bridgeAIclub Help
Bidding System
When creating a table you choose one of three bidding systems. The AI players and Mentor adapt to your selection.
Convention Cards
| Tier | Includes | Best For |
|---|---|---|
| Natural | Standard openings (1-suit, 1NT, 2NT, 2C strong, preempts). No artificial conventions. | Beginners learning hand evaluation and natural bidding. |
| SAYC (default) | Natural + Stayman, Blackwood, Gerber, Negative Doubles, Weak Twos. | Intermediate players comfortable with core conventions. |
| SAYC + Transfers | Full SAYC + Jacoby Transfers over 1NT. | Experienced players who want the complete SAYC toolkit. |
Opening Bids
| Bid | Requirements | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 1 of a suit | 12+ total points | 5-card majors; 3+ card minors. With 4-4 minors, open 1D. |
| 1NT | 15–17 HCP, balanced | No 5-card major. |
| Weak 2H / 2S | 6–10 HCP, 6-card major | Preemptive; not opening strength. (SAYC and above) |
| 2C | 22+ HCP | Strong, artificial, forcing. |
| 2NT | 20–21 HCP, balanced | |
| 3 of a suit | 6–10 HCP, 7+ card suit | Preemptive. |
Example: 1NT Opening
| N | E | S | W |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1NT |
16 HCP, balanced (4-3-3-3), no 5-card major. Classic 1NT opening.
Responses to 1NT
| Response | Requirements | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 2C (Stayman) | 8+ HCP, 4-card major | Asks opener to show a 4-card major. Opener bids 2D with none. (SAYC and above) |
| 2D (Transfer) | 5+ hearts | Jacoby transfer; opener bids 2H. (SAYC + Transfers only) |
| 2H (Transfer) | 5+ spades | Jacoby transfer; opener bids 2S. (SAYC + Transfers only) |
| 2NT | 8–9 HCP | Invitational. |
| 3NT | 10–15 HCP | Game, to play. |
Example: Stayman Convention
| N | E | S | W |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1NT | Pass | 2C | Pass |
| 2S | Pass | 4S |
South has 10 HCP and 4 spades. Bids 2C (Stayman) to ask for a major. North shows 4 spades with 2S. South raises to game.
Example: Jacoby Transfer
| N | E | S | W |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1NT | Pass | 2D | Pass |
| 2H | Pass | Pass |
South has 5 hearts but only 5 HCP. Bids 2D to transfer to hearts. North bids 2H. South passes, playing in a heart fit at a low level.
Responses to Suit Openings
| Response | Requirements | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Single raise | 6–9 pts, 3+ support | e.g. 1H → 2H |
| Limit raise | 10–12 pts, 3+ support | e.g. 1H → 3H (invitational) |
| Game raise | 13+ pts | e.g. 1H → 4H |
| 1-over-1 | 6+ HCP, 4+ cards in new suit | New suit at 1-level is forcing. |
| 2-over-1 | 10+ HCP | New suit at 2-level, game-forcing. |
| 1NT | 6–10 HCP | No fit, no biddable suit at 1-level. |
Responses to Weak 2s
| Response | Requirements | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Raise to game (4M) | 3+ support, 14+ pts | Partner opened 2H or 2S. |
| Single raise (3M) | 3+ support, 8–13 pts | Invitational; further preempts opponents. |
| Pass | Weak or no fit | Don’t rescue partner. |
Example: Weak Two Opening
| N | E | S | W |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2H |
8 HCP with a good 6-card heart suit. Too weak to open at 1-level, but the suit quality makes it a textbook weak two.
Responses to 2NT
| Response | Requirements | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 3C (Stayman) | 5+ HCP, 4-card major | Asks opener for a 4-card major. (SAYC and above) |
| 3NT | 5+ HCP | Game, to play. |
| Pass | 0–3 HCP |
Opener Rebids
| Situation | Opener’s Rebid | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| After Stayman (2C over 1NT) | 2H/2S with 4-card major, 2D without | Must respond; Stayman is forcing. (SAYC and above) |
| After Jacoby transfer | Bid the next suit up (2D→2H, 2H→2S) | Forced acceptance. |
| After 2NT invite over 1NT | 3NT with 16–17 HCP, pass with 15 | Accept or decline invitation. |
| After partner raises your suit | Raise with 4+ support, rebid 6+ card suit, show new suit, or NT | Based on strength: 12–14 minimum, 15–17 medium, 18+ strong. |
| After 2C opening and partner’s response | Bid longest suit or NT | Forcing; continue describing your hand. |
Competitive Bidding
| Action | Requirements | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| Overcall | 8+ HCP, 5+ card suit | Bid a new suit over opponent’s opening. |
| Takeout Double | 12+ HCP | Support for all unbid suits; asks partner to bid. |
| Negative Double | 6+ HCP | After partner opens and opponent overcalls; shows unbid major(s). (SAYC and above) |
| Balancing Bid | 5+ HCP (reduced) | When the auction would die; requirements lowered by ~3 HCP. |
| 1NT Overcall | 15–17 HCP, balanced, stopper | Stopper in opponent’s suit required. |
Responding to Partner’s Takeout Double
| Response | Requirements | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Bid cheapest unbid suit | 0–9 pts, 4+ cards | Forced bid; partner asked you to bid. |
| Jump in unbid suit | 10+ pts, 4+ cards | Shows a good hand. |
| 1NT / 2NT | 6–10 pts, stopper in opponent’s suit | Balanced hand with opponent’s suit stopped. |
Responses to Strong 2C
| Response | Requirements | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 2D (waiting) | 0–7 HCP, or 8 HCP without a good suit | Negative / waiting response. |
| 2H / 2S | 8+ HCP, 5+ card major | Positive response showing a good suit. |
| 3C / 3D | 8+ HCP, 5+ card minor | Positive response in a minor. |
| 2NT | 8+ HCP, balanced | Positive, no 5-card suit. |
Responses to Preempts (3-Level)
| Action | Requirements | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Raise to game (4M) | 3+ support, 5+ HCP | Over partner’s 3H or 3S. |
| 3NT | 12+ HCP with support | Over partner’s minor preempt. |
| 5 of a minor | 3+ support, 8+ HCP | Over partner’s 3C or 3D. |
| Pass | Weak hand or no fit | Don’t rescue partner’s preempt. |
Slam Bidding (SAYC and above)
Blackwood (4NT)
| Bid | Meaning |
|---|---|
| 4NT (Blackwood) | Asks partner how many aces they hold. |
| 5C response | 0 or 4 aces. |
| 5D response | 1 ace. |
| 5H response | 2 aces. |
| 5S response | 3 aces. |
| 5NT (King-ask) | After 4NT response: asks for kings. Shows all aces are accounted for. |
| 6C/6D/6H/6S | King responses: 0–4 / 1 / 2 / 3 kings (same pattern as aces). |
Example: Blackwood Convention
♠ AKJ95
♥ KQ73
♦ A4
♣ 82
18 HCP
| You | Partner |
|---|---|
| 1S | 3S |
| 4NT | 5D (1 ace) |
| 6S |
Partner’s limit raise shows 10–12 points and 4+ spade support. With 18 HCP and a good fit, you ask for aces via 4NT (Blackwood). Partner shows 1 ace (5D), so you bid 6S knowing only one ace is missing.
Gerber (4C)
Use 4C (Gerber) instead of Blackwood when partner opened 1NT or 2NT. This keeps the response below 4NT so you can sign off safely.
| Bid | Meaning |
|---|---|
| 4C (Gerber) | Asks partner how many aces they hold (after partner’s NT opening, 16+ HCP). |
| 4D response | 0 or 4 aces. |
| 4H response | 1 ace. |
| 4S response | 2 aces. |
| 4NT response | 3 aces. |
| Follow-up | Bid 6NT with 3+ combined aces; sign off at 4NT otherwise. |
Example: Splinter Bid
♠ KJ74
♥ AQ85
♦ 7
♣ KT62
13 HCP
| Partner | You |
|---|---|
| 1H | 4D (!) |
Partner opens 1H and you have 4-card heart support, 13 points, and a singleton diamond. A splinter bid (double-jump to 4D) shows this hand perfectly: game-forcing values, trump support, and shortness in the bid suit. This helps partner evaluate slam potential — if they have no diamond losers, slam is likely!
Responder Rebids
| Situation | Responder’s Rebid | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Opener raises your suit | Pass (min), invite to game (med), bid game (max) | With 6–9 pass, 10–12 invite, 13+ bid game. |
| Opener bids NT | Pass (min), 2NT invite, 3NT (game values) | Based on combined point count toward 25 for 3NT. |
| Opener rebids own suit | Support with 3+, rebid your suit, or bid NT | Opener shows 6+ cards; raise with fit, otherwise describe your hand. |
| Opener shows new suit | Support opener, return to first suit, rebid own suit, or NT | Show preference among the suits bid. |
| After Stayman response | Raise found major to game, or bid NT | If opener shows your 4-card major, raise. If 2D (no major), bid 2NT/3NT. (SAYC and above) |
| After Jacoby transfer | Pass (weak), 2NT invite, 3NT, or raise to game | With 0–7 pass, 8–9 invite via 2NT, 10+ bid game. (SAYC + Transfers only) |
Mentor Mode
Mentor Mode provides AI-generated hints whenever it’s your turn, helping new players learn bidding conventions and card-play tactics.
How to Enable
Go to your Profile page and toggle Mentor Mode to On. Hints will appear starting from your next game.
What You’ll See
- Bidding hints — The AI suggests a bid with your HCP/point count and reasoning (e.g. “1NT — 16 HCP, balanced hand”).
- Play hints — The AI suggests which card to play with tactical reasoning (e.g. “Play the 4 of Hearts — partner is winning, play low”).
Hints appear directly above your hand and are visible only to you. They use the same conventions as your table’s selected bidding system.
Dummy Handling
When you are declarer and it’s dummy’s turn, the hint considers dummy’s visible hand to give better advice (e.g. noting when dummy can win a trick or is void in a suit).
Scoring
bridgeAIclub supports two scoring modes, chosen when creating a table.
Duplicate
32 pre-dealt boards per day with official dealer and vulnerability rotation. Each board is scored independently using standard duplicate scoring. Compare your results against others who played the same boards.
Scoring Examples
| Contract | Result | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 4H Vulnerable | Making | +620 |
| 3NT Not Vulnerable | Making +1 | +430 |
| 2S Not Vulnerable | Down 1 | –50 |
| 6NT Vulnerable | Making | +1440 |
| 4S Doubled Vulnerable | Down 2 | –500 |
Rubber
- Trick points go below the line; bonuses and penalties go above.
- A game requires 100+ trick points (accumulated across deals).
- Win the rubber by winning two games first.
- Rubber bonus: 700 points for winning 2–0, 500 for winning 2–1.
- Honors bonus awarded when one hand holds 4+ honors in the trump suit (or all 4 aces at no-trump).
Card Play
Basic Rules
- You must follow the suit that was led if you have a card in that suit.
- If you cannot follow suit, you may play any card (including a trump).
- The highest trump wins the trick. If no trump was played, the highest card of the led suit wins.
Dummy
After the opening lead, dummy’s hand is revealed face-up. The declarer plays cards from both their own hand and dummy’s hand.
Claims and Concessions
During play, the declarer may claim the remaining tricks. The opponents can accept or reject the claim. A defender may concede all remaining tricks to declarer.
Glossary
Hand Evaluation
| Concept | Value | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| High Card Points (HCP) | A=4, K=3, Q=2, J=1 | 40 HCP total in a deck. |
| Distribution Points | Void=3, Singleton=2, Doubleton=1 | Added for suit contracts when you have a trump fit. |
| Total Points | HCP + Distribution | Used for bidding decisions. |
| Balanced Hand | 4–3–3–3, 4–4–3–2, or 5–3–3–2 | No void, no singleton, at most one doubleton. |
Common Terms
| Term | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Forcing | Partner must bid again; you may not pass. |
| Game-Forcing (GF) | The partnership must keep bidding until at least game (3NT, 4H, 4S, 5C, or 5D). |
| Invitational | Partner is invited to bid game with a maximum hand but may pass with a minimum. |
| Game | 3NT, 4H, 4S, 5C, or 5D — worth a game bonus. |
| Slam / Grand Slam | Bidding and making 12 tricks (small slam) or all 13 (grand slam). |
| Vulnerability | Vulnerable side scores more for making contracts but pays more for going down. |
| Dummy | Declarer’s partner; their hand is placed face-up after the opening lead. |
| Declarer | The player who plays the contract; first player of the winning partnership to bid the trump suit. |
| Fit | 8+ combined cards in a suit between you and partner (typically 5–3 or 4–4). |
| Stopper | A high card (usually A, Kx, or Qxx) that can win a trick in the opponents’ suit. |
| Trump | The suit named in the contract. Trumps beat cards of any other suit. |
| No-Trump (NT) | A contract played without a trump suit. Highest card of the led suit wins each trick. |
Opening Lead Guidelines
| Holding | Lead | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| K Q J x | King | Top of a sequence (3+ touching honors). |
| A K x x | Ace (or King) | Lead A from A–K to see dummy, then decide. |
| x x x x x | 4th best | Fourth-highest from your longest suit (standard vs NT). |
| K x x | Avoid | Leading from unsupported honors often gives declarer a free trick. |
| Partner’s suit | Lead it | If partner bid a suit during the auction, prefer leading that suit. |