The rules of bridge, at the source
The Laws of Duplicate Bridge, system policies, alerting rules and conditions of contest — 38 official documents from the World Bridge Federation, the zones and 7 national federations, each with a plain-English summary and a link to the official text.
2027 Laws of Duplicate Bridge 2027 — review in progress →
⇄ Alerting compared — WBF, EBL, ACBL, EBU and national rules side by side →
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World — World Bridge Federation
| Document | Issued by | Edition | Official text |
|---|---|---|---|
| Laws of Duplicate Bridge 2017 | WBF | 2017, as amended 1 January 2024 | PDF ↗ |
| Laws of Duplicate Bridge 2017 — gender-neutral text | WBF | 2017, as amended 1 January 2024 | PDF ↗ |
| Revised Laws 73 and 89 (2024) | WBF | December 2023 | PDF ↗ |
| Commentary on the 2017 Laws | WBF | Updated 26 June 2023 | PDF ↗ |
| WBF Laws Committee decisions 1998–2019 (compendium) | WBF | 2023 | PDF ↗ |
| Laws of Duplicate Bridge 2027 — review in progress In preparation | WBF | Next edition | Web ↗ |
| WBF Systems Policy | WBF | 2024 | PDF ↗ |
| WBF Psychic Bidding Guidelines | WBF | — | PDF ↗ |
| WBF Alerting Policy | WBF | Revised August 2022 | PDF ↗ |
| WBF General Conditions of Contest | WBF | January 2024 | PDF ↗ |
| WBF Convention Card — templates and guide | WBF | — | Web ↗ |
| WBF Tournament Directors' Regulations | WBF | — | Web ↗ |
Zone 1 — European Bridge League
| Document | Issued by | Edition | Official text |
|---|---|---|---|
| EBL Systems Policy | EBL | — | Web ↗ |
| EBL Alerting Policy | EBL | — | Web ↗ |
| EBL General Conditions of Contest | EBL | — | Web ↗ |
| EBL Review Regulation (appeals) | EBL | — | Web ↗ |
🇦🇺 Australia Australian Bridge Federation →
| Document | Issued by | Edition | Official text |
|---|---|---|---|
| ABF Rules & Regulations | ABF | — | Web ↗ |
🏴 England English Bridge Union →
| Document | Issued by | Edition | Official text |
|---|---|---|---|
| EBU Blue Book — permitted understandings and alerting | EBU | August 2024 | PDF ↗ |
| EBU Announcement & Alert Summary | EBU | 29 July 2024 | PDF ↗ |
| EBU White Book — technical matters | EBU | 2025 | PDF ↗ |
🇫🇷 France French Bridge Federation →
| Document | Issued by | Edition | Official text |
|---|---|---|---|
| Laws of Duplicate Bridge — French translationCode International — Lois du Bridge de Compétition | FFB | — | Web ↗ |
| National competition regulations (FFB)Règlement National des Compétitions | FFB | — | Web ↗ |
🇩🇪 Germany German Bridge Federation →
| Document | Issued by | Edition | Official text |
|---|---|---|---|
| Laws of Duplicate Bridge 2017 — German translationTurnier-Bridge-Regeln 2017 (TBR) | DBV | 2017 (24 Feb 2018), amended 1 Jan 2024 | Web ↗ |
| Tournament regulations (DBV)Turnierordnung | DBV | 1 January 2026 | Web ↗ |
| Regulations for online tournaments (DBV)Ordnung für Online-Turniere | DBV | 2026 | PDF ↗ |
🇬🇷 Greece Hellenic Bridge Federation →
| Document | Issued by | Edition | Official text |
|---|---|---|---|
| Laws of Duplicate Bridge 2017 — Greek translationΔιεθνής Κώδικας Αγωνιστικού Μπριτζ (ΔΚΑΜ 2017) | EOM | 2017 | Web ↗ |
| EOM General List of ConventionsΓενικός Κατάλογος Συμβάσεων της ΕΟΜ | EOM | — | Web ↗ |
| Fair play and the alert procedureΤο ευ αγωνίζεσθαι στο αγωνιστικό μπριτζ — Διαδικασία αλέρτ | EOM | — | PDF ↗ |
| Regulations for organising and running competitionsΚανονισμός Διοργάνωσης & Διεξαγωγής Αγώνων | EOM | — | PDF ↗ |
| Tournament conduct handbookΕγχειρίδιο Διεξαγωγής Αγώνων | EOM | December 2025 | Web ↗ |
| Bidding boxes, Bridgemate and screensΚουτιά Αγορών – BridgeMate – Χωρίσματα | EOM | November 2019 | Web ↗ |
🇳🇱 Netherlands Dutch Bridge Federation →
| Document | Issued by | Edition | Official text |
|---|---|---|---|
| Laws of Duplicate Bridge 2017 — Dutch translationSpelregels voor wedstrijdbridge 2017 | NBB | 2017, with Laws 73 and 89 amended March 2024 | Web ↗ |
| Alerting regulations (NBB)Alerteerregeling Nederlandse Bridge Bond | NBB | September 2009 | Web ↗ |
| Competition regulations (NBB)Wedstrijdreglement | NBB | 1 September 2025 | Web ↗ |
🇺🇸 United States United States Bridge Federation →
| Document | Issued by | Edition | Official text |
|---|---|---|---|
| Laws of Duplicate Bridge — ACBL edition and options | ACBL | 2017, with 2024 update | Web ↗ |
| ACBL Convention Charts | ACBL | — | Web ↗ |
| ACBL Alert Procedures | ACBL | February 2026 | PDF ↗ |
| Duplicate Decisions (club director's guide) | ACBL | Revised 2026 | Web ↗ |
Bridge Timer summarises and links; the text published by the issuing body is always the one that counts.