Definition & Meaning of "undertrick"in English

Undertrick

the number of tricks that the declarer fails to take in attempting to fulfill their contract, and they can result in penalties for the declarer's side

Grammatical Information

Animacy status

Inanimate

Plural form

undertricks

What is an "undertrick"?

An undertrick in card games like bridge refers to any trick the declarer fails to win below the number required to fulfill their contract. For example, if the contract is to win nine tricks but the declarer wins only seven, the two missing tricks are undertricks. Each undertrick results in penalty points awarded to the defending side, with the severity of the penalty depending on various factors. Undertricks indicate that the declarer did not meet their bid.

Examples

A single undertrick might not seem costly, but in duplicate bridge, it can make a big difference in the rankings.

Lexical Tree