Joseph Caldwell Simplified Bridge Bidding System

By Joseph George Caldwell

This article presents a simplified natural bridge bidding system. It is intended to help new players quickly learn a basic bidding system that will enable them to proceed to play bridge without investing a substantial amount of effort in learning a complicated bidding system involving many artificial bids and requiring the memorization of many bidding rules based on high-card points and suit lengths. This system may (optionally) include several artificial (conventional) bids (Blackwood, transfers, and nonpenalty doubles). It is similar to the Standard American and Acol systems, but substantially simplified.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Joseph George Caldwell
• Release date: Mar 12, 2014
• ISBN: 9780944848111

Joseph George Caldwell

Joseph George Caldwell is a mathematical statistician and systems and software engineer. He is author of articles and books on divers topics (e.g., population, environment, statistics, economics, politics, defense and music, including The Late Great United States (2008); Can America Survive? (1999); How to Stop the IRS and Solve the Deficit Problem (The Value-Added Tax: A New Tax System for the United States) (1987); How to Play the Guitar by Ear (for mathematicians and physicists) (2000). See Internet website http://www.foundationwebsite.org to view these and other articles. He holds a BS degree in Mathematics from Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and a PhD degree in Statistics from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina.

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Preface

The game of modern contract bridge evolved in the early twentieth century (1920s). Modern bidding systems are based on calculation of points that show the relative strength of hands, both in terms of individual cards (high-card points, or Milton Work points) and distribution (numbers of cards in suits). Point-count bidding systems were developed in the United States and England. The system developed in the US by Charles Goren and others was known as the Standard American or Goren system. In the British Commonwealth, the major bidding system in use over the years and today is Acol (named after the Acol Bridge Club,