This is information about systems and conventions. To start with we are including a file that has two systems:

• a basic Acol system
• and a slightly more advanced Bernard Acol system

By having them here, I hope it might make singles more able to agree a system which suits their needs. It also sets the framework of the ‘natural bidding’ of the site. As we discuss conventions on the site, I might add some more files to deal with them.

12-14 1NT
Four-card majors
Stayman, Red suit Transfers (2S for a weak minor)
Negative Doubles
Fourth suit forcing
Bids of opponents’ suit = strong
BLACKWOOD: either normal or Basic Key-Card
Normal overcalls
CARDING: 4th highest from an honour; 2nd highest from a bad suit Natural signalling HI – Yes; LO – No

12-14 1NT
Four-card majors
Stayman, Red suit Transfers (2S for a weak minor)
BENJI style WEAK TWOS in HEARTS & SPADES (Ogust responses) 2C = 8 playing tricks in a suit (17-22)
2D = 23+ or Game-forcing
2H/S = 6-10 six card suit
2NT = 20-22 balanced or semi-balanced
Negative Doubles
Fourth suit forcing
Unassuming cuebids
BLACKWOOD: Key-Card
Weak jump overcalls
Splinters, cuebids
Landy defence to 1NT (2C shows majors)
Two-suited overcalls (Michaels, Unusual) [EXCLUDING artificial 3C] CARDING: 4th highest from an honour; 2nd highest from a bad suit Natural signalling HI – Yes; LO – No (with McKenney overtones) Standard Count: Hi-lo for even number
OPTIONAL: Jacoby 2NT (response to 1-of-a-major); inverted minors

This is a method of showing strong support for an opening major bid. I gave a set of Friday seminars on the system called Supporting Majors (parts 1-5). These can be found in the Friday Live Archive (060-064).

When the auction starts 1♥︎ – PASS – ? (or 1♠︎ – PASS – ?)

Note: if you play splinters, then you still use these to show your singletons & voids, so most often the 2NT bidder is balanced or semi-balanced.

The traditional method was to use a 2NT response to show 11pts balanced, but any hand that wants to bid this can usually respond with 2-of-a-minor allowing the auction to progress naturally. This frees up the 2NT response to be used as a convention to show support for the major.

After 1♥︎ – PASS –

2NT shows 4+ hearts and enough strength for game (12+)

The idea of the bid is to allow the partnership to investigate a slam with plenty of bidding space. After the 2NT response the opener describes his hand.

The standard responses to the Jacoby 2NT are:

3-level bids = SHORTAGES

4-level bids = STRONG second suit

3-trump suit, 3NT & 4-trump suit = balanced or semi-balanced – the Stronger the hand the lower the bid (of the three choices)

Hearts	Spades
1♥︎ – PASS – 2NT* – PASS	1♠︎ – PASS – 2NT* – PASS
?	?
3♣︎ singleton (or void) club	3♣︎ singleton (or void) club
3♦︎ singleton (or void) diamond	3♦︎ singleton (or void) diamond
3♥︎ strong balanced hand 17-19	3♥︎ singleton (or void) heart
3♠︎ singleton (or void) spade	3♠︎ strong balanced hand 17-19
3NT semi-strong & balanced 15-17	3NT semi-strong & balanced 15-17
4♣︎ strong club suit	4♣︎ strong club suit
4♦︎ strong diamond suit	4♦︎ strong diamond suit
4♥︎ weak balanced hands	4♥︎ strong heart suit
4♠︎ strong spade suit*	4♠︎ weak balanced hands

When you become a member of Bernard Magee Bridge (BMB) you will receive more than access to simple online bridge tutorials. Being a BMB member means joining a community of like-minded bridge enthusiasts with whom you can chat and play on or offline.

Overview of membership access:

  Fully Online – Available 24/7
Whether you’re a night owl or an early bird, your BMB membership will keep you company whatever the time.

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Bernard updates the bridge content weekly to ensure there is always something new to learn and enjoy for all members. He does THREE live shows each week with the opportunity for viewers to engage with each other and Bernard on the live chat.

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Feel free to branch out, meet new people and make new friends via our BMB community forums as well as our highly active Members’ Facebook Group.

* See: ‘Where Do I Start? Full Member Content Guide’ & ‘BMB Full Member Content Summary’ for full information on the BMB content.

When you become a member of Bernard Magee Bridge (BMB) you can join the BMB Member’s Private Facebook Group. This is a great way to chat and mingle with fellow BMB members and to get involved in topic discussions, examine hands and have fun! Here’s how you join:

1. Go to the BMB Facebook page and click the text that says “Bernard Magee Bridge MEMBERS CLUB”. There is a button at the bottom of these instructions that will take you there.

2. When you click the ​”Bernard Magee Bridge MEMBERS CLUB” text you will be asked to either login (if you already have a Facebook account), or to create a new account. Both can be done from the page shown below.

3. If you need to create a new account, just click the green button and you will be taken to a sign up page like the one shown below.

Signing up to Facebook is really easy. All you need is your name, email address, a password and your birthday (you don’t even need to give your real date of birth if you don’t want to!). The image belows show the Facebook sign-up form. It really is as simple as that.

Ready to join our Private Members’ Facebook Group? Click the button below (the BMB Facebook Group will open in a new browser tab). We look forward to seeing you there!

  Big Seminars & accompanying x8 Set Hands (monthly)
Bernard has created over 50 ‘Big Seminars’ which take a deep dive into key bridge topics. Each ‘Big Seminar’ is around an hour in length and accompanied by x8 Set Hands to give you an opportunity to practise and review what you have learnt.

‘Big Seminar’ with x8 accompanying Set Hands
At the start of each month Bernard releases a new ‘Big Seminar’ with x8 accompanying Set Hands. This is the ‘BMB Topic of the Month’, and stemming from the ‘Big Seminar’ Bernard discusses further the topic in each Monday Live throughout the month, where you have the opportunity to engage on the live chat with Bernard and fellow viewers.

x8 Set Hands (accompanying the ‘Big Seminar’)
Full Members have 4 options to play or review the x8 Set Hands:

1. BMB organised Set Hand Games on BBO – during the first 3 weeks of each month – see the BMB Calendar for the scheduled times.
2. Download a LIN file of the Set Hands – this can be used on BBO for you to practise the set hands privately on BBO, either with your friends or on your own with robots (BBO may apply charges to your games).
3. Download a PBN file of the Set Hands – This can be used on your own software e.g. Q-Plus
4. Review Bernard’s x8 Set Hand analysis videos – You will get the most value out of the set hands by playing them first, but if you prefer you can simply watch Bernard’s analysis to reinforce what you have learnt

Note: Please see the ‘Practice & Play’ section for full guides on how to review these options.

  Mixed Set Hands (monthly)
On the last week (on occasion last two weeks of each month) x8 Mixed Set Hand Games are available for you to play in organised sessions on BBO. There are also the same opportunities as for the regular Set Hands to download the LIN and PBN files and review Bernard’s analysis videos of each hand. This gives you a fantastic opportunity to revise a range of topics – see the BMB Calendar for the online playing schedule.

  Easier Hand (of the Week)
Bernard analyses the bidding and play of an ‘Easier hand’ using the Q-Plus Software (available to purchase in the BMB SHOP). A new hand is released each week on Monday.

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Bernard analyses the bidding and play of an ‘Harder hand’ using the Q-Plus Software (available to purchase in the BMB SHOP). A new hand is released each week on Monday.

  Bidding Quiz (weekly)
Bidding Quiz question (video) followed by Bidding Quiz answer (video) presented by Bernard. A new Bidding Quiz is released each week on Monday.

  Novice Bidding Quiz (weekly)
Novice Bidding Quiz question (video) followed by Novice Bidding Quiz answer (video) presented by Bernard. A new Novice Bidding Quiz is released each week on Monday.

  Play Quiz (weekly)
Play Quiz question (image) followed by Play Quiz answer presented by Bernard (video). A new Play Quiz is released each week on Monday.

  Lead (Prize) Quiz (weekly)
Lead Quiz question (text) followed by Lead Quiz answer presented by Bernard (video).

The BMB weekly Lead Quiz is also known as the Prize Quiz. Try this quiz to see how you score out of 10. Your Lead Quiz Points will then show on the ‘Lead Quiz Leaderboard’ (you can opt out of this if you wish). The ‘Lead Quiz Leaderboard’ will only show members who have an average score of 5 or more.

If during the current week you enter the Lead Quiz and score 10/10, then you will have the opportunity to enter into the Lead (Prize) Quiz Prize Draw to be selected at random to play in the monthly Live Prize Teams Game (usually on a Wednesday at 7:30pm) alongside Bernard and fellow BMB Members. Immediately after the game ends, Bernard provides a game analysis over video link.

  Live Shows (weekly)
Bernard presents 3 weekly online Live Shows – they can be watched live or later at your leisure. The Monday and Friday Shows include mini seminars to give you an opportunity for regular learning across a range of topics. The shows are usually transmitted live at these times:

  11am Monday LIVE (FREE open to Non-Members)
This is based on the ‘Topic of the Month’, and extends from the monthly ‘Big Seminar’

  7:30pm Wednesday Teams LIVE (FULL Members only – can also be purchased in the SHOP)
Bernard’s live Teams shows. Watch Bernard play live (or later at your leisure) while he commentates on his bidding and game play. During the Live Show there is an optional ‘live chat’ for viewers to interact with each other and Bernard with questions on the play at hand.

Once a month there is a Prize Teams game – winners of the weekly Lead (Prize) Quiz have the opportunity to play alongside Bernard and fellow BMB Members and have a game analysis with Bernard after the show.

As an alternative a Pairs Game (pre-recorded), may be shown in place of the Teams game. This may be from an independent game, or Bernard may have played in the previous Monday BMB evening game alongside fellow BMB Members. In both cases he provides an analysis of the game as it is being played.

  11am Friday LIVE (FULL Members only – can also be purchased in the SHOP)
This live show includes a Mini Seminar that covers a different topic from the monthly topic and is often covered over several weeks, delving more deeply into subjects.

  Novice Content
As a Full Member of BMB you also have access to the full Novice Member Content:

• Begin Bridge Software – Bernard’s interactive Bridge software introduces you to the game of Bridge and teaches you the basics to get playing. Access online from with the BMB website
• Novice Tips Videos – Short 10 minute tips for Novices and Improvers to get immersed in the game of Bridge. The short Tips are extracted from the Monday Live Shows and named for ease of reference
• Novice Bidding Quizzes
• Novice Crib Sheet

  14 Bridge Courses
Bernard has created a variety of courses, collating content together under the same topic – allowing you to focus on and immerse in one subject more easily.

  Online Games & Set Hand Practise Sessions
See the BMB Calendar for the schedule of members only weekly ‘Casual’ online games, ‘Improvers’ Session, and Set Hand practise sessions. Once a week there is a small friendly ‘Organised’ online game, managed by BMB approved Directors. [full info: see Practice & Play]

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Engage in the chat in one of BMB Forums:

• General Discussion
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• Laws & Ethics – Ask David Stevenson
• BMB Novices
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NOTE: The ‘BMB Forums Archive’ is for all posts prior to November 2022. We were not able to import these Forums into our new system, so you can view, but not add additional comments.

  Bridge Glossary
Glossary based on the original A to Z of Bridge published in BRIDGE magazine.

  BRIDGE Magazine
Immerse yourself in the library of BRIDGE Magazines from 2008 – 2020 and digest the vast array of articles.

  Charity Videos
From the days before BMB, Bernard created a number of online shows, including seminars and quizzes, during the COVID-19 lockdown. They are all catalogued here for ease of reference.

  BMB Bridge Shop
Take a look at a wide range of digital online Bridge learning DVDs, Software, Live Shows, E-Books that you can purchase with online access.

  One Incredible Resource!
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  The BMB Hands Submission Portal
We will soon be launching our dedicated Hands Submission Portal. This will allow you to create a hand and send it directly to Bernard with your question.

Bernard loves receiving hands but it can be quite a process typing them out to send, so the new portal will make this process simple for everyone!