked

(Adjective) If a suit is divided between partners in such a way that the hand with the shorter holding has only high cards, the suit cannot be run without an entry to the longer holding in another suit; it is then said to be blocked. If North holds ♦AK and South holds ♦QJ10, South cannot cash a third diamond trick without an entry in another suit. The diamonds are blocked until North is able to unblock by playing the ace and king.

Board

1) One particular allocation of 52 cards to the four players including the bidding, the play of the cards and the scoring based on those cards. Also called deal or hand.

2) A device that keeps each player's cards separate for duplicate bridge.

3) The dummy's hand. For example, "You're on the board", means "The lead is in the dummy."

Board-a-match

A form of scoring for teams, analogous to matchpoint scoring for pairs. A team earns 1 point if its pairs score higher than the opposing pairs (with the same cards at the other table), 1/2 for equal scores, and 0 for lower scores. Board-a-match scoring is now less common than IMP scoring, or IMPs victory points in a Swiss tournament.

Body

Intermediate cards such as the 9, 8 and 7, that contribute to a suit's trick-taking potential.

Bonus

In bridge scoring, beyond points for bid tricks taken, which are awarded for making a contract, the additional points awarded for making a doubled contract, or for making doubled or redoubled overtricks. There are different bonus amounts at the partscore, game, small slam, and grand slam levels. The size of most bonuses depends on the vulnerability. Bonus amounts are different in rubber bridge and duplicate bridge. See Bridge scoring.

Book

1) (Noun) The basic six tricks that must be taken by the declaring side. The first six "book" tricks are always assumed and are not taken into account in bidding or scoring. Thus, a contract at the 1-level commits declarer to take at least 7 (that is, 6 + 1) tricks, and provides trick points only for the trick above book. The term apparently originated from the whist practice of arranging the first six tricks into a stack called a "book."

2) (Noun) The number of tricks that the defensive side must take so as to hold declarer to his contract. If the contract is 4♠, defenders' book is 3.

3) (Verb, usually passive) Slang. As declarer, to have lost the maximum number of tricks without being set. At 4♠, declarer is "booked" when he has lost three tricks.

Bottom

At matchpoint scoring, the lowest possible score on a board. Also, zero.

Bracket

A group of entries in a tournament that will eventually have one winner. The grouping is often done on the basis of masterpoints.

Break

1) (Noun) The distribution of cards in a suit between two (often unseen) hands: "I got a 4-1 spade break." An even break occurs when the cards are distributed evenly or nearly so, such as 3-3 or 4-2. A bad break, connoting a distribution that is difficult to handle, suggests an unexpectedly uneven distribution, such as 5-1 or 6-0. See distribution.

2) (Verb) To be divided between two hands. "The spades broke 3-2."

3) (Verb) To lead a particular suit for the first time during a particular deal.

4) (Verb) Slang. To play for and find a particular distribution, usually the most favorable. "I broke the spades."

Bridge maxims

A compilation of short "laws", "rules" and rules-of-thumb advice; often, not always, valid.

Bridge World, The (TBW)

A monthly magazine based in New York City, the oldest continuously published periodical concerning contract bridge, and the game's most prestigious technical journal.

Broken sequence

A sequence of honor cards, one or more of which is missing, for example AQJ.

Bullet

(slang) An ace.

Business double

A penalty double. Contrast with various competitive and informatory doubles such as takeout double and negative double.

Bust

(Slang) A very weak hand. Sometimes paired with the name of a long suit: for example, "club bust" to denote a hand with long clubs and very little high card strength. See also Yarborough.

Busy

A card that is needed for some purpose is said to be busy. For example, cards that a defender is trying to preserve while declarer executes a squeeze are "busy." Contrast with idle.

Butler

A method of overall scoring in duplicate bridge where every result is subtracted from a datum (average or median) score and converted to IMPs using a table defined by the WBF.

Bye

1) A round of an event during which a team or pair is not scheduled to play.

2) A location, such as a chair or stand, where boards are kept when not in use during an event.