Designation

Cover Cards is a term for a method of valuation, which was devised by Mr. George Rosenkranz and which is a part of the Romex System. However, this form of valuation has found application in almost any method.

Note that a cover card is a card (honor or extra trump) which is known to compensate one of partner's losers. For example, a King in trumps covers partner's trump loser.

The Cover Cards

Aces and Kings of are Cover Cards, and also Queens, but only when they prove to be effective during the valuation. If the hand of the opener is measured in terms of losers, the responder can judge or valuate how many losers he can cover.

Responder holds:

	Q7
	KQ64
	K873
	642

Opener		Responder
1		1 NT
2		4

The opener, in general, may have at most seven losers, and the responder has four Cover Cards in the valuation of his holding. These four Cover Cards are the Queen of Spades, the King and Queen of Hearts, and the King of Diamonds. The concept is that four of the seven losers in the hand of the opener are covered by the four Cover Cards in the hand of the responder. This leaves only three losers, and the responder bids a game contract of 4 Hearts.

However, if the Queen of Spades were perhaps the Queen of Clubs, then this card could not be called a Cover Card, since the opener has not bid Clubs. This means that the responder has only three Cover Cards and should not bid a game contract, because this would mean that there are four losers, instead of three losers.

If you wish to include this feature, or any other feature, of the game of bridge in your partnership agreement, then please make certain that the concept is understood by both partners. Be aware whether or not the feature is alertable or not and whether an announcement should or must be made. Check with the governing body and/or the bridge district and/or the bridge unit prior to the game to establish the guidelines applied. Please include the particular feature on your convention card in order that your opponents are also aware of this feature during the bidding process, since this information must be made known to them according to the Laws of Duplicate Contract Bridge. We do not always include the procedure regarding Alerts and/or Announcements, since these regulations are changed and revised during time by the governing body. It is our intention only to present the information as concisely and as accurately as possible.