How Do You Fill Out a Bridge Convention Card?

A bridge convention card is the written record of your partnership's bidding and carding agreements, and the ACBL requires one at the table. Fill it out front to back: your general approach, the 1NT section, major and minor suit openings, two-level openings, doubles, then opening leads and signals on the back. Check only what you and your partner actually play.

By Tracey Bauer

The convention card might be the most intimidating piece of paper in bridge. All those boxes, all that fine print, and a creeping feeling that everyone else knows what a "special doubles" section is for. Here is the reframe that changes everything: the card is a menu, not a test. You are not graded on how many boxes you check. You only mark what you and your partner actually play, and a mostly blank card is perfectly legal. Once you see it that way, the card stops being scary and starts being useful.

What is a convention card, and why does the ACBL require one?

Bridge runs on full disclosure. Your opponents are entitled to know every agreement you and your partner have, and the convention card is how you tell them. The American Contract Bridge League (ACBL) requires two identical, completed convention cards at sanctioned tournaments. Clubs set their own enforcement, but the ACBL recommends the same procedure, so bring a completed card with both partners' names to any game.

The card protects you too. Writing an agreement down forces the two of you to actually have one. Most partnership disasters are not bad bids, they are two players holding different pictures of the same auction. A finished card quietly wins you matchpoints before the first board is ever played.

Ready to build yours? Work front to back, one section at a time.

Step 1: Start with your system line

At the top of the card you name your general approach: Standard American, 2/1 Game Force, or whatever framework you play. This single line sets the opponents' expectations for everything below it. If you are a newer partnership and not sure what to write, Standard American with five-card majors is the most common starting point.

Step 2: Fill out the 1NT section first

This is the most important real estate on the card. Write your notrump range, most commonly 15 to 17 HCP, and check the responses you play. For most partnerships that means Stayman (2♣ asks for a four-card major) and Jacoby Transfers (2♦ shows hearts, 2♥ shows spades). Every one of these agreements gets its own box, and your opponents will look here first, because notrump auctions come up on board after board.

Step 3: Major and minor suit openings

Note how many cards your one-level openings promise. Five-card majors is standard in North America, which means 1♣ and 1♦ may be opened on three cards. Then record what your raises mean: what does 1♠ - 3♠ show in your partnership, and is it invitational or weak? If you play a conventional raise, check it. If you have never discussed it, this is your prompt to discuss it.

Step 4: Two-level openings, weak twos and the strong 2♣

Write the point range for your weak twos (2♦, 2♥, 2♠) and mark 2♣ as your strong, artificial, forcing opening. Note what the 2♦ response to 2♣ means in your partnership, most commonly a waiting bid. This section is short, but leaving it blank invites exactly the kind of misunderstanding that turns a once-a-year monster hand into a passed-out disaster.

Step 5: Doubles

Takeout doubles, negative doubles, and when a double is plain old penalty. The key box here is the level through which your negative doubles apply, because "I thought that was takeout" is one of the most expensive sentences in bridge. Decide it, write it, and the argument never happens.

Step 6: The back of the card, leads and carding

This is the half everyone skips, and it is the half that wins the most matchpoints. Record your opening leads against suit contracts and against notrump, then your signals: attitude, count, and suit preference. If those three words are new to you, defensive signals and carding get their own guide later in this series. Whatever you play, the card must say so.

What are alerts and announcements?

Some agreements require you to speak up at the table. An announcement is a set word or phrase for a few common agreements, like stating your notrump range or saying "transfer." An alert warns the opponents that a bid means something unusual they would not expect. The ACBL updated its alert procedure in 2026, so even experienced players have things to relearn here, including which convention chart applies to your game. This is exactly the kind of detail that is easier shown than read, which is why we fill out a real card together, box by box, in the workshop.

Common convention card mistakes

Tracey has seen every one of these at the table:

• Checking boxes you do not play. An accidentally-checked box is one of the most common card errors, and it can earn you an adjusted score when your bidding does not match your card.
• Two cards that do not match. Directors compare them. Mismatched cards are the classic partnership disaster.
• Skipping the bottom half. Leads and carding agreements are where defense lives.
• Treating the card as finished. Your card should grow one box at a time as your partnership improves.

Learn it at the table: the Convention Card Workshop

Reading about the card is one thing. Filling one out box by box, with a champion walking you through every section, is another. The Convention Card Workshop is $25 and covers both parts: Part 1 takes on the front of the card (your system line, notrump openings, major and minor suit openings) and Part 2 finishes the job (two-level openings, doubles, defending against their 1NT, and the back of the card). Replays are included, so you can watch on your own schedule.

Want every workshop, every replay, and the private community? The Bridge Unleashed VIP Community brings every workshop and every replay together in one place.

Browse the full lineup at bridgeunleashed.com/workshops, and if you want a convention a day, there is always 50 Conventions in 50 Days.

Questions players ask about convention cards

Do I need a convention card to play in an ACBL club game?
In practice, yes. Clubs set their own enforcement, but the ACBL recommends the same procedure it requires at sanctioned tournaments, which is two identical, completed convention cards. Bring a completed card with both partners' names to any game.

Do beginners have to fill out the entire card?
No. You only check the boxes for agreements you actually play, and a mostly blank card is completely legal. Add conventions one box at a time as your partnership grows.

What if my partner and I disagree about an agreement?
Settle it before you fill out the card, because the card must reflect what you actually play as a partnership. If you are unsure, leave the box blank until you agree.

What is the difference between an alert and an announcement?
An announcement is a spoken word or phrase for a few common agreements, such as your 1NT range or transfers. An alert tells the opponents your bid has an unusual meaning they would not expect, and the ACBL updated its alert procedure in 2026.

Where do I get a blank ACBL convention card?
You can download one free from the ACBL website, pick one up at any club, or use an online card builder. The Bridge Unleashed Convention Card Workshop then walks you through filling it out box by box.