Glossary of Contract Bridge Terms - D

D

Danger hand

(Usually in reference to the defenders.) An opponent who, if he obtains the lead, can damage declarer's prospects.

Datum

The mean or median of raw scores on a deal. The datum is used as a basis for calculating IMPs for the participating teams or pairs. The datum may be trimmed by removing extreme scores at either end of the distribution, a procedure whose effect on a mean or on a median depends on the degree of skewness in the raw scores.

Dead

(Usually in reference to the dummy.) A hand that has no card of entry.

Deal

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 board or hand.

2) (Verb) To allocate the 52 cards to the four players or hands, 13 each.

Dealer

The player who makes the first call in the auction. In some versions of the game, this player also deals the cards. In rubber bridge, the first dealer is usually decided by a cut for the highest card. In duplicate bridge, cards are dealt only at the outset of the session and the deal is preserved during the session by the use of boards. The "dealer" who will make the first call is identified by a mark on the physical board, commonly the word "dealer".

Deck

The 52 cards used in bridge.

Declaration

The contract in which a hand is played.

Declarative-Interrogative

See D-I.

Declarer

Of the partnership that makes the final bid in the auction, declarer is the partner who first names the denomination or strain of the final bid, thus the strain of the contract. During the play, declarer sits across from the dummy and calls for cards from the dummy's hand, or "plays the dummy."

Declaring side

The side that wins the auction.

Deep finesse

A finesse against two or more cards.

Defeat

(Said of the contract). To prevent declarer from taking the number of tricks called for by his contract. Also, set.

Defenders

The pair that tries to defeat the contract.

Defense

Declarer's opponents or their line of play.

Defensive bidding

1) A bid or sequence of bids designed to hinder the opponents' bidding, including sacrifices.

2) All bidding by the partnership which does not open, which necessarily begins with a double or overcall (intervention).

Delayed

Postponed, as the jump preference in the auction 1♥ - 1♠; 2♦ - 3♥. Many bids have a different meaning depending on whether or not they are made at the first opportunity.

Denomination (also 'strain')

Component of a bid that denotes the proposed trump suit or notrump. Thus, there are five denominations - notrump, spades, hearts, diamonds and clubs. The Laws of Contract Bridge and of Duplicate Bridge refer to the term denomination exclusively but the Official Encyclopedia of Bridge states that "the modern term is strain"; strain is generally used in bridge literature.

DEPO

Acronym for Double Even, Pass Odd. Conventional method for bidding over interference with Blackwood.

Deschapelles coup

On defense, the lead of an unsupported honor in order to create an entry to partner's hand.

Develop

To establish tricks in a suit, usually by forcing out the opponents' stoppers.

Devil's coup

In the endgame, the play of a side suit through a defender to create an overruff and a subsequent trump finesse.

D-I

(Abbreviation of Declarative-Interrogative.) 4NT as a general slam try that asks partner to show features. D-I is incorporated in several bidding systems, including Neapolitan, Blue Team Club and Kaplan-Sheinwold. 4NT D-I is distinguished from Blackwood by means of the bidding context.

Direction

A player's position at the bridge table (North, East, South or West).

Direct position

Usually said of a bid that is made immediately following RHO's bid. Contrast with balance.

Director

Referee (in duplicate bridge). The director enforces the rules, assigns penalties for violations, and oversees the progress of the game. The director may also be responsible for the final scoring. At a tournament there may be several directors, reporting to a Head Director. In ACBL-sponsored events, a director's ruling as to bridge fact may be appealed; a ruling as to discipline, so as to maintain an orderly event, may not.

Discard

1) (Verb) To play a card that is neither of the suit led, nor trump, and that therefore cannot win the trick.

2) (Noun) The card so played.

Discouraging card

A carding signal that discourages partner from leading a particular suit. Contrast with come-on.

Discovery play

A play, either by declarer or by the defense, intended to obtain information about the location of other cards.

Distribution

1) (Suit distribution) Of one suit on a deal, the numbers of cards or lengths in the four hands. Sometimes the length of a suit in one or two hands is known or presumed and its "distribution" covers only three or two hands, as "opposing distribution" said of the other pair from the perspective of one pair or player.

2) (Hand distribution, also shape or pattern) Of one 13-card hand on a deal, the numbers of cards or lengths in the four suits. Sometimes the length of one or two suits is known or presumed and "distribution" covers only three or two suits, as "distribution in the minors" said of one hand whose major-suit distribution is known.

General. The degree to which four suits in one hand, one suit in four hands, or all of the hands and suits are dealt in long and short holdings. Long and short holdings constitute "lots of distribution" and three-card holdings in particular constitute "no distribution".

Specific. Either way, four whole numbers that sum to 13 are commonly used to denote a distribution briefly, such as 4333 or 4-3-3-3 for a hand comprising one four-card suit and three three-card suits; or for a suit with one four-card holding and three three-card holdings in the four hands. Also 22 or 2-2 for the opposing distribution of spades when one pair holds nine of them; or for one hand's distribution in the minors when it holds nine in the Majors.

Fully specified. Conventionally neither 4333 nor 4-3-3-3 indicates which is the four-card suit in a hand while 4=3=3=3 means four spades, represented first, and three each in hearts, diamonds, and clubs. Thus 4=6=2=1 means 4 spades, 6 hearts, 2 diamonds, and 1 club.

Distribution point

A measure of one hand's strength due to the length or shortness of suits. See Hand evaluation.

DONT

Acronym for Disturb Opponents Notrump. A conventional defense to notrump opening bids.

DOPE

Acronym for Double Odd, Pass Even. A conventional method for bidding over interference with Blackwood.

DOPI

A proxi-acronym for Double, O (the letter O standing for zero or none), Pass and I (the letter I standing for the numeral 1 or one). A conventional method for bidding over interference with Blackwood. Pronounced "dopey."

Double

1) a call that increases penalties if the opponents fail to make their contract, but consequently also increases the bonuses if they make it. A player can double only a contract bid by the opposition. Referred to as penalty double

2) a call having various alternative conventional meanings depending upon the bidding context. See informatory double, takeout double, negative double, lead-directing double, responsive double and support double.

Double dummy

(Adjective or adverb.) Said of a play or line of play that seems to be made with knowledge of all four hands, as if there were at least two dummies visible. Compare with single dummy.

When said of the defenders jointly, "double dummy defense" suggests that that pair knows all four hands and agrees on both goals and tactics such as falsecards, as if the cards were visible and they discussed those points.

Double dummy problem

A bridge problem presented for entertainment, in which the solver is presented with all four hands and is asked to determine the course of play that will achieve or defeat a particular contract.

Double finesse

A finesse for two missing cards.

Double into game

To double a part score such that, if the contract is fulfilled, the total of the doubled trick scores will exceed 100 points.

Double knockout

A team event that requires two losses for elimination.

Double negative

An agreement regarding a second negative bid by a player who has already made one. Normally used regarding sequences that follow strong, forcing opening bids.

Double raise

A raise of two levels, such as 1♠ - 3♠.

Double squeeze

A squeeze in which each opponent must guard a different suit, and both opponents must guard a third suit.

Doubleton

A holding of exactly two cards in a suit.

Down

1) A contract that is defeated is said to be down.

2) (Followed by a number) The number of tricks by which a contract fails: for example, "Down two."

Down the line

To bid the higher of two adjacent suits before the lower. For example, of two five-card majors, the spade suit is normally bid before the heart suit. Contrast with Up the line.

Draw

To extract, usually trumps. To remove the opponents' trump cards is to "draw trumps."

Drive out

To force a stopper from an opponent's hand, usually by repeatedly leading the suit.

Drop

1) (Verb) To fall under a higher card: "The ♠Q dropped under the ♠K."

2) (Noun) That occurrence itself: "He played for the drop instead of finessing."

Duck

A play technique in which a player does not immediately play a card that might take a trick, but plays a small card instead.

Dummy

1) The partner of the declarer. Dummy's cards are placed face up on the table and played by the declarer. Dummy has few rights and may not participate in choices concerning the play of the hand.

2) The dummy's hand as exposed on the table.

Dummy play

The play of the hand by declarer. The apparent contradiction is due to the fact that declarer plays both declarer's cards and the dummy's.

Dummy reversal

A playing technique in trump contracts that gains extra tricks by ruffing in the hand that began with the longer trumps.

Dump

To lose a match deliberately, usually so as to assist another team or pair in the event. A subject of considerable controversy in the 1990s and beyond.

Duplicate bridge

A form of bridge where every deal is played at several tables, by several pairs, and their scores on each deal are subsequently compared. A minimum of two tables (four pairs) are required for a duplicate bridge event. Each entry might be a pair, or a team consisting of two or more pairs; the type of scoring varies accordingly. The hands of each deal are kept in metal or plastic containers called boards that are passed between tables.

Duplication of values

The possession of values in a single suit, in both partners' hands. Usually said of high card values in one hand paired with a singleton or void in partner's hand. Such a holding is normally undesirable: ♠KJ9 facing a void is much less useful than ♠KJ9 facing ♠Q4.