Canapé (bridge)

In contract bridge, a canapé is a bidding system convention, more accurately a style of bidding, where a player's first bid shows their shortest suit rather than their longest. This is the opposite of standard bidding, where opening bids generally show the longest suit (or one of the longest suits).

The canapé style aims to allow for more accurate descriptions of the hand later in the bidding sequence. By starting with the shorter suit, it creates opportunities to show a longer suit at a lower level in subsequent bids, potentially preempting the opponents and better defining the bidder's shape.

The convention's name derives from the French word "canapé," which refers to a small, decorative sofa. The analogy is that the opening bid is a "small" suit leading to something "larger" or more important later.

Because it departs significantly from standard bidding conventions, canapé is typically played by experienced players with a solid partnership understanding. The implementation of canapé requires precise agreements regarding hand evaluation, suit length requirements for opening bids, and responses to the opening canapé bid. Without these agreements, miscommunication and poor bidding decisions can easily result. While generally showing a shorter suit initially, the specifics of the style (e.g., minimum length required to show a four-card major suit) varies from partnership to partnership.

Variations exist, including "reverse canapé," where the shorter suit is shown only in response to partner's opening bid.