Alerting Rules

I quite often find myself being confused by what I should or should not alert.  I thought it might be useful (at least for me, and especially with the congress imminent), to review the rules and try to present them in a more easily digestible form.  I have reviewed this with KT – and hopefully I have included all of his corrections.

Overview

• The purpose of an alert is to draw the opponents’ attention to any call that has a special meaning, or a meaning the opponents may not expect.  The fact that the system card explains the meaning of a call does not remove the obligation to alert it when required by these regulations;
• Explanation of an alerted call is only given after a request has been made by opponents;
• As an opponent you may ask for the meaning of an alerted (or self-alerting) bid when it is your turn to bid – BUT you should only do this if you are planning on bidding;
• As a defender, after the end of the auction and before you play your first card, you may also ask for an explanation of the bidding (by either member of the declaring side);
• When requested to explain a bid, a full explanation of the call must be given. This includes any conventional or partnership agreement, whether the agreement is explicit or based on partnership experience.  Explanations may well include distributions and point ranges specifically excluded by a call, as well as those shown directly.

Definitions

A convention is a call that, by partnership agreement, conveys a meaning other than willingness to play in the suit or denomination named (or in the last denomination named), or high-card strength or length (three cards or more) there. However, an agreement as to overall strength does not make a call a convention

A natural suit bid is one which conveys a willingness to play in the denomination named and shows a high card strength or length in the suit named

A natural NT bid is a bid which show a willingness to play in no trumps and conveys no specific information about the suit holdings

A natural pass is a pass that does not convey any conventional message about strength or suit holdings

A cue bid is defined as a bid of any denomination bid by the opponent or suits shown by the opponents’ bidding

A transfer bid is an artificial bid which promises length in an agreed suit

A puppet bid is an artificial bid which requires a particular response by partner but does not promise a holding in the suit of the forced response

What should be alerted

You must alert all your agreements (other than those that are self-alerting – see list below) that the opponents may not fully understand, or may reasonably misinterpret. This includes

1. Conventional calls – ie a call which doesn’t indicate a willingness to play in that suit – for example transfers after a NT opening, fourth suit forcing bids, multi-2s and responses. 
2. A natural call which has additional meanings which the opponents are unlikely to expect.  For example:
   • a 1NT response which does NOT deny a four card major (if it could have been bid at the 1 level);
   • a 1NT overcall (or response) which does NOT promise a stopper in the opponents’ bid suit;
   • A jump raise of opener’s one-level bid in an uncontested auction, which may be weak or pre-emptive (eg inverted minors).
3. A natural call but there is an agreement by which the call is forcing or non-forcing in a way that the opponents are unlikely to expect.  

What should NOT be alerted

• Natural calls which do not fall into category 2 or 3 above
• The acceptance of a transfer unless it conveys additional meaning
• Opening bids of 1C or 1NT – these should be announced, NOT alerted (see below)
• The following bids are deemed self-alerting calls and should not be alerted:

1. Doubles
2. Redoubles
3. Cue bids of an opponent’s denomination/suit
4. All calls at the four-level or higher, except conventional opening bids
5. Any 2♣ response to a 1NT opening bid in an uncontested auction.

Examples

The following bids should be alerted:

1. 2C opening bid;
2. Multi-two opening bid;
3. 3C Stayman response to a 2NT opening;
4. Conventional rebid to Stayman 2C response (eg 2D etc)
5. Transfer bids (NOTE: if you play super-accepts, then the accept of a transfer should also be alerted)
6. Puppet bids
7. Pass or Correct bids
8. Jacoby 2NT response over a major; and any subsequent responses at the 3-level showing shortage
9. Splinter bids below 4C
10. Unusual 2NT either opening or overcall

Announcements

There are two bids which if they are opened by your partner, you should announce information:

1. 1C -  announce length of club suit (eg eg “1+”, “2+”, “3+” etc)
2. 1NT - announce the point range (eg 15-17) .  NOTE an OVERCALL of 1NT does not require an announcement.  When announcing 1NT openings, the statement should not contain extraneous information, such as "may contain a 5-card Major".  Just announce the range
3. Note that some other systems may have additional announcements for 1C 

References

https://www.abfevents.com.au/events/tournregs/ABFAlertRegs2017.pdf

https://sabridge.com.au/for-members/alert-regulations/

Advanced

Failure to alert, mistaken alert or incorrect explanation

If your partner fails to alert one of your bids, or provides what you believe to be an incorrect explanation; you must say nothing (and you must ignore the misinformation) until the bidding is complete.  Your action then depends on whether your side wins the auction or are defending:

Declarer/Dummy:

Before the opening lead, declarer or dummy are required to call the director and in her presence correct the failure to alert, mistaken alert or incorrect explanation.

Defending:

No correction may be given until the end of play, at which time the director must be called.

Forgotten Meaning

If a players knows that a bid is alertable, but has forgotten its meaning, she should still alert; and then if asked to explain, state that she has forgotten and call the director.

No Agreement (and not alerted)

If you are asked to explain a bid, and there is no partnership agreement as to the meaning of a call, you must say so (eg “undiscussed”) and NOT attempt to offer a possible explanation