Forcing bid
Encyclopedia
In the card game contract bridge
, a forcing bid is any bid that obliges the partner to bid over an intermediate opposing pass. Owing to the partnership's bidding system
or a bridge convention
, partner must "keep the bidding open", i.e. not pass, thereby preventing his left-hand opponent from ending the auction with a pass and enabling the "forcing bidder" to bid further.
A forcing bid that creates no further obligation is called forcing for one round. A bid that is forcing and promises a rebid creates an obligation on the forcing bidder next round (typically, up to some level of the auction). A game forcing bids creates a mutual obligation to continue bidding at least to game level, or to double the opponents.
All bridge bidding systems
utilise forcing bids. For instance, one over one and two over one responses to one-of-a-suit opening bids are treated as forcing in almost all biding systems. Also, introducing a new suit at three level is generally treated as forcing provided this bid is made in a non-limited hand. The main reason why it is necessary to have certain bids in the system designed as forcing is to allow the partnership to start a dialogue exploring for the right contract.
Partnership agreement on which bids are forcing is essential. This is no easy territory, as is exemplified by the fact that in certain auctions even a pass can be forcing
. In particular, the following bidding situations require agreement as to their forcing character, i.e. non-forcing, round forcing or forcing to a specified level:
Contract bridge
Contract bridge, usually known simply as bridge, is a trick-taking card game using a standard deck of 52 playing cards played by four players in two competing partnerships with partners sitting opposite each other around a small table...
, a forcing bid is any bid that obliges the partner to bid over an intermediate opposing pass. Owing to the partnership's bidding system
Bidding system
A bidding system in contract bridge is the set of agreements and understandings assigned to calls and sequences of calls used by a partnership, and includes a full description of the meaning of each treatment and convention...
or a bridge convention
Bridge convention
A bridge convention is a system of calls made during the auction phase of a contract bridge game which conveys a coded meaning about the players' card holdings...
, partner must "keep the bidding open", i.e. not pass, thereby preventing his left-hand opponent from ending the auction with a pass and enabling the "forcing bidder" to bid further.
A forcing bid that creates no further obligation is called forcing for one round. A bid that is forcing and promises a rebid creates an obligation on the forcing bidder next round (typically, up to some level of the auction). A game forcing bids creates a mutual obligation to continue bidding at least to game level, or to double the opponents.
All bridge bidding systems
Bidding system
A bidding system in contract bridge is the set of agreements and understandings assigned to calls and sequences of calls used by a partnership, and includes a full description of the meaning of each treatment and convention...
utilise forcing bids. For instance, one over one and two over one responses to one-of-a-suit opening bids are treated as forcing in almost all biding systems. Also, introducing a new suit at three level is generally treated as forcing provided this bid is made in a non-limited hand. The main reason why it is necessary to have certain bids in the system designed as forcing is to allow the partnership to start a dialogue exploring for the right contract.
Partnership agreement on which bids are forcing is essential. This is no easy territory, as is exemplified by the fact that in certain auctions even a pass can be forcing
Forcing pass
In the card game bridge, a forcing pass is any pass that obliges the partner to bid, double, or redouble over an intermediate opposing pass: to act rather than to pass. By agreement or tacit understanding, that is, partner must "keep the bidding open".Here "..." represents any beginning to the...
. In particular, the following bidding situations require agreement as to their forcing character, i.e. non-forcing, round forcing or forcing to a specified level:
- responses to preemptPreemptPreempt is a bid in contract bridge whose primary objectives are to thwart opponents ability to bid to their best contract, with some safety, and to fully describe one's hand to one's partner in a single bid. A preemptive bid is usually made by jumping, i.e. skipping one or more bidding levels...
s - responses to overcallOvercallIn contract bridge, an overcall is a bid made after an opening bid has been made by an opponent; the term refers only to the first such bid. A direct overcall is a bid made directly over the opening bid by right-hand opponent; an overcall in the 'last seat' is referred to as a balancing...
s - various responses to a reverse bidReverse (bridge)A reverse, in the card game contract bridge, is a bidding sequence designed to show additional strength without the need to make a jump bid; specifically two suits are bid in the reverse order to that expected by the basic bidding system. Precise methods and definitions vary with country and...
of opener - 2NT in competitive bidding situations