With the new Alert procedures implemented last year, it was time for the new convention card to be overhauled as well.
You may start seeing the new convention card soon, although it may take several months for the existing cards in circulation to be replaced with the new one. During the transition, either card will be acceptable.
What's New?
You will notice that each section is now separated with vertically shaded columns: Overview, Minors, Majors, Notrump, 2 Level, etc.
Rather than starting with notrump openings, the new card arranges opening bids in ascending order.
There are now separate areas for 1♣︎ and 1♦︎ opening bids. Those who treat these bids the same, opening the "better minor," don't need to fill out the minor sections twice; there is a check box which indicates "same as 1♣︎"
The section on defensive carding methods has been greatly expanded with separate areas for leads against suits and no-trump carding and signals.
More room is given to explain general style for preempts and what is to be expected from a balanced opening bid.
The new Alert procedures have been incorporated with the same color coding: red = Alert, blue = Announce.
The new card contains many improvements designed to help opponents locate desired information efficiently and help partnerships with their own agreements. While it may seem like a lot of information - especially at first - it's perfectly fine to only fill out the areas that apply to your partnership.