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               WHAT ARE BRIDGE BIDDING SYSTEMS?               

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If you do not know at all what bridge system is, and you are for some reason interested in learning to play bridge, you should take some lessons in bridge first, before you start studying this website.
It is difficult to understand the the concept "bridge system" without having some knowledge of the game.

As soon as you have exercised bridge several times you will see the need for a "bidding system"

A bidding system may be compared to a small dictionary, which gives translations from words in language A, the source language, into words of language B, the target language.
In this metaphor we distinguish:

• source language:
  a language with a very limited vocabulary, directly defined by the rules of the bridge game.
• dictionary:
  translating algorithm from 'source-' into 'target-language ' and reverse, which may be compared with the second function of a "bridge bidding system"
• target language:
  a language which is understood by the receiver and in which only three subjects can be discussed:
  • description of one's own hand (composition of 13 cards)
  • questions about the partner's hand (composition of 13 cards)
  • indications about further actions to be taken
  The definition of the target language is the first function of a bridge 'bidding system '

In order to achieve a contract on making a certain amount of tricks a team of bridge players (commonly called a pair: opener and responder) have to bid for that contract. The rules stipulate that the bidding is done in the same source language according to laws (bridge grammar).
Bridge players must describe their cards, their plans and their questions in terms of target language, next translate the result into source language and finally transmit the message also in source language, while this is the communication language, dictated by the rules. Bridge players must also be able to translate incoming messages into target language.

The quality of a bridge system is comparable to the quality of a dictionary:

-  The more distinctions can be translated the better.

-  The faster the best translation is found the better.

-  The richer the vocabulary the better.

-  The more logical the arrangement the better.

-  The more accurate the translation the better.

The aim of the bidding is getting the best paying (in terms of points) playing contract by using "source language" and the "system". Ambiguity, redundancy and dissipation (of bidding room) should be avoided as much as possible. So a good system is needed. On the other hand the target language must be rich because the character of bridge hands may vary enormously.

The words above sound very abstract. It is good to know that many systems are far simpler than suggested here. MAF is essentially a simple and "easy to learn" system. Though this site is not written for beginning bridge players, beginners could easily start by playing a basic MAF-system.

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