Convention card 🇳🇿
New Zealand ACOL
ACOL - the New Zealand standard club system
4-card majors · 1NT 12-14 · weak twos · Blackwood & Gerber
System
- Basic system
- ACOL · NZB classification: Green
- Opening 1♣/1♦/1♥/1♠
- 4+ cards · 11-19 pts (4-card majors)
- Opening 1NT
- 12-14, may contain a 5-card major
- Jump raises
- Limit, 10-12 (minors and majors)
- Opening 2♣
- Game force, 23+ (or 20+ with distribution)
- Pre-alerts
- None - natural Green system
- Conventions
- Blackwood (0/4-1-2-3) · Gerber · negative doubles
Openings & meanings
| Bid | Min/strength | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 1♣ | 4+ · 11-19 | Natural, 4+ clubs |
| 1♦ | 4+ · 11-19 | Natural, 4+ diamonds |
| 1♥ | 4+ · 11-19 | Natural, 4-card major |
| 1♠ | 4+ · 11-19 | Natural, 4-card major |
| 1NT | 12-14 | Balanced, may contain a 5-card major · responses: weak takeouts |
| 2♣ | 23+ / GF | Strong, artificial, game forcing (or 20+ with distribution) Alert |
| 2♦ | 6-10 | Weak two, 6-card suit Alert |
| 2♥ | 6-10 | Weak two, 6-card suit Alert |
| 2♠ | 6-10 | Weak two, 6-card suit Alert |
| 2NT | 20-22 | Balanced |
| 3 in a suit | preempt | Normal preempts, typically 7-card suit |
Alert Opponents are alerted automatically in the digital version.
Leads & signals
Leads: top of sequence (overlead all); low from an honour with 4+; high with no honour from 4 small; top with no honour from 3.
| Holding | vs Suit | vs NT |
|---|---|---|
| AKQ / KQJ | Top | Top |
| AK(x) | A | A |
| KQ(x) | K | K |
| QJ(x) | Q | Q |
| J10(x) | J | J |
| 4+ with an honour | Low from honour | Low from honour |
| 3 small (no honour) | Top | Top |
Reverse attitude: low card encourages on partner's lead · discards: high discourages, low = like · count by agreement.
Defensive & competitive bidding
- Overcalls
- Natural · jump overcalls intermediate, 12-15 with 6+ suit
- 1NT overcall
- 15-18 (immediate and re-opening)
- Doubles
- Negative and responsive doubles
- Over weak twos
- 2NT = balanced · X = takeout
- Over opening threes
- X = takeout
- Over opponent's 1NT
- X = 16+ · suit bids natural
Special bids that may require defence
New Zealand ACOL is a SystemCard example based on the official NZ Bridge ACOL template.
Green classification under NZB System Regulations - a natural system with no pre-alerts required.
Key conventions: Blackwood (responses 0/4-1-2-3), Gerber 4♣, negative doubles, weak twos.
2♣ (game force) and the weak two openings should be alerted and explained to opponents.
Green classification under NZB System Regulations - a natural system with no pre-alerts required.
Key conventions: Blackwood (responses 0/4-1-2-3), Gerber 4♣, negative doubles, weak twos.
2♣ (game force) and the weak two openings should be alerted and explained to opponents.