Rules and Regulations
Announcements and Alerts
- Announcing and alerting table (Last updated: 29th July 2024 – effective 1st August 2024)
- Alerting in EBU online games
Blue Book
The Blue Book is the handbook of EBU permitted understandings, your first point of reference to find out what you can play in different events.
- Blue Book
- Blue Book (pdf version) (Last updated: 7th August 2023)
- General Regulations – Rulings & Appeals in Matches Played Privately Online
Skyblue Book
The Skyblue Book was the supplement to the Blue Book and White Book for online bridge, but it has now been absorbed into those two books. The document below provides links to the relevant parts of the Blue Book and White Book for online regulations.
- Skyblue Book (pdf version) (Last updated: 7th February 2024)
The Laws
- The 2017 Laws of Duplicate Bridge NB the WBF has now issued changes to Laws 73 and 89 (Last updated: 12th December 2023)
- Flow charts on the most commonly infringed laws
Recent Updates: (10th January 2024)
The WBF have announced that the Laws of Duplicate Bridge have been amended, effective from 1st January 2024.
The WBF website has an announcement of the changes and the revised Laws.
LAW 73 – COMMUNICATION, BEHAVIOUR, TEMPO AND DECEPTION – has been rewritten; and there is a new LAW 89 – PROHIBITED BEHAVIOUR AND REPREHENSIBLE CONDUCT.
The EBU Laws and Ethics committee will meet next week and there will be guidance on the revised laws for TDs and clubs on the EBU website.
The White Book
The White Book is the EBU Tournament Directors Guide. It also has useful information for tournament players.
- White Book
- The White Book (pdf version) (Last updated: 1st August 2024)
Best Behaviour @ Bridge
- Best Behaviour @ Bridge (Last reviewed May 2024)
- Best Behaviour @ Bridge article in English Bridge
Tournament Directors (TDs)
Articles for TDs, Scorers, Referees
- EBU panel TD ranks and responsibilities, by Gordon Rainsford (updated 2024)
- Board dealing security, by Gordon Rainsford (2019)
- Articles about 2017 Laws (updated 2024)
- Appeals, by Gordon Rainsford (December 2016)
- Adjudicating Claims, by Gordon Rainsford (June 2014, updated May 2018)
- Slow Play, by Gordon Rainsford (December 2014)
- Notes for members of the Referees List (updated May 2018)
- Notes on polling & consulting, by Gordon Rainsford (November 2015, updated November 2019)
- Scoring stratified events, by Gordon Rainsford (January 2016)
- Standard EBUScore settings, by Gordon Rainsford (January 2016)
- IT & Scoring EBU events,by Robin Barker (January 2016)
- Recommended scoring methods used in EBU tournaments, by Frances Hinden. Includes a suggested scale for teams-of-eight matches where the four scores are added together. (September 2012)
- All-play-all line movements, by Gordon Rainsford (2012)
- Multiple line movements, by Gordon Rainsford (December 2011, updated March 2024)
- Web Mitchell Movements, by Gordon Rainsford
- What is a logical alternative?, by Jeremy Dhondy (Updated February 2023)
- Weighted rulings, by John Pain (December 2008)
- Responding and defending to 1NT, by Max Bavin
- The Neuberg formula, by Max Bavin
- Scoring fouled boards, by Nick Doe
- EBU regulations, clubs and club players, by Jeremy Dhondy (Updated July 2013)
- The EBU and players with disabilities
- Appeal Guidelines (Updated 2023)
- Bidding Box Regulations
- 2015 WBF Screen Regulations showing changes from previous version
- Uploading results to Pianola (updated April 2015)
- Forms for Tournament directors
Players
Articles for players
- An index of 'educational' articles from English Bridge 2007 to present
- Defending against artificial systems, by Frances Hinden. Part One - Part Two - Part Three
- Problems of discipline - call the director!, by David Stevenson
- The general approach - call the director!, by David Stevenson and Ian Spoors
- Pauses at trick one, by David Stevenson and Ian Spoors
Appeals
EBU Appeals Booklets
2019 - 2018 - 2017 - 2016 - 2015 - 2014 - 2013 - 2012 - 2011 - 2010 - 2009 - 2008 - 2007 - 2006 - 2005 - 2004 - 2003 - 2002 - 2001 - 2000
Appeals Focus
Spring 2010; Spring 2011; Winter 2011; Autumn 2012; November 2014; November 2016; July 2018
International
World Bridge Federation Publications
Scoring and points
How to Score
The 70% rule for Master Points
Bridge Movements
- The mathematics of bridge movements, by John Manning
- A table of suggested movements for sessions to comply with the'70% rule'*
- Unusual (but useful) Movements for Clubs by Gordon Rainsford
* The '70% rule', came into effect from 1st January 2016. The regulation states that for a pairs session to be eligible for Master Points each player must play - or be scheduled to play - at least 70% of the boards in play. See here, or rule 3.1.4 in the Master Point & Licensing Handbook for more details.