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ACBL GENERAL CONVENTION CHART
1. The conventions listed below must be allowed in all ACBL
sanctioned tournament play (other than in events with an upper
restriction of 20 or fewer masterpoints and events for which the
ACBL conditions of contest state otherwise) and at club-level
events with multiple-site overall masterpoint awards. Clubs have
full authority to regulate conventions in games conducted solely
at their clubs.

DEFINITIONS
1. An opening suit bid or response is considered natural if in a
minor it shows three or more cards in that suit and in a major it
shows four or more cards in that suit. A notrump opening or
overcall is natural if not unbalanced (generally, no singleton or
void and only one or two doubletons).

2. An overcall in a suit is considered natural if, by agreement, it
shows four or more cards in that suit.

3. A sequence of relay bids is defined as a system if, after an
opening of one of a suit, it is started prior to opener's rebid.

**ALLOWED - Unless specifically allowed, methods are disallowed **
OPENING BIDS
1. ONE CLUB OR ONE DIAMOND may be used as an all-purpose opening bid
(artificial or natural) promising a minimum of 10 high-card
points.
2. FORCING 1NT OPENING BID indicating a balanced or unbalanced hand
and a minimum of 16 HCP.
3. TWO CLUBS ARTIFICIAL OPENING BID indicating one of:
a) a strong hand
b) a three-suiter with a minimum of 10 HCP
4. STRENGTH SHOWING OPENING AT THE TWO LEVEL OR HIGHER that asks for
aces, kings, queens, singletons, voids or trump quality and
responses thereto.
5. TWO DIAMOND ARTIFICIAL OPENING BID indicating one of:
a) both majors with a minimum of 10 HCP.
b) a strong hand.
c) a three-suiter with a minimum of 10 HCP.
6. OPENING BID AT THE TWO LEVEL OR HIGHER indicating two known suits,
a minimum of 10 HCP and at least 5-4 distribution in the suits.
7. OPENING NOTRUMP BID AT THE TWO LEVEL OR HIGHER indicating at least
5-4 distribution in the minors.
8. OPENING THREE NOTRUMP BID indicating one of
a) a solid suit or
b) a minor one-suiter.
9. OPENING FOUR-LEVEL BID transferring to a known suit.

RESPONSES AND REBIDS
1. ONE DIAMOND as a forcing, artificial response to 1.
2. ONE NOTRUMP response to a major suit opening bid forcing one
round; cannot guarantee game invitational or better values.
3. CONVENTIONAL RESPONSES WHICH GUARANTEE GAME FORCING OR BETTER
VALUES. May NOT be part of a relay system.

CONV.032 (PAGE 2)
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4. TWO CLUBS OR TWO DIAMONDS response to third or fourth-seat
major-suit openings asking the quality of the opening bid.
5. SINGLE OR HIGHER JUMP SHIFTS AND/OR NOTRUMP BIDS AT THE TWO LEVEL
OR HIGHER to indicate a raise or to force to game.
6. ARTIFICIAL AND OR CONVENTIONAL CALLS after strong (15+ HCP),
forcing opening bids and after opening bids of 2 or higher. (For
this classification, by partnership agreement, weak two-bids must
be within a range of 7 HCP and the suit must contain at least five
cards - See #7 under DISALLOWED.)
7. ALL CONSTRUCTIVE CALLS starting with the opening bidder's second
call.
8. CALLS THAT ASK for aces, kings queens, singletons, voids or trump
quality and responses thereto.
9. ALL CALLS AFTER A NATURAL NOTRUMP opening bid or direct overcall,
EXCEPT for natural notrump opening bids or overcalls with a lower
limit of less than 10 HCP or with a range of greater than 5 HCP
(including those that have two nonconsecutive ranges). See #7
under DISALLOWED.

COMPETITIVE
1. CONVENTIONAL BALANCING CALLS.
2. CONVENTIONAL DOUBLES AND REDOUBLES and responses (including free
bids) thereto.
3. NOTRUMP OVERCALL for either
a) two-suit takeout showing at least 5-4 distribution and at least
one known suit (At the four level or higher there is no
requirement to have a known suit.) or
b) three-suit takeout ( at least three cards in each of the three
suits.)
4. a)JUMP OVERCALLS INTO A SUIT to indicate at least 5-4 distribution
in two known suits and responses thereto.
b)SIMPLE OVERCALLS INTO A SUIT to indicate a minimum of 10 HCP, at
least 5-4 distribution in two known suits and responses thereto.
5. CUE BID of an opponent's suit and responses thereto, except that a
cue bid that could be weak (fewer than 10 HCP) directly over an
opening bid, must show at least one known suit.
6. DEFENSE TO:
a) conventional calls (except see #9 RESPONSES and REBIDS above and
#7 under DISALLOWED below),
b) natural notrump opening bids and overcalls, except that direct
calls, other than double and 2 clubs must have at least one known
suit.
c) opening bids of 2 or higher.
7. Numbers 4 through 8 under RESPONSES AND REBIDS above APPLY TO BOTH
PAIRS.

DISALLOWED
1. Conventions and/or agreements whose primary purpose is to destroy
the opponents' methods.
2. Psyching of artificial or conventional opening bids and/or
conventional responses thereto. Psyching conventional suit
responses, which are less than 2NT, to natural openings.

CONV.032 (PAGE 3)
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3. Psychic controls (Includes ANY partnership agreement which, if
used in conjunction with a psychic call, makes allowance for that
psych.)
4. Forcing pass systems.
5. Relay (tell me more) systems.
6. Opening one bids which by partnership agreement could show less
than 8 HCP. (Not applicable to a psych.)
7. CONVENTIONAL RESPONSES, REBIDS AND A CONVENTIONAL DEFENSE TO AN
OPPONENT'S CONVENTIONAL DEFENSE after natural notrump opening bids
or overcalls with a lower limit of fewer than 10 HCP or with a
range of greater than 5 HCP (including those that have two
nonconsecutive ranges) and weak two-bids which by partnership
agreement are not within a range of 7 HCP and or do not show at
least five cards in the suit.

CARDING
Dual-message carding strategies are not approved except on each
defender's first discard. Except for the first discard, only
right-side-up or upside-down card ordering strategies are approved.
Encrypted signals are not approved. In addition, a pair may be
prohibited from playing any method (such as suit preference systems at
trick one), when they are deemed to be playing it in a manner which is
not compatible with the maintenance of proper tempo (much like dual
message signals). This decision may be appealed to the tournament
committee.

The conventions listed below must be allowed in all ACBL sanctioned
tournament play (other than in events with an upper restriction of 20
or fewer masterpoints and events for which the ACBL conditions of
contest state otherwise) and at club-level events with multiple-site
overall masterpoint awards. Clubs have full authority to regulate
conventions in games conducted solely at their clubs.