Pontelrejelzések

Pontelrejelzések, a Hungarian term, translates to "bridge refusals" or "bridge rejections" in English. This refers to a specific situation in contract bridge bidding where a player, after their partner has shown a specific suit, makes a bid that indicates they cannot or do not wish to play in that suit, nor do they have a strong hand to support it.

This type of bid typically occurs after an opening bid and a subsequent response from partner. For example, if partner opens with one spade and responder bids one no trump, this is often a "negative" or "relay" type of bid in many bidding systems. However, if after partner's opening bid of one spade, the responder then bids two clubs, and partner's next bid is, for instance, two hearts, this could signal a "pontelrejelzés" regarding clubs. The bid of two hearts, rather than supporting clubs, might be a way to show a hand that is not suitable for clubs and potentially has some playing strength elsewhere, or is simply a waiting bid.

The precise meaning of a pontelrejelzés depends heavily on the specific bidding system being used by the partnership. Common systems like Standard American or Acol have defined meanings for various bids that can function as refusals. These bids are often designed to gain information about partner's hand or to prevent the partnership from bidding and making an unsuitable contract. They are a tool for partnership communication to avoid bidding too high or in the wrong suit.