What Is the Bidding Forum on Australian Bridge Magazine?

The Bidding Forum is a recurring feature of Australian Bridge magazine that runs in two parallel versions: an experts' forum printed in the magazine, and a readers' version published online. Both present bidding problems for readers to answer, but they are run by different moderators and accessed in different ways. The magazine's forum is moderated by Phil Gue and Fraser Rew; the online readers' version is moderated by Brad Coles and Nigel Kearney.

The two versions

If you want to compare your own judgement against a panel of experts, the printed forum is the one to follow. If you want to take part yourself, the online readers' version is where you send in answers.

Submitting your answers

Answers are submitted online. The site notes that submissions are open for the December forum, and that the October questions will be posted on 31 August — so the cycle works by posting a set of questions, then collecting reader answers for a later issue.

To take part, use the online readers' version of the forum, read the current set of questions, and submit your answers before the next set is posted. The exact submission deadline is not stated on the page, so check the forum page itself when you go to answer.

Reading past forums

Archived issues of the feature can be accessed using the drop-down box in that month's column. That means past sets of questions and answers are reachable from the current forum page rather than from a separate archive section.

Related online content

The Bidding Forum sits alongside other online material from the magazine, including an Online Supplement page launched to accompany each issue. That supplement carries print-friendly versions of the Bidding Challenge hands, time-sensitive news, and articles that did not fit in the printed magazine. If you follow the forum, the supplement is worth checking for the hands in a form you can print and work through away from the screen.

What you need to take part

• No subscription is required to view the online readers' version of the forum, based on how the page describes it.
• A subscription is required for the magazine itself, which carries the experts' forum. Current rates listed are: Australia 1 year (4 issues) $49, 2 years (8 issues) $92; NZ/Asia 1 year AU$69, 2 years AU$129; rest of world 1 year AU$79, 2 years AU$149.
• To submit answers, use the online forum page and watch for the posting date of each new set of questions.