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Help
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Encyclopedia of Bridge Terms |
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Jargon |
Ugly Duckling - A hand with a 5-3-3-2 distribution.
See Shape
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Laws |
UI - Abbreviation for Unauthorized Information
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Bidding
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Unassuming Cuebid - See
Conventions |
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Laws |
Unauthorized Information - Players are authorized to base their calls and plays on information from
legal calls and plays and from mannerisms of opponents. To base a call or
play on other extraneous information may be an infraction of law.
- Accidentally received - See Law
16
- Comment by player - See Law
73
74
Comment by spectator - See Law
76
Communication between partners - See Law
73
75
Correct manner of calls and plays - See Law
73
Emphasis - See Law
73
- Extraneous information - See Law
16
From defender's objection to partner's concession - See Law
71
From illegal double - See Law
19
From illegal redouble - See Law
19
From partner's explanation of understanding - See Law
75
Gesture of player - See Law
73
Gesture of spectator - See Law
76
Gratuitous information - See Law
73
Hesitation - See Law
73
Inadvertent variation in manner or tempo - See Law
73
Inflection - See Law
73
Intentional deception - See Law
72
73
Intentional variation in manner or tempo - See Law
73
Mannerism of player - See Law
73
Mannerism of spectator - See Law
76
Mistaken bid - See Law
75
Mistaken explanation - See Law
75
Prearranged unsanctioned communication - See Law
73
Question - See Law
73
Remark of player - See Law
73
Remark of spectator - See Law
76
Skip bid warning - See Law
73
Spectators, obligations of - See Law
76
Speed - See Law
73
Suggestive action or remark - See Law
73
Tempo, variation in - See Law
73
Variation in manner - See Law
73
Variation in tempo - See Law
73
Volunteering of information - See Law
74
75
Director Tech File (Questioning Opponents)
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General |
Unbalanced Distribution - A hand whose distribution includes a void,
singleton, or two doubletons (any combination except 4-3-3-3, 4-4-3-2, or
5-3-3-2)
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General |
Unbalanced Hand - A player's holding whose distribution in not
distribution.
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Jargon |
Unbeatable - A solid contract or remaining holding which no defense
can sustain a trick.
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General |
Unbid Suit - an unnamed or implied suit during the bidding.
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Bidding
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Unbid
Minor Suit Forcing - See
Conventions |
Play
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Unblock
- To play a seemingly unnecessarily high card from one hand in order to
ensure transportation to the other hand, typically the dummy.
Also see Books on
Unblocking
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Play
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Unblocking Squeeze - A squeeze which forces defenders to discard
seemingly low cards in a suit, yet allowing the declarer to subsequently
overtake cards in a given suit. See
Example
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Bidding
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Unconstructive - Referring to a bid intended to discourage, but not
curtail, further bidding. |
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Play
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Under -
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1. |
Typically referenced when the Left Hand Opponent holds
winning honors behind the prior player. Here South is under West's tenaces.
x x x
K J x
x x x
A Q 10 x
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2. |
To deliberately play a card beneath one
played by an opponent for strategic reasons. |
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Bidding
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Underbid - To make a lesser bid than anticipated by one's holding,
possibly with the intent of showing additional values in anticipated rebids.
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Jargon |
Underbidder - A player to consistently bids less than dictated by the
true values.
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Play
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Underlead - To lead a card smaller than their highest rank and less
than the highest outstanding rank held by another player. Underleading
a high honor is a typical strategy against opponent's Notrump contract, but
unusual against opponent's suit contract.
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Play
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Underruff - When holding a void in the suit lead, to ruff with a
trump lower than the one already played by an opponent. While
seemingly a poor strategy, underuffing is useful is several situations:
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1. |
To avoid surplus trump,
occasionally necessary to maintain transportation to partner's hand |
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2. |
To avoid subsequently
discarding side-suit winners |
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3. |
To allow subsequent leading
of a side-suit, as part of a Robert Coup. See
Example |
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4. |
To break a possible squeeze
against yourself, partner, or both |
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Jargon |
Under the Gun - In a precarious seat where the player's action is
unclear, based on the unknown opponent holdings. Also see
Under
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Laws |
Undertrick - Each trick by which declarer's side falls short of fulfilling the
contract (see Law 77)
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General |
Unfavorable - Referring to the side being Vulnerable, while opponents
are Non-Favorable. Also known as "Red over White". See
Example
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Play
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Undertrump - See
Underruff
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Rubber |
Unfinished Rubber - A contract Bridge rubber which cannot be
completed. The scoring points attribute 300 points to the partnership
attaining one rubber. If neither side scored a rubber, the partnership
with the partial score is awarded 100 points (50 points prior to the 1993
change in Laws).
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Play
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Unguard - To discard a lower card accompanying an honor smaller than
the highest outstanding honor. Thus, if the opponent holds and plays
the top honor/s, the unguarded honor will crash and lose to the opponents.
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Laws |
Unintentional - A deviation from the Properties of the game of Bridge
is normally considered unintentional, except as provided in Law
72 and
73. Law
72.B.3. deals the harshest penalty:
Prearranged Communication - the gravest possible offense is for a
partnership to exchange information through prearranged methods of
communication other than those sanctioned by these Laws. A guilty
partnership risks expulsion.
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Duplicate |
Unit - The American Contract Bridge Leagues designates local
geographical boundaries known as Bridge Units. The collection of
Bridge Units are grouped into Bridge Districts - the ACBL has 25 Districts.
Each Unit appoints its own board members and selects representative/s to
communicate on its behalf to the District. Each Unit is responsible
for the following functions:
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1. |
Establish and maintain a membership of at least 100 |
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2. |
Promote and stimulate interest in duplicate bridge among members and
prospective members by providing an attractive program of bridge events |
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3. |
Expand and increase membership by interesting new players |
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4. |
Conduct or supervise tournament events at which masterpoints and rating
points are awarded under ACBL regulations |
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5. |
Establish and maintain contact with neighboring units, supporting each
other's activities |
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6. |
Conduct annual elections by popular vote for officers and/or directors |
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7. |
Elect, in collaboration with other units in the district, a member of
the National Board of Directors, a first and a second alternate
Director, and three representatives, to the National Board of Governors |
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8. |
Adopt bylaws consistent with those of the ACBL, which must be filed
with ACBL |
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9. |
Assume fiscal responsibility for funds collected on behalf of the ACBL,
and membership dues from its members, submitting semi-annual financial
reports to its officers, and to maintain accurate records |
Also see the ACBL's Handbook:
Chapter 5 - Units
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Duplicate |
Unit Championships -
Each unit may conduct 16 unit championship sessions per year. These
games award masterpoints based on 85% of sectional rating. these games may
be held at one centralized location or with so-called split-sites at various
clubs throughout the unit. In addition, each unit is allotted four unit
Charity championships per year.
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Duplicate
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United States Bridge Federation - The United States Bridge Federation
(USBF) was formed in 2001 to advance the interests of
the United States in international bridge competition, including the
selection and support of United States bridge teams and players in
international and Olympic bridge competition. USBF conducts United States
Bridge Championships to select teams for participation in
certain World Bridge Championship events. Since 1995, these trials, renamed
the United State Bridge Championship and the United States Women’s Bridge
Championship have been open to any team eligible to play in the World event.
In addition, USBF holds Senior and Junior United State Bridge Championships
to select teams for World Senior and Junior events.
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Duplicate |
Unit-Wide Championship - The designation for a game with a Unit
Championship rating. The event is held simultaneously in multiple
locations (3+) within the Unit boundaries, where each Club location has at
least five tables. Hand records are provided to the players with
overall results netted across the Unit.
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Laws |
Unlawful - An action by a player which does not comply to the Laws of
Bridge.
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General |
Unlimited - A player's call with no upper strength limit.
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Jargon |
Unlucky Expert - Portrayed by author S. J. Simon, a mythical
character with the inability to realize the limitations of other
bridge players.
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Jargon |
Unmakeable - A contract which cannot be sustain, lacking a very poor
defense by the opponents or deviation from the Laws (as a revoke, faced
penalty card, etc).
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Duplicate |
Unmixed - To players of the same sex, as opposed to mixed players of
opposite sex.
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General |
Unpassed - Referring to a player that has not yet passed.
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Bidding
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Unpenalty Double - A double of opponent's slam, specifically based on
holdings with no defensive tricks.
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Duplicate |
Unpigmented Points - Masterpoints achievement awarded to online
Bridge players meeting the ACBL criteria for online tournament play.
These points are colorless (not Gold, Red, Silver, or Black).
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Jargon |
Unplayable - An inadequate hand or lead, likely to generate poor results.
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Duplicate |
Unseeded - The majority of competitors are unseeded, that is of
comparable ability, by the tournament director in charge. |
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General |
Unsupported -
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1. |
A call of a new suit not
bid by partner |
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2. |
A non-touching honor |
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Bidding
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Unusual Notrump - See Conventions
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Bidding
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Unusual Positive - Precision and other "big Club" players use
artificial jumps to describe responder's slam invitational hands based on
distributional merits (shortage in one suit). See
Precision
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Bidding
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Unusual Versus Unusual Cuebid- See
Conventions
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General
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Up -
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1. |
Having a higher score
relative to the current opponents or overall average |
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2. |
Requesting the Dummy to
play a high card |
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Play
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Uppercut - To play through an opponent known to ruff with hopes
partner can either overruff or sluff a loser on the trick.
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Play
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Upside Down Count and Attitude (UDCA) - See
Conventions
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Play
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Up The Line:
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1. |
Referring to bidding the
lower of two equivalent suits before bidding the upper suit. For
instance, after opening 1 Notrump and partner responds 2C (Stayman), the
typical agreement calls for the opener to bid majors "up the line"
(Hearts before Spades). |
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2. |
To play the lowest ranking
card, usually from a series. |
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Play
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Up To -
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1. |
To lead toward the hand
anticipated to take the trick, hopefully partner's hand. |
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2. |
To lead toward an
opponent's tenaces, anticipating an opportunity to finesse the opponent. |
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Bidding
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Useful
Space Principle - See
Conventions
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General |
Usenet Newsgroup - In addition to the Internet "world-wide web" and
EMAIL subsystems, another integral aspect is the Usenet newsgroups,
sometimes knows as "Net News". Among the 20,000+ newsgroups, the "r.g.b."
(Recreation/Games/Bridge) newsgroup is devoted to Bridge discussions.
Usenet is actually a specialized server that maintains a centralized
repository of EMAILs - users typically use the Net-news portion of their
Personal Computer's EMAIL subsystem to download, read, and submit articles
of interest.
See: news:rec.games.bridge
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General |
Usenet Abbreviations - See
Usenet
Abbreviations
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