Average score

To ensure a smooth running of the session for everyone:
When the Director rings the bell, or announces otherwise to move to the next table, if you have not started the actual play of a board, North should write 'Average' on the traveller for that board and E/W should proceed to the next table.

Contract display

When the bidding is finished, it is recommended to leave the final contract displayed on the table but do not put it vertically against a bidding box as it could be seen by players of other tables and is not always visible by all the players at your own table.

Post mortem

We remind you that, apart from it not being good etiquette, discussing hands after the event could also give information to the next table.  Please be aware of this.

Thank you for your cooperation.

Note: After an irregularity occurs, the tournament director should be summoned immediately by any player (except during play by the dummy)

Insufficient Bid
Partner opens the bidding 1H, and you put the 2C bid on the table, and your LHO says, "Director, please!" What happened? You were so involved with your hand's possibilities that you never noticed your RHO's bid of 2D! Your 2C bid is insufficient. Do not do anything until the director comes to the table! If you try to correct your bid, you run the risk of adding unauthorized information to your insufficient bid.
When the director comes to the table, the first thing he or she will do is question you. Did you intend to bid 2C, or was the 2C bid mistakenly pulled from the bid box? You can correct a mechanical error without penalty, but you can't correct a "slip of the mind." Answer honestly. Your hand usually makes it obvious what you intended.

Insufficient Bid: Accepted
You intended to bid 2C. Your LHO, the next person to act, has the option to accept that bid. If the bid is accepted, the auction proceeds as normal and there is no penalty. Why would LHO accept your bid? In the example, if LHO accepts your 2C bid, he or she could bid 2D, thereby raising partner's suit without actually raising the level of the bidding! It's a cheap way to show support without showing values.

Insufficient Bid: Not Accepted
Most often, the insufficient bid is not accepted. In that case, you must correct the bid by substituting a sufficient bid or a pass. Note that you may not correct the bid with a double or redouble.
* If you correct your insufficient bid with the lowest sufficient bid in the same denomination, there is no penalty. In our example, you would substitute a 3C bid, and the auction would go on as if nothing had happened.
* If you make any other sufficient bid, your partner will be barred from the auction, and there may be lead penalties.
* If you pass, your partner will be barred from the auction, and there may be lead penalties.

Most leads out of turn happen on the opening lead, which results in the most complex set of options in all of the Laws for the non-offending side.

When Declarer's Right Hand Opponent leads (face up) instead of the LHO, Declarer has the following options:
1. Accept the lead. Declarer then is next to play, but Dummy is faced before Declarer plays.
2. Accept the lead, but Declarer faces his/her hand and becomes Dummy. Declarer's partner plays the hand.
3. Reject the lead and require LHO to lead, which brings with it two other options:

a. Declarer can either require LHO to lead, or prohibit LHO from leading the same suit led by RHO. If Declarer accepts this option, RHO puts the offending card back in his hand.

b. Declarer can allow LHO to lead anything, and the offending card becomes a penalty card for RHO.

It is very easy to avoid making the opening lead out of turn. The Laws require that the opening lead be placed face down on the table. The opening leader should then ask "Any questions?" and if one of the questions is not "Yes, why are you putting out a card when it is your partner's turn to lead?", then turn the card face up.

Note that while the leader may not change the opening lead after placing the card face down on the table, this does not mean that Dummy should face his cards before the opening lead is turned face up.

Say that East leads face down and South faces his cards before someone remembers that South was the first to bid the trump suit. Since East did not expose his card, he may withdraw it without penalty and West must lead, making South declarer. South may pick up his cards, but the opponents have the advantage of having seen them all.

Revoke
Revoke (failure to follow suit when a player is able to) is handled by laws 61-64. A revoke may be corrected (correct card substituted) without trick penalty before any player of the offending side plays to the next trick; otherwise, it becomes established. If a revoke is corrected, the exposed card becomes a penalty card and the opponents may change their played cards as they see fit (however, the revoking side may not take advantage of those seen cards). When a revoke is established, in general, one of subsequent tricks won by the offending side is transferred to the opponents. If the revoke card has won the trick, that trick is transferred too. (If the offending side did not win any subsequent tricks, no penalty is assessed). Additional tricks can be transferred if the revoke has caused more damage to the opponents than was redressed by those penalties.

Exposed card
When a card is exposed by one of defenders (law 50), by means of holding it in such a position that it can be plausibly seen by the offender's partner, in general, it becomes a penalty card. If exposed inadvertently, depending on its rank, it may be a minor (2-9) or a major (10-A) penalty card; however, any card may become a major penalty card if played out of turn. In any case, the penalty card must be played at first legal opportunity, which allows the declarer to organize his play to take advantage of the situation. However, the offender may play a honor of the same suit instead of the minor penalty card. There is no penalty whatsoever for the exposition of declarer's cards, provided it was played inadvertently (a card apparently played advertently may not be retracted except for the purpose of revoke correction).
If a card is exposed during the auction (law 24), it may become a penalty card, and offender's partner may be forced to pass to the end of auction.