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Laws

C&E - Abbreviation for Conduct and Ethics [often hearings]

CAB - Control Asking Bid, an acronym associated with the "Big Club" (Precision) and similar systems.  See Conventions
 

Duplicate

Caddy - A caddy is an assistant at a bridge tournament, selected by the local tournament committee, often an interested elementary or high-school student. The main function of a caddy is to collect the score slips (results on the deals played at each table of a duplicate game) following each round and deliver them to the scorekeepers.  In a team game, the Caddy assists players by moving boards between team tables when requested.
 

Calamity Jane - The colloquial term referring to the Q (Queen of Spades).  See Card Names
 

Calcutta - A tournament where wagers and prizes are placed on the result of the game.  Note: Private wagers are disallowed in ACBL games.
 

California Cue Bid - See Conventions

Duplicate

California Scoring - A simplified method of scoring the matchpoints, where East-West receive the same score as their North-South opponents. Consequently, the East-West pair with the lowest score is the winner.  To derive the normal score, East-West pairs can subtract their "California Score" from the maximum possible matchpoints.
 

Laws

Call - A bid in a strain (1-7 in a suit or Notrump), pass, double (X) or redouble (XX).

Admissible doubles - See Law 19  36
Admissible redoubles - See Law 19  36
After auction closed - See Law  35  39
Bids - See Law  18

Before penalty imposed -  See Law 11
Change of - See Change Of Call
Condonation of inadmissible call - See Law 35
Inadmissible - See Law 35
Not clearly heard - See Law 20
Review of - See Law 20

Calls, simultaneous - See Law 33

See Director Tech File (Disagreement)

Call other than Bids - See Law 18
 

Calls, Simultaneous - See Law 33
 

Canape - An initial bid in the shorter suit prior to the longer suit.  See Details
 

Cannibal Squeeze - An unfortunate defense, where one defender actually squeezes their partner. See Example
 

Cappelletti - See Conventions
 

Captain - The player responsible to determine the optimum contract, accomplished by making bids which qualify partner's holdings.  A prime example of captaincy is the responder of opener's 1 Notrump bid.
 

Capture - To win the trick by overtaking the rank played by an opponent.
 

Card_ - One of the 52 pasteboards in a deck, measuring 8.8 cm long by 5.0 cm wide (bridge size). See Example
 

Laws

Card - see also Cards; Play Of Card

Attempt to play card not in dummy - See Law 46
Convention - see Convention Card
Declarer's, visible and constructively played - See Law 45
Defender's, visible to partner - See Law 45  49
Detachment from hand prematurely - See Law 74
Dummy's, play by declarer - See Law 57
Dummy's, played in error - See Law 45
Dummy's, touched or designated - See Law 45
Exposed - see Exposed Card
Inspection of own card played to previous trick - See Law 66
Misplayed by dummy - See Law 45
Missing - See Law 14
Played - See Law 45
Position of - See Law 45
Reconstruction of deal if missing card unfound - See Law 14
Restoration of missing card - See Law 14
Retracted - see Retraction of Card Played
Revoke by failure to play missing card - See Law 14
Seen by wrong player - See Law 13
Visibility of - See Law 45  49

Also see Card Names

Laws

Cards - See Card

Also see colloquial Card Names
 

Arrangement of for keeping track of tricks won - See Law 65
Control of own hand - See Law 7
Counting of - See Law 7
Incorrect number held - See Law 13
Inspection of own card played to previous trick - See Law 66
Inspection of tricks - See Law 61  62  66
Quitted tricks - See Law 61  62  66
Rank of - See Law 1  44
Return of cards to board - See Law 7
Sorting of dummy's hand - See Law 41
Spectator's view of - See Law 76
Touching cards of another player - See Law 90

Also see Card Names

Carding - A defensive lead and discarding agreement used by defenders to provide signals, including attitude, count, suit preference and useful characteristics of one's holdings.   See Details and  Convention Card Instructions
 

Card Combination - The best percentage play to win tricks based on the combination of partnership holdings in a given suit, including tactics as finesses. See Suit Combinations

Also see bridge books on Finesses

Card Distribution (remaining two hands)
Hand Distribution (suits within a hand)
High Card Point Count (HCPs in one hand)
Miscellaneous Probabilities (assorted interesting odds)
Number of Cards (card quantity in a suit)
Posteriori Probability (example when additional information is known)
Suit Combinations (best lead and plays)
Expected Controls (based on HCP)
 

Cardrack  - To win at Rubber Bridge, attributable to being dealt excellent cards.
 

Card Reading - The ability to almost "see through the cards" using inferences through bidding, play, gestures, and the like.
 

Carryover - Scoring from prior sessions accumulated towards the overall game score.
 

Carve - To play a hand poorly.

Case - The last card remaining in a suit.
 

Cash - To take a winning trick by playing a high card.
 

Cash Out - To take all readily available winners (quick tricks) as soon as possible.
 

Cat - The colloquial term referring to the dummy.
 

Cavendish Variation - A variation of four-deal Bridge, with dealer's side Non-Vulnerable on the second and third deals (in Chicago scoring, the dealer is Vulnerable on the second and third auctions).
 

CC - Abbreviation for Convention Card
 

Cessation Of Play Following Claim Or Concession - See Law 68
 

Chair - One's seat or position at the table.
 

Championship - A competitive event organized by a sponsoring organization, often consisting of multiple sessions.  See ACBL Tourneys
 

Laws

Change Of Call -

After opponent's infraction - See Law 16
After disclosure of opponent's misinformation - See Law 16  21
Bid out of rotation as - See Law 31
Correction of inadvertent or illegal call - See Law 25
Immediate - See Law 25
Information resulting from - See Law 16
Lead penalty for - See Law 26
Pass out of rotation as - See Law 30
Penalty in auction - See Law 25  27  30  31
Remedy for opponent's infraction - See Law 16

See  Duplicate Decisions    Director Tech File
 

Change of Suit - Bidding a new suit not previously called.  Many methods play responder's change of suit as forcing for one round, while opener's change of suit may not be forcing (depending on system).
 

Duplicate

Charity Game - A tournament to aid a specific charity, providing recognition and offering net proceeds to the organization.  The Charity Pairs is a regular pair game, the only difference being that a minimum amount of the proceeds from the selling of entries is earmarked for a specified charity, such as the ACBL Charity Foundation.
 

Charles the Great - King of Hearts, the K, referring to the Charlemagne, the founder of the Roman Empire (carrying a Globe, the Emperor of the Christian World).  See History of Cards
 

Cheaper Minor - A responder's rebid of the lower minor, showing a weak hand.
 

Cheaper Minor Second Negative - See Conventions
 

Cheapest Bid - To make the lowest available bid, as:

1C - 1D     or    (1H) - X - (P) - 1S
 

Cheating - A player, partnership, team, or other arrangement involving dishonest activities.  See Details
 

Check - An improper form of "Pass", sometimes verbalized by a player in informal play.

Checkback Stayman - See Conventions
 

Cheese - A derogatory colloquial term referring to tenace holdings.  See Card Names
 

Chest Your Cards - An action, often requested by an opponent, to hold cards closer to one's chest so opponents cannot view the values of the card faces.
 

Rubber

Chicago (Four-Deal) - A Four Deal variation of Rubber Bridge where each round (Chukker) is comprised of four deals, with Vulnerability and scoring following Duplicate play. Dealer is Vulnerable on the second through fourth seat and all Vulnerable in fourth seat.  Instead of Rubber bonuses, game bonuses are 300 points for Non-Vulnerable games, with 500 points for a Vulnerable game.  No bonuses are awarded for holding 4-5 honors in a suit contract or 4 Aces in a Notrump contract.  See Details
 

Chicago Convention - A illegal (tongue-in-cheek) convention used against one's opponents to claim a fouled hand..  See Convention
 

Chico 2  Diamonds - See Convention

Chief Director - See Law 93
 

Play

Chinese Finesse - A psychological finesse that, based on the actual card layout, would not work; however, due to a defender's confusion of partner's holdings, an otherwise non-winning trick is allowed to slide by the defender (also called a Pseudo Finesse).  See Example
 

CHO -  "Center Hand Opponent", a tongue-in-cheek colloquial reference to one's partner based on their poor performance.
 

Choice of Games Cue Bid - Choice of Game Cuebid - A cuebid by opener over opponent's intervening preemptive bid requests partner to choice game between either bid suit.  If responder chooses one suit and opener then bids the other suit, opener is showing interest in slam.  See Details
 

Choice of Packs and Seats - Each contestant randomly picking the an unexposed card from the deck; the player with the highest card has the first choice of seat (and optionally the first pack used).
 

Chuck - To needlessly make a poor score through bidding and/or play errors.
 

Chukker - A sequence of four deals at four-deal bridge, offering roughly the same scoring opportunity as a Rubber in Rubber Bridge.
 

Chunky Suit - a running series of usually four honor and intermediate cards in a suit, regardless of partners holdings (as K Q J 10, Q J 10 8, etc)
 

Laws

Claim - An announcement in accordance with the Laws of intent to win or concede a certain number of tricks before the completion of play, indicating that further play is unnecessary.  The player making the claim turns cards face up and explains the line of play, paying special attention to describe treatment of possible losers as opponent's trump and high cards.

Acquiescence in - See Law 69
By declarer - See Law 48  68
By defender - See Law 68
By facing cards - See Law 48
Cessation of play - See Law 68
Concession - See Law 68
Contested claim - See Law 70
Current trick - See Law 68
Exposed card of declarer as - See Law 48
Rejection by director - See Law 70
Summoning director - See Law 68
Withdrawal of acquiescence in - See Law 69

       Duplicate Decisions    Director Tech File
 

Clash Squeeze - A three-suited squeeze where a player holds long running suit.  See Example
 

Clear a Suit - A play strategy, typically to remove blockers in a long suit (play the big card from the short side), allowing the player to promote the suit.  A secondary purpose is to allow the short-suited hand to ruff or pitch losers in a side suit.
 

Clocks - A timer used to indicate the time remaining in the round.  See Round Timer Clock
 

Closed Hand - The declarer's hand which, unlike the Dummy, does not have visible cards.
 

Closed Room - A room in tournament play where spectators are not permitted to directly kibitz at the table.
 

Clothesline - A physical string used to display traveling scoreslips, providing competitors a method to review detailed results by each player including the final contract.
 

Club - A group of Bridge players who meet regularly.  Also see Clubs and ACBL Handbook for Clubs
 

Club Appreciation Games - ACBL Club appreciation games are special games run during the month of October at clubs. They offer masterpoint awards calculated at 85% of sectional rating.
 

Club Conventions - See Conventions

Also see Precision/Big Club Books
 

Club Championship - Each regularly scheduled weekly game is entitled to four club championship sessions per year. Overall awards for club championship games in open clubs are 65 percent of sectional rating.
 

Club Director - ACBL offers any member the opportunity to become an ACBL-rated club director in order to run a local club-level sanctioned game and award masterpoints.
 

Duplicate

Club Game Classifications -  The ACBL has five general classes of games at clubs:

Club Master - A player with 20 to 49.99 recorded masterpoints.
 

Club Masterpoints - ACBL points earned at the club level in games with club rating are called club masterpoints. These are black points and are distributed in fractional amounts. One hundred fractional points equal one masterpoint.
 

Clubs - The lowest ranking suit, using the symbol.  See Example
 

Clubs For Takeout - See Conventions
 

Coat Cards - The colloquial term referring to the King, Queen, and Jack of the four suits. See Example and Card Names
 

CoC - Abbreviation for Conditions of Contest
 

Coded Nines and Tens - See Conventions
 

Coffeehousing - To make improper remarks, gestures, hesitations or the like, with the intention to confuse or mislead opponents.  See Law 73 and Cheating
 

Cold - A "laydown" hand which is easy to make.

Cole - See Conventions
 

Colloquial Card Names -  Players sometimes given creative slang names to cards.   See Card Names
 

Color - Referring to black suits (Clubs and Spades) or the red suits (Diamonds and Hearts)
 

Colorful Cuebid - See Conventions
 

Combination - Cards is a sequential series or based on suit length, either in one's hand or in cooperation with a partner.  The skilled player capitalizes on card combinations to obtain additional tricks.
 

Combination Finesse - A finesse against more than one of opponent's card.
 

Combination Shot - A method of play which offers multiple possibilities to gather tricks.
 

Come On Signal - A discard signal encouraging partner to either continue leading a suit or switch to a different suit.  Variations are called the Echo or Peter (British), and Upside Down Count and Attitude (UDCA).  See Details
 

Come Down To - Referring to one's card holding nearing the end of play.
 

Comic Notrump Overcall - A 1 Notrump overcall showing a weak hand with a long suit. Partner makes a "puppet" bid of 2 Clubs, allowing 1 Notrump overcaller to name the long suit.
 

Command Bid - A bid which directs partner to make a specific response, such as a "puppet" waiting bid where partner is instructed to make a low-level bid to allow the command bidder to identify a long suit.
 

Commencement Of Play - See Law 41
 

Play

Commit To -
 

1.	The final contract
2.	To determine the best line of play

Communications - The ability to transfer the lead from one hand to their partner's hand.
 

Play

Communication Play - A maneuver to enable transference of leads (transportation) from one's own hand to the hand of their partner.  This may be required to promote a long suit, establish a finesse, endplay, squeeze, etc.  Also, from the opponent's perspective, a communication play may be made to disturb such communication from the opposition.  Common tactics include hold-back plays, trapping declarer in the dummy, endplays, and squeezes.
 

Communication Between Partners - Conveying information between partners may only be made though calls. Laws on ethics prohibit intention communications by a remark, gesture or mannerism.
 

Comparison Of Scores - See Law 90
 

Compass Direction - The orientation of players at the table.  See Notation and Board
 

General

Competitive Auction - A contract where both sides are bidding for the contract, as:

1C - (1H) - 1S - (2H)
2S - ...
 

Competitive Double - A double without specific features but indicating useful values, as opposed to a takeout or penalty double.
 

Duplicate

Complementary Scores - In matchpoint competition, the mathematical difference between one's score and that of a competitor.  When two contestants play against each other in a matchpoint contest, their combined matchpoint scores add up to the matchpoint top available on that board, and the two scores are complements of each other.
 

Laws

Completion Of Play -

Cessation of play following claim or concession - See Law 68
End of round - See Law 8
End of session - See Law 8

Play

Compound Squeeze - The combination of both a triple squeeze followed up by a double squeeze. See Example

The requirements for the compound squeeze include:
 

1.	Declarer holds one threat stopped by only one defender, with the threat card sitting behind the Declarer.
2.	Declarer must have doubly stopped threat cards in two other suits, along with associated entries back into hand.

Play

Compound Guard Squeeze - A triple suited squeeze, where two suits are stopped by both opponents.  While the defenders attempt to cooperatively each guard one suit, the declarer discards holding in the suit retained over the opponent (positioned as the Right Hand Opponent). Finally, declarer cashes tricks that squeeze the other opponent in the remaining retained suits. See Example
 

Play

Compound Trump Guard Squeeze - This is a variation of the Compound Guard Squeeze, operating when opponents must discard on declarer's trump.  Similarly, the strategy is a triple suited squeeze, where two suits are stopped by both opponents.  While the defenders attempt to cooperatively each guard one suit, the declarer discards holding in the suit retained over the opponent (positioned as the Right Hand Opponent). Finally, declarer cashes tricks that squeeze the other opponent in the remaining retained suits. See Example
 

Computer Scoring - See ACBLScore.
 

Computer Deals/Hands - Since the mid 1990's, the ACBL has prohibited tourney Directors from "tweaking" hands.  Here is an overview of the ACBL process to generate and distribute tournament hands: See  Details
 

Compression  - To reduce or compress one's possible tricks won by making careless errors.
 

Concealed Splinter - See Conventions
 

Laws

Concede - To relinquish some or all remaining tricks to the opponents before the end of play.
 

Laws

Concession - To relinquish some or all remaining tricks to the opponents before the end of play

Acquiescence in - See Law 69 - 72
By declarer - See Law 48 - 68
By defender - See Law 68
Cancellation by director - See Law 71
Cessation of play - See Law 68
Claim - See Law 68
Contract already fulfilled or defeated - See Law 71
Current trick - See Law 68
Exposed card of declarer as - See Law 48
Implausible - See Law 71
Objection by partner of conceding defender - See Law 68
Of trick already won - See Law 71
Of trick in progress - See Law 68
Of trick not losable by any legal play - See Law 71
Summoning director - See Law 68
Trick cannot be lost - See Law 71
Withdrawal of acquiescence in claim - See Law 69

Laws

Conclusion -

Of play following declarer's claim or concession - See Law 68
Of play following defender's claim re future tricks - See Law 68
Of round - See Law 8
Of session - See Law 8

Laws

Condone - To permit an irregularity of an opponent without invoking a penalty, forfeiting the associated rights.

 Of action by player required to pass - See Law 35
Of bid of more than seven - See Law 35
Of call after final pass - See Law 35
Of inadmissible double - See Law 35
Of inadmissible redouble - See Law 35
Of insufficient bid - See Law 27
Of lead out of turn - See Law 53

Conduct - See Properties
 

Duplicate

Consolation Pairs - Some multi-session pair games have qualifying sessions instead of being play-through. A certain number of pairs in each group qualifies to play in the final session or sessions. Usually a special game for non-qualifiers is run alongside the final. This game, a regular pair game as far as movement and scoring are concerned, is called a consolation.
 

Constructive - A bid showing definite strength or shape.
 

Constructive Raise - A single raise of partner's major suit, indicating above minimal strength and suggesting game exploration.  Responder's bid is not forcing.
 

Consultation Between Partners On Options After Irregularity - See Law 10
 

Contested Auction - A competitive bidding auction.
 

Duplicate

Continuous Pairs - A pair or a player in a multi-session event that may elect to compete on numerous occasions in the event.  The final standings are calculated by netting the two best percentage games for all players in the field. The player with the highest net percentage for two games becomes the winner, with other's ranking similarly calculated.
 

Laws

Contract - A commitment to take a certain number of tricks.

Final bid - See Law 22
Inquiry as to - See Law 41

Consultation - Partners are prohibited from discussing penalty options when an opponent has committed and irregularity; doing so waives all rights (See Law 10)
 

Contract Bridge - A format of Bridge scoring, where only tricks bid and made count towards the game score.  Prior to Contract Bridge, Auction Bridge scoring counted all tricks made, whether or not their were bid. See Law 81

Also see Contract Bridge books
 

Play

Controls - Artificial bids used to inquire or show attributes of one's holdings.  See Details
 

Convenient Club - A consolation bid when opener does not have a five card major.  With three cards in both minors, partners agree that opener shall use 1 Club as a "convenient" alternative bid.
 

Laws

Conventional Call - A prior agreement between partners to use bids in a coded manner rather than the pure context of the bid, in order to enhance partnership communications.  Conventional bids request or give information other than the denomination itself. The first known pre-Bridge convention was the lead of the fourth highest from the longest suit, described by Hoyle in 1740. See Conventions

As insufficient bid - See Law 27
Change of call - See Law 26
Disclosure required - See Law 40
Explanation of - See Law 20 40
Out of rotation - See Law 29
Pass as - See Law 30
Partnership agreements - See Law  40  75
Regulation by sponsoring organization - See Law 40

Duplicate

Laws

Convention Card - A document briefly describing partnership understandings.  While partners maintain and study their Convention Card before a duplicate event, players are only permitted to view their opponents Convention Cards during actual bidding and play at the table. See Details

Examination of own card prohibited - See Law 40
Regulation by sponsoring organization - See Law 40
Timing of reference to opponent's card - See Law 40

Conventional Card Play -

Explanation of - See Law 20
Disclosure required - See Law 40

Laws

Convention Chart - At any ACBL Tournament it is the responsibility of the participants to know which convention chart is in force for the event they are playing in. The ACBL has four such charts: Limited, General, Mid & Superchart.  See Details  Also see Director Tech Files - Convention Chart
 

Conversation - Refers to the language of the bidding and the play of cards, including providing clarifications to an opponent. Extraneous conversation during bidding or play may be distracting or potentially disclosing unauthorized information.
 

Cooperative Double - A double requesting partner to determine if it is more advantageous to compete through further bidding, or passing for penalty.
 

COOT - Abbreviation for Call Out Of Turn.  See Law 29
 

CoP - Abbreviation for Code of Practice
 

Bidding

Correct - To choose the preferred suit, based on a choice offered by partner.  For instance, if the bidding goes:

 1C - 1S;
2H

The responder is requesting the opener to indicate a preference between the majors (and showing a strong hand by reversing from Clubs to Hearts).   In some conventions, such as Smolen, the partner's correction is mandatory (alertable).  In the case of Smolen:

1N - 2C;
2D - 3H;

The 3H bid instructs the opener to correct the bid to Spades to ensure the declarer is the stronger hand.
 

Laws

Correction Of -

Error in explanation of partnership understanding - See Law 75
Error in giving review of auction - See Law 20
Error in ruling by director - See Law 82
Irregularity - See Law 9

Play

Count -
 

1.	The distributional number of cards held in an opponent's suit. See Details
2.	To determine the number of tricks likely to be won or lost

See Distribution
 

Laws

Counting Of Cards -

Error subject to penalty - See Law 90
Requirement - See 7

Play

Count Squeeze - An inadvertent squeeze on an opponent who does not guard a crucial suit.  This provides the declarer a count on a suit, thus forgoing strategies such as attempting to play an unattainable finesse, where a better tactic might be to drop an honor offside.
 

Laws

Play

Counting Cards -
 

1.	Before looking at one's cards, each player is responsible to ensure they are holding exactly 13 cards. See Law 7 and Example of Arranging
2.	Referring to a player who makes mental notes based on the auction, opening leads, signals, and cards played.

Count Signal - A defensive signal indicating the parity of one's holdings, such as an even or odd number of cards in a given suit.
 

Coup - Making a skilled, non-intuitive play, such as reducing the trump holdings to create a finesse or endplay; the play is often contingent on the opposition playing a specific suit.  See Example, Morton Fork Coup, Robert Coup, and Vienna Coup
Also see Books on Coups, End Plays, Squeezes
 

Couped - An opponent caught in a trump coup trap.
 

Coup En Passant - A tactic to convert a losing trump trick into a winner; this is accomplished by first leading a losing side-suit card, then either ducking or overtaking opponent's card from one's trump holdings.
 

Jargon

Court Cards - The colloquial term referring to the King, Queen, and Jack of the four suits (middle Honors). See Example and Card Names
 

Courtesy Bid - A free bid made from moderately weak holding, allowing one's partner to further describe their hand, as:

(1H) - X - (XX) - 2C      or      1C - (P) - 1D/H/S  Bid lacking Clubs
 

Cover - To play a higher ranking card to a trick than played by an opponent.
 

Cover an Honor with an Honor - See Covering Honors
 

Bidding

Cover Cards - Referring to useful honors in partner's hand. See Example
 

Play

Covering Honors - The tactic of overplaying an opponents honor.  This cliché often works well when promoting one of partner's honor.  However, the opposition is attempting to promote a long suit or their suit can be blocked, then ducking the honor may offer a better defense.
 

Jargon

CPU - Abbreviation for Concealed Partnership Understanding.  See Partnership Understanding
 

Jargon

Crab - The colloquial term referring to the 3 (three-spot) card. See Card Names
 

Jargon

Crack -
 

1.	A professional player
2.	To lead a new suit
3.	To receive poor results after a winning streak

CRASH - See Conventions
 

Crashing Honors - The phenomenon when both opponents play winning honors on the same trick.  This situation can occur when the player in the second seat is anxious to take an honor, while the fourth-seat player holds a singleton winning honor.
 

Bidding

Crawling Stayman - See Conventions
 

Play

Bidding

Criss Cross -
 

1.	A squeeze where entry to both hands is lacking small cards.  See Alternative Squeeze
2.	An exchange of bids between two suits. See Criss Cross Raise
3.	An artificial or temporizing bid in a suit

Criss Cross Raise - Also known as the Criss-Cross Jump Shift, a convention to address minor suit openings when responder has a invitation (others play game forcing) values and no 4 card major.  See Conventions
 

Criss Cross Squeeze - See Alternative Squeeze.
 

Crocodile Coup - A tactic of playing a top honor to avoid partner from being forced into an unprofitable lead resulting in an endplay of the defender.  See Example

See Coups, Vienna Coup, Morton Fork Coup, and books on Coups, Squeezes
 

Cross - To transfer lead to the opposite hand.
 

Crossruff - The ability to trump tricks in both partner's hands. See Example
 

Crowhurst - See Conventions
 

CTD - Abbreviation for Chief Tournament Director
 

Bidding

Cuebid -
 

1.	A bid in a suit opponent has bid
2.	A bid in a suit opponent has implied through a convention

See Conventions, Convention Card
 

Cuebid Double - See Conventions
 

General

Culbertson Lenz Bridge Match - Referred to as "The Bridge Battle of the Century", the most widely publicized game in the history of Bridge.  In 1931, Culbertson and his wife placed a $5,000 five-to-one wager against Sidney Lenz and over a 150 Rubber games.  Ely played 88 games with his wife, Josephine; his other partners included Theodore Lightner, Waldemar Von Zedwitz, Hoard Schenken, and Michael Gottlieb. Sidney played 103 Rubbers with Oswald Jacoby, who resigned due to differences on defensive play; Oswald was replaced by Winfield Liggett.  Ultimately, the Culbertson won by 8,980 points.  Interestingly, statistics show one significant difference between the two methods - Ely's team lost far less 600+ point penalties than Sidney's side (known for psychic bidding).
 

Bidding

Culbertson System - An early group of conventions, attributable to Ely Culbertson.  In his "Gold Book", Ely quips people who play his system might carry a small card stating:

  I play the Culbertson System.  I play it about as well as thirty million
of the forty million who claim to play it - but - I don't know the 4-5 Notrump bids.  I get mixed up on Takeout Doubles.  I just barely heard about forcing bids.  Have mercy on my soul.

The original "Blue Book" featured Forcing bids, Limit Raises, Weak Notrump openings, and Weak Jump Overcalls.

Also see Culbertson Bridge Books
 

Cumulative Score - The use of accumulated scoring over a multi-session event to determine the overall winner.
 

Current Trick -

Defender's statement as to - See Law 68
Inspection of - See Law 66

Curse of Mexico - The colloquial term referring to the 2 (2 of Spades).  See Card Names
 

Curse of Scotland - The colloquial term referring to the 9 (9 of Diamonds). The shape of the nine Diamonds is thought to correlate to the Christian Cross, with the curse referring to corruption of the faith.  See Card Names
 

Curtain Card - A computerized printout of cards dealt to each player in Duplicate events
 

General
 

Jargon

Duplicate

Cut -
 

1.	To move a portion of the pack of cards from the top to the bottom of the deck
2.	To select a card from the pack to randomly choose a partner
3.	To trump or ruff opponent's suit
4.	The threshold score in tournament bridge required to qualify for the next round

Cut in - To intervene in a game at the completion of a Rubber.
 

Cutthroat Bridge - A three-handed variation of Bridge, where opponents "gang up" against the declarer.
 

Cyclic Movement - A movement in duplicate Bridge where players follow a systematic rotation between tables when the Director calls for a movement between rounds.  The Howell Movement is a common cyclic movement for pairs.
 

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