Bridge Glossary

East

one of the compass points; one of the players (usually to the right of declarer) in the standard diagram.

Eastern Scientific

a bidding style based on five-card majors, forcing notrump response, strong two-over-one responses, and strong notrumps with transfers.

East-West

one of the two partnerships; the defending side in the standard diagram.

Echo

the play of a high card followed by a low card (in the same suit); [Commonly used to show attitude, encouragement or discouragement, or parity of count, even or odd, in the suit.].

EHAA

an acronym for Every Hand An Adventure, a system based on very weak (10-12 point) notrump openings, four-card majors, and flimsy weak two-bids in all four suits.

Eight even, nine never

a general rule for deciding when to finesse for a missing queen, it advises to finesse with a combined holding of eight or fewer cards but not with nine or more.

-eighth

within or heading an eight-card holding. [Usage: jack-eighth = eight cards headed by the jack = Jxxxxxxx.]

Eleven Rule

Rule of Eleven.

-eleventh

within or heading an eleven-card holding. [Usage: ace-king-eleventh = eleven cards headed by the ace-king.]

Elimination play

the removal of safe exit cards from an opponents hand (either by extraction or by making them unsafe or impossible to play), usually preliminary to an endplay.

Elope

(of a trump that is not high) win a trick with by ruffing.

Elopement

method of play based on scoring tricks by ruffing with trumps that are not high.

Ely

Culbertson Four-Five Notrump [so-called after its inventor, Ely Culbertson]

Empty

without any significant cards other than those specified. [Example: Ace-empty-fifth means a five-card holding in which the only significant high card is the ace.]

Encouraging

(1) a defensive card play signal asking partner to lead or continue a specified suit;

(2) a bid suggesting that partner continue to a higher contract.

Encrypted

carrying a meaning determined by a new, superseding, or additionally-clarified partnership agreement that (i) came into force later than the beginning of current deal and (ii) is based on information that may have become available to some players but not others. [For examples, see Encrypted call and Encrypted signal. Most common bidding and defensive card-play agreements are not encrypted, even though their interpretations may benefit from knowledge available to only some players, because the governing partnership agreement does not change. Suppose, for instance, that a defender makes a lead from equal cards that establishes a suit at notrump. It is often agreed that the card chosen is a suit-preference signal--high card suggests entry, strength or interest in a relatively high-ranking suit; low card refers to a low-ranking suit. Even though the partner of a player giving such a signal could sometimes better interpret it because on knowledge that the defense but not the declarer possesses, the signal is not encrypted because the agreement in force, high card means high suit etc., does not change during the deal.]

Encrypted auction

see Encrypted call.

Encrypted call (sometimes Encrypted auction)

a call that is encrypted by agreement. [Example: North-South agree that a two-notrump response to a major-suit opening is a game-forcing raise promising either the ace or king of trumps but not both, and that opener's new-suit rebid shows a short suit when responder has the ace of trumps or a long suit when repsonder has the king of trumps. Opener's new-suit rebid is encrypted, because it can be deciphered only by a player who holds or later discovers the location of the ace or king of spades. Note that, under this agreement, opener might well choose not to use a new-suit rebid when he lacked both top spades.]

Encrypted signal

a defensive card-play signal that is encrypted by agreement. [Example: East-West agree that when declarer first shows out of a suit in which the defenders' distribution is not clear by the end of that trick, future East-West fundamental signal meanings will be determined by Plan A (high encourages, high even, high suit-preference for high suit) when West has the defenders' lowest remaining card in that suit, or by Plan B (low encourages, low even, low suit-preference for high suit) when East has that card. Should such a situation arise, East-West's later signals are encrypted, because they can be deciphered only by someone who knows or later discovers the location of that lowest card.]

Ending

(1) a position of the cards with relatively few remaining in each hand; [in a three-card ending, each player has three cards remaining]

(2) a position of the cards with some special identifying characteristic, typically occurring towards the end of the play.

Endplay

(1) (verb) force an opponent to lead disadvantageously;

(2) (noun) the position of the cards so resulting.

End-signal

a call indicating that the next bid made by that player will be an attempt to name the final contract. [Example: An end-signal of four diamonds is sometimes used (in relay-oriented methods) as an end-signal. Partner is expected to bid four hearts, after which the end-signaler can pass, bid four spades expecting partner to pass, etc.]

En passant

(of a trump that is not high) by virtue of favorable location behind a higher trump. [Example: Spades are trumps, and the remaining spades are East's seven and South's (declarer's) five. By leading, prior to trick thirteen, a plain suit from North that South can ruff, declarer wins a trick with the spade five en passant.]

Enter

(1) (in play) use an entry; transfer the lead to the opposite hand.

(2) (in bidding) after the opponents have opened the bidding, for the first time for your side bid, or suggest with a takeout double that partner bid, after the opponents have bid.

(3) (in a tournament) participate.

Entry

(1) a card that can win a trick and thereby gain the lead for its holder;

(2) seating assignment given to a tournament participant, in effect a receipt for the entry fee.

Entry squeeze

a squeeze in which one of the victim's busy cards forestalls an entry.

Entry-shifting squeeze

a squeeze in which the operator takes advantage of the ability to win the current and/or some future trick in the squeeze-card suit in either hand after the squeezee has played to a squeeze trick.

Equal

(1) (of cards) having equivalent rank.

(2) See: Vulnerability conditions.

Equal-level conversions

See: Minimum equal-level conversions.

Equals

cards adjacent in rank (as king and queen), and thus equivalent in trick-taking power when held by the same player.

Escape

remove to a different contract (usually by changing strains).

Escape suit

a (usually long) suit to which a player can turn if in trouble in the bidding.

Establish

make into winning cards by removing higher cards of the suit.

Established

(1) (of a suit) consisting of winning cards;

(2) (of a revoke) no longer correctable.

Estimate

guess at the score achieved on a deal or over a session.

Etiquette

courteous table behavior.

Even

(1) (of a suit split) exactly equal; [Example: a three-three split is an even split.]

(2) (of a card) with an even number of pips (the 2, 4, 6, 8 or 10);

(3) (of a suit holding) of even parity.

Exclusion

(of a call) showing length in, or asking for information about, all suits other than the one named.

Exclusion Blackwood/Key-Card Blackwood

a form of Blackwood in which partner is asked to show aces/key cards except in a particular suit.

Exhaust

deprive entirely of (cards in a given suit).

Exit

get off lead.

Exit card

a card used to effect an exit.

Expert

a superior player.

Exposed card

(1) a card whose face becomes visible at an incorrect time under the laws;

(2) a card that must be played in accordance with a penalty.

Exposed hand

dummy (meaning 2).

Extended responsive double

an informatory double by overcaller's partner over a raise.

Extras

(slang) extra values.

Extra values

significantly more than the minimum strength or potential indicated by earlier bidding.

Extra trick

overtrick.