The ACBL Convention Card has been redesigned and is expected to be introduced to membership mid-2022. Danny Sprung, Chair, Competition and Conventions Committee, presented the new convention card to the ACBL Board of Directors during national board meetings held in Austin.
While the new card will look familiar, the following changes were made:
Seldom-used conventions were removed and more commonly-used conventions were added.
Recent changes in alerts and announcements are reflected.
The one club and one diamond sections were expanded, providing more room to address different minor suit openings in different systems.
The right side of the card was reorganized with bids shown in ascending order of strain.
Articles explaining the changes and the proper way to complete the card will appear in the ACBL Bridge Bulletin. Additional information will be posted to the ACBL website and to other bridge-related forums.
In response to member feedback, the ACBL’s Competition and Conventions Committee unanimously decided at its July meeting to allow players to use either the “new” convention card that was approved in late 2021, or its predecessor, the “old” card, in all ACBL events.
Players who prefer the older version – and who may still be using them in sanctioned play – may continue to do so.
An updated version of the old card – one that features a few minor changes to colors based on the current Alert and Announcement procedures – will be available soon. The card look almost identical to the previous iteration. Baron Barclay Bridge Supply, who produces the ACBL convention cards, will begin print orders for this revised version in the near future.
