Experienced players are used to the idea of 'alerting' partner's conventional bids, but with effect from 1st August 2006 the EBU introduced a new scheme whereby the rules about 'alerting' changed, and some bids now need to be 'announced' instead. In common with all clubs that are affiliated to the EBU, Mountnessing Bridge Club has adopted the new scheme.

A useful full statement of the new rules has been copied from the EBU Website – see the Director's page - but the main points are:

• If your partner opens 1NT you must 'announce' the High Card Point range

• If your partner opens a natural two of a suit you must 'announce' the strength - such as 'weak', or 'strong and forcing' or 'strong and non-forcing'; if the two of a suit opening is not natural (e.g., strong 2♣, Multi, Lucas, etc.) it must still be alerted

• If your partner responds 2♣ to your 1NT opening and it is Stayman (whether promissory or not) 'announce' it as Stayman, but alert it if it is anything else. The 2♦ response to Stayman is no longer alertable'

• If your partner responds in diamonds or hearts to your 1NT opening and this is a transfer bid, 'announce' hearts or spades as appropriate

• Doubles of 1NT bids - including 1NT responses and rebids - are assumed to be for penalties and should be alerted otherwise. E.g., if in the sequence 1♥ no 1NT x the double is intended as a take-out of 1♥ then it is alertable.

• Doubles of suit bids up to 3♠ are assumed to be for take-out, and must be alerted if otherwise. E.g., in 1NT 2♦ (natural) x - if the double is not for take-out it is alertable. [Most experienced players would take this double as penalties - so most experienced players should be alerting it!]

• Bids above 3NT are no longer alertable EXCEPT artificial opening bids at the 4-level or higher

Some comments based on a article by Jeremy Dhondy as to which doubles should be alerted and which do not need to be are available – see the Director's page for the link.