Canapé

Canapé is a distinctive bidding method where the shorter of two suits is typically introduced first. If the player holds two suits of equal length, the lower-ranking suit may be shown first.

Canapé is not a convention per se, but an approach to bidding 2-suited hands. The specific auctions in which canapé is employed vary by bidding system.

Pierre Albarran (1894-1960) is credited with promoting canapé during the post-World War II heyday of bridge. His inaugural book, "Bridge, Nouvelle Méthode De Nomination Les Jeux Bicolores: Le Canapé," was published in 1946, contributing to canapé's subsequent popularity in France.

In French, a "canapé" is a form of hors d'oeuvre. According to the late Alfred Morehead, the etymology of the bridge term "derives from the fact that the bidder starts with the smaller course, the shorter suit, and goes from there to the main course or entree, the longer suit." ¹

After its initial adoption in France, canapé spread to other European countries. It notably influenced the bidding techniques of the renowned Italian Blue Team during the 1950s and 1960s. This included the Italians' Roman Club, Neapolitan Club, and Blue Club systems.

In the United States, canapé has historically been less prevalent. It is allowed in duplicate games when the bids are effectively natural. Under the latest ACBL Alert Procedure (2022), though, a canapé bidding system must be pre-alerted to the opponents.

A full treatise about canapé is beyond the scope of this limited article. The following hands, however, attempt to illustrate a few principles.

First, canapé may be necessary in a strong club system. In "The Blue Club" by Benito Garozzo and Leon Yallouze, the following hand is cited:²

x x x x A Q J 10 K Q x x x

The hand is strong enough to open, but the spades are too grotty for 1 and the clubs are too short for a natural 2. The solution then is to open 1.

The Blue Club espoused opening 4-card majors with a minimum suit quality of Qxxx. Under that condition, the Italians used canapé to try locating major-suit fits quickly. Any touching 4-5 or 4-6 two-suiters would typically be opened with the higher suit.

This would be a 1 opening, with an eye toward rebidding diamonds:

A A x x x Q J 10 x x K x x

With a strong 4-5 or 4-6, Garozzo and Yallouze recommended opening the shorter suit and jump-rebidding the longer one. For example, the following hand might open 1 and plan to rebid 3:

A K x x A K x x x Q J x x

With a non-touching 4-5 or 4-6, the Italians paid a lot of care to anticipating the rebids. It was not an absolute rule to open the short suit first.

"The Blue Club" presented this next hand as a 1 opener. Why? Because after a 2 response from partner, opener should not rebid 2NT with a useless club doubleton.³

A Q x x K x K J x x x x x

Ironically, the opening of one's shorter suit might jam the opponents or steal their suit. As Albert Morehead wryly observed in 1960:⁴

		North
		K 10 9 7 5 2
		7
West		10 5		East
Q J 4 3		9 8 6 3		A 6
K 3				10 9 6 2
K 9 7 2		South		8 4 3
K Q 10		8		A J 5 4
		A Q J 8 5 4
		A Q J 6
		7 2

South   1 2

West   Pass All Pass

North   1

East   Pass

South opened 1 which put West to an awkward decision. West ultimately chose to pass, and North-South played peacefully in 2, making.

In Standard American, 2 would be a strong and forcing reverse. Here though, it merely showed a longer second suit which North was happy to pass.

Had South opened 1 instead, West could have made an easy takeout double to describe his hand.

Canapé sometimes pays dividends after the auction as well. If the canapé bidder never discloses her longer suit, the opponents can have a tough time counting the cards around the table.

To quote Sabine Auken from her auto-biography, "I Love This Game":⁵

"We fancy a system and style where we can throw our four-card majors into the ring as quickly as possible. Anybody who wants to convince us otherwise will be hard pressed to do so. It's simply too much fun."

Auken's partner, Daniela von Arnim, opened 1 in the following deal despite her massive club holding.

		Auken
		8 7 6 4
		9 3
de Wijs		K 7 4 2		Muller
Q 9 5 2		9 5 2		A
Q 8				A K 10 7 4 2
A J 10 8 5		von Arnim		Q 9 6 3
J 6		K J 10 3		10 4
		J 6 5
		—
		A K Q 8 7 3

de Wijs   Pass 4

Auken   Pass All Pass

Muller   3

von Arnim   1 Pass

Against the final contract of 4, von Arnim led the club king, ace, and a third club. Declarer ruffed in dummy and — faced with a wild guess about the distribution — attempted to finesse Auken for the J. Down one.

Of course, it isn't always optimal to hide a long suit. Charles Goren reported the following deal for Sports Illustrated back in 1967:

		North
		J 9
		10 9 8 5 2
West		K 7 3 2		East
Q 2		J 7		K 6
A J 7 3				K Q 6 4
9 8 6 4		South		—
Q 8 3		A 10 8 7 5 4 3		A K 9 6 5 4 2
		—
		A Q J 10 5
		10

West     Pass 3 Pass 5 Pass Dbl Pass Dbl

North     Pass Pass Pass Pass 6 Pass Dbl All Pass

East     1 3 5 Pass Pass 6 Pass

South     1 4 Pass 5 Pass Pass 6

East, playing canapé, opened 1. Due to the highly competitive nature of the auction, East-West never found their 10-card club fit. They were only "saved" from 6 doubled by North's phantom sacrifice.

As Goren noted, "East never was able to mention a seven-card club suit to the ace-king, the only suit in which his side could make a slam."⁶

¹ Morehead, A. (1960, February 28). Bridge: Pierre Albarran's Bidding Theories. The New York Times.

^{2, 3} Garozzo, B. and Leon Yallouze (1969). The Blue Club. Faber and Faber Limited.

⁴ Morehead, A. (1960, May 12). Contract Bridge. The New York Times.

⁵ Auken, S. (2006). I Love This Game. Master Point Press.

⁶ Goren, C. (1967, August 21). Nowhere to Go but Down. Sports Illustrated.