In the game of

bridge A bridge is a structure built to span a physical obstacle (such as a body of water, valley, road, or rail) without blocking the way underneath. It is constructed for the purpose of providing passage over the obstacle, which is usually somethi ...

, a prepared opening bid is a bid which is not usual in the sense that it does not bid the longest suit first. The most common example of this is the better minor or short club opening bid. Another example refers to a principle of bidding in bridge popularized by

Howard Schenken Howard Schenken (September 28, 1903 – February 20, 1979) was an American bridge player, writer, and long-time syndicated bridge columnist. He was from New York City. He won three Bermuda Bowl titles, and set several North American records. Most r ...

in bridge columns that he wrote during the 1960s. In his book "Big Club", Schenken refers to the principle as ''"The Principle of Anticipation (or Preparedness)"''. The principle states that when choosing an opening bid, a player should be prepared for the possibility that his partner could respond in the opener's shortest suit; he should choose his opening bid and have an appropriate rebid ready for that eventuality. The "Principle of Preparedness" was originally used by

Ely Culbertson Elie Almon Culbertson (July 22, 1891 – December 27, 1955), known as Ely Culbertson, was an American contract bridge entrepreneur and personality dominant during the 1930s. He played a major role in the popularization of the new game and was wide ...

in the 1930s and is referred to by various writers from that period.

Example

In the example on the left, South is the dealer and because he holds 14 high card points (HCP), he must open the bidding. If he were to open 1, his longest suit, he will get a 1 response from partner and according to

Standard American Standard American is a bidding system for the game of bridge widely used in North America and elsewhere. Owing to the popularization of the game by Charles Goren in the 1940s and 1950s, its early versions were sometimes referred to simply as 'G ...

methods, be obliged to rebid 1NT since a bid of 2 would be a

reverse Reverse or reversing may refer to: Arts and media * ''Reverse'' (Eldritch album), 2001 * ''Reverse'' (2009 film), a Polish comedy-drama film * ''Reverse'' (2019 film), an Iranian crime-drama film * ''Reverse'' (Morandi album), 2005 * ''Reverse'' ...

and show a more powerful hand than he has. The partnership could easily be down several tricks in 1NT if the opponents' hearts split adversely and key black cards are in unfavorable positions. Schenken advocates an alternative treatment of this hand and recommends opener begin the auction with 1. Then, when responder replies with the anticipated 1 bid, opener can retreat to 2, which responder, with only 6 HCP, would pass. If responder's diamond holding were stronger, he could correct to 2. The partnership is more likely to make a 2 contract even against adverse defensive holdings.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Prepared Opening Bid Contract bridge bidding