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Congleton Bridge Club
 
South East Cheshire Bridge League

SOUTH CHESHIRE BRIDGE LEAGUE 2015 - 2016

Last Match won 25 -5

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Director's Page
Director's Notes

Each document starts with an 'easy guide' (hopefully), there then may be some notes on more complex situations which rarely arise. 

Opening Lead out of turn

Revokes that cannot be corrected

Correcting a revoke

Condoning

Card Played
FAQ - Please suggest items

The answers are short by design - and may not give the whole story - That is what the Director is for.  The latest ones are at the top.
 

Whilst I was dummy my partner said "Lead a Heart" from A K Q J x x x.  I assumed he meant the Ace but a defender said I must play a low one which was an absolutely ridiculous play.  If you say I have to play low I will give up playing bridge!!!!
Sorry to lose you!!!!!  Seriously though Declarer's statement is a command over which you have no discretion.  The Laws state clearly that "a heart" means the lowest heart, (although run the hearts is taken to mean "from the top").  Lead the low heart; Declarer will now point out in some way that at least one person around the table does not have all his marbles, and that bridge may soon lose another participant.  The Director will then magically arrive at the table and ascertain whether the lead was totally without reason and incontravertibly not what declarer meant.  If the Director so decides the lead can be changed; otherwise "Its been nice knowing you".

 

Following on from below:  I was dummy and my partner got himself in the wrong hand but he tried to lead from the other so he could take a finesse - Do I have to warn him!
This reaches into the depths of what is ethical and acceptable and what is not.  No you do not have to warn him.  If your partner absentmindedly leads from the wrong hand ( even if is to his advantage) it is up to your opponents to notice not you.  However I emphasise absentmindly.  It would be highly unethical (and could lead to serious punishment from the Director) for your partner to do so deliberately.  Directors would be hard pressed to accept inadvertancy in a situation such as this.

I was dummy and my partner led from the wrong hand.  I thought I could warn him but I was told I shouldn't say anything.  Who is right?
Both of you as is usual in my questions.  Yes, you can WARN him before he has done it, but No you cannot INFORM him once he has led.  Preventing an irregularity by a warning is nearly always OK for any player.  Drawing attention to an irregularity is an action not open to dummy in all but a few instances.  In the case in question the warning needs to be given before the card is played.  "Play the..." WARNing OK.  "Low Heart"  KEEP QUIET.  Card from declarer heading towards the table - WARN OK.  Card already on the table KEEP QUIET  Dummy needs to be on the ball  At least he can do 'being a dummy' well!!

I made my first face down lead and then changed my mind but the opponents said I couldn't change it; are they right?
I am afraid so.  Just like any other card after it has been played it cannot be retracted.  There are one or two exceptions.  If your partner asks a question and it turns out you had been misinformed previously then THE DIRECTOR when called may allow you to change it (if it is still face downI).

I realised I had revoked.  Can I change my card?

You can do so only if the revoke has not become "established" or it is on the 12th trick.  The revoke is established when you or your partner play a card to the following trick or make a claim.  It is, just, possible that 4 cards have been played after the revoke and it still not be established.  In this case all subsequent cards may possibly be changed!!!  CALL THE DIRECTOR.
 

I was defending and dropped the Diamond 10 on the table face up; the Director informed us that it was a major penalty card. My partner then won a trick and the Declarer said he couldn't lead a diamond.  That can't be right.
Yes it is, though of course the Director should be called again.  Everybody seems to know that a major penalty card must be played at the first legal opportunity, and any honour card faced at the wrong time is such even if inadvertant.  But there is another part to the Law which says that  if you have a major penalty card and your partner has the lead declarer may prohibit or require the lead of that suit (just like a lead out of turn).  The good news is that if declarer does this the card can then be put back into your hand and is no longer a penalty card.

I was defending and dropped the 5 of diamonds face up.  Declarer said it was a penalty card and I would have to play it at the first legal opportunity.  Was he correct?

Yes and no!  Of course players are not entitled to make this decision themselves. Call the Director.  However the Director will rule that it is a penalty card - but he will also say that it is a Minor Penalty Card as it was exposed inadvertantly (it was dropped not played) and was not an honour card.  Such a card need not be played at the first opportunity but must be played before any other non-honour in the same suit. 
 

 I was declarer and led from my hand when it should have been Dummy's.  My Opponents said I needed to leave the card on the table as a penalty card.  What does this mean?
It means your opponents don't know the Laws!!!  Declarer can never have a penalty card.  If he (she's never lead out of turn) has to withdraw a card it goes back in the hand to be played as normal.  (Defender's are allowed to remember what it was and use it to advantage).  I'll say a bit more about Penalty Cards in the next few examples.

 

My new partner (I go through them quite quickly) bid 2S over an opposition 1H.  I couldn't remember what strength we had agreed.  Should I alert?
Not this time.  So long as it is not artificial, neither weak; intermediate; or strong jump overcalls are alertable.  However your opponents have a right to know about your uncertainity IF THEY ASK.  Perhaps you could say "We were trying to decide between weak and intermediate but I'm not sure which we agreed".  DO NOT TELL THEM how you are going to take it - your response, may not make it so obvious this time!!!!
 

My new partner bid 2D over my 1NT but I couldn't remember whether we had agreed to use transfers or not.  What should I do?

Your opponents have a right to know about your uncertainity when one of the possibilities is alertable.  Use the Alert card and if they ask tell them that you are not sure if it is a weak takeout or a transfer.  DO NOT TELL THEM how you are going to take it - although your response, in this example, might make it obvious!!!!

 

After a jump bid on my right I passed with a weak hand.  My opponent said I should STOP to think for about 10 seconds before calling.  But I had nothing to think about!!!

That is the whole point.  If you pass straight away your partner knows you have nothing to think about and that is illegal information.  The stop card means what it says.  It instructs the next player to STOP for about 10 seconds.  If the card was just used to make sure your partner noticed it would have JUMP written on it!!!!
 
My partner opened 1 spade and the next player bid 1 heart.  The director said I could accept the insufficient bid and bid on.  Does that mean I can bid 1 spade again? - that can't be right.
Strange as it may seem those are the rules.  The point is that the Director shouldn't take away any options that you might have taken if you hadn't have called him.  As you may have bid 1S over 1H (not realising 1S was insufficient) then calling the Director should not deprive you of this bid.
 
Declarer called for the King of Spades and I played the Ace before Dummy had picked it up.  I was told I should wait until the card had been played.  Is this right?
Yes and No!!!!  It is right that you should wait until the card is played.  However, it is played as soon as declarer names it not when Dummy actually picks it up. 
 
I had quite a good opening hand when my RHO opened 2H.  It was announced as strong and forcing so I passed.  LHO then said "Sorry we have started to play Weak twos."  I would have bid over a weak two; what happens?
Well of course the first thing you do is call the Director!  He should tell you that you can withdraw your pass and make any call you want.  This applies right up to the time your partner calls.  This also applies if you make a call and then your LHO alerts his partner's bid.
 
At the end of the auction I put my bidding cards back in the box.  I was told that I should leave them.  Why?
One of the really good things about Bidding Boxes is that you do not have to remember the auction.  Of course you never did because you could ask for a restatement of the auction to remind you.  That right ends when you play your first card.  After the opening lead has been made that player loses the right to be reminded of the auction and so the Bidding Cards are removed at that time.  The other players can still ask for a restatement until they play a card.
 
Over the opponents 1NT I bid 2C (Hearts and a minor); my partner bid 2D which I alerted.  When asked I explained it showed less than 3 hearts.  My opponents said this was incorrect and called the Director.  The Director agreed with them.  What did I do wrong?
You should have said that it shows FEWER than 3  hearts!!!!  
(Adapted from English Bridge April 2013)  

My partner made a penalty double.  Do I have to pass?
Not at all.  Your partner has decided that he thinks the best score will be obtained by getting the opponents down.  He has partly based this decision on what you have shown by your bidding.  If your hand is particularly offcentre for your bid you are quite at liberty to do something else.  For example if you are very weak (and distributional) for your call you might think the opponents will make their doubled contract and you can take it out  your partner's penalty double and by doing so describevery well your hand.
 
I explained the meaning of my partner's bid when asked but later on realised I had got it wrong.  When should I own up?
Immediately.  If it is your own explanation which is incorrect then correct it as soon as possible.  You must keep quiet about your partner's errors until the end of the hand if you are defending or the end of the auction if you are declaring.

I won a trick by ruffing a club; a couple of tricks later I ruffed again.  I then found I had a club in my hand!! The opponents claimed 4 extra tricks (2 for each revoke).  Is that right?
Definitely not.  There is no automatic penalty for the second revoke.  Call the Director and he will decide whether the 2 trick penalty is enough or whether more tricks need to be transferred.
 
At trick 11 I realised I had too few cards. I found the diamond 2 under my chair but had already discarded on diamonds.  What happens?
I am afraid you have revoked and the normal penalties apply.  The Director will make a ruling..
 
I was declarer and I dropped a card face up; do I have to play it?
Not if you are Declarer, put it back and play on - but a defender would have to.  The difference is a defender has a partner who is advantaged by seeing the card (you can't argue that it wouldn't make any difference to your partner!!!)   
 
Why do I have to use the STOP card when I make a jump bid?
After your partner has called you ought to be thinking about what you are going to do at your turn if the next player makes a non-jump bid.  This will allow you to call in tempo when it is your turn.  You can't, however, think about every call your RHO might make - so the STOP card after a jump bid gives you time to think and not break tempo.  It is important  that you do pause (an absolute minimum is 5 seconds) so not to pass unauthorised information to your partner.  If your opponents don't pause it is your right to call the Director.
 

I revoked but nobody seemed to notice, do I have to own up?

Not at all.  It is up to the opponents to notice.  But you mustn't try to hide it (or of course deny it if they ask!!!).  Similarly with leads out of turn or insufficient bids etc - if you do it and the opponents don't notice "c'est la vie".  The only mistakes you MUST correct is if you or your partner give a wrong explanation (including errors of alerting).  If the error is yours correct it immediately.  If it is your partner's correct it at the end of the auction if your side wins the contract, or at the end of play if you are defending.


I made 8 tricks in a 2 Heart contract; our opponents called the Director who said my bid was illegal and that I should have passed.  He adjusted the score.  This is what happened:  Dealer opened 1NT the next 2 players passed, I then bid 2 hearts which was passed out.  Oh, by the way, my partner did take quite a long time before he passed.  Could you explain?

Your partner’s hesitation has made it significantly safer for you to compete – as you now know he has a hand on which he thought about bidding and has significant strength.  This “unauthorised information” means that there may be some calls which you must not make.  In this case the Director will have judged that your 2H bid was borderline, that some players with your hand would have passed, and that the hesitation made it more likely that 2H was a better bid than pass. Once your partner hesitates some borderline calls may become illegal.  If the Director judges that your  bid was illegal and that you have gained a better result than if you had passed he will adjust the score (possibly to 1NT making eg 7; if this is what happened at other tables).  You can appeal his ruling.   


"If you haven't started a board - Don't"
When is the board started?
When at least one hand has been removed from the board.  The Director will give this instruction about 2 - 3 minutes before he asks you to move for the next round.  It prevents you from being more than half a board behind (6 - 7 minutes for a board) when the move is called and hopefully gives you a chance to catch up.
 
 
Why do the match points on a board sometimes have decimal points?
The idea of a pairs tournament is that all boards should be equally valuable (Each is worth about 4%).  If a pair don't play a board the normal way of calculating would give the board a lesser value -so a formula is used to scale them up.  This is shown on the results to ne place of decimals.

Why do I have to leave the board in the middle of the table; it gets in the way?
Contrary to what I said last Monday it is not primarily so the Director can monitor tables' progress.  It is so players can see the vulnerability; which may affect their play, and the dealer; which can help to remember the auction.  The Laws say it should be in the centre of the table but as long as this information is easily visible to all players the exact position is not important.  However, don't cover this up with the contract card if you put it on the board!
 
Can I use any conventions I want?
At Congleton Bridge Club no restrictions have (so far) been placed on the methods partnerships use - but they have the power to do so.  Each club can make its own rules.  See below.

Laws and Regulations  What is the difference? (This is a bit complex)
The set of Laws which govern the game was published in 2007 (The Red Book that Director's should bring to the table when they make a ruling!).  In it is defined the "Regulatory Authority" (in England this is the EBU) who can make supplementary regulations as allowed by the Laws.  Some of thes are extremeley technical but others include: use of bidding boxes, use of stop cards, alerting, allowed conventions.
The EBU publish the regulations in their Orange (soon to be blue) book.
BUT these only apply in EBU competitions where they are the "Tournament Organiser".
The TO for our sessions is Congleton Bridge Club and the EBU has Assigned the duties of producing regulations to us  (and all other bridge clubs).  Basically this means we can do what we want in regards to alerting, bidding boxes, conventions etc.  We have chosen to adopt the EBU regulations with regard to Alerting; Announcing; use of Stop card; scoring unplayed boards.  We have not adopted regulations concerned with bidding boxes or conventions.  So you can use any convention you want - your bids do not have to comply with the "extended rule of 25" - you can place the contract card on the board or beside your bidding box if you wish - you can remove a bidding card from your box without it being deemed made (as it would be in an EBU competition or other club who had adopted the EBU's regulation).  Sincere apologies to David and Mark when I allowed myself to do this last week..
Possibly we should regulate these things - propose it to the committee.
 
I was to be Declarer in 2 Spades but the wrong defender led - what do we do??
The first answer is CALL THE DIRECTOR.  If the lead was face down there isn't normally a problem.  They put the card back and the correct player leads.  If the lead is faced then it is a bit more complicated.  The one bit of the Law book that Directors are asked to learn by heart are the FIVE choices that the Declarer has.
1)  Accept the lead; dummy is laid down as normal but the second card is played by Declarer etc
2) Become Dummy: face your hand and let your parnter play it
3) Reject the lead and allow the other defender to lead anything: if this is chosen the lead out of turn is left on the table as a PENALTY CARD.
4) Reject the lead and prohibit the correct defender from leading that suit (for as long as the lead is retained).
5) Reject the lead and require the correct defender to lead that suit.
In the last two cases the incorrect lead is put back in the player's hand.
 
 
I put the board on the table the wrong way round and took out my partner's cards.  Can we still play the board?
Yes - The Director will tell you to play on (but if he has had a bad night he could penalise you - especially if it is the third time you have done it).  Strictly speaking the board should be turned the right way round and you and your partner switch places so your opponents get the right hands.
 
I was declarer; it was my lead; and I accidentally dropped a card face up on the table.  Do I have to play it?
No.  You can put it back in your hand and lead anything.  The rules are not the same for a defender as their partner has seen the card.
 
Why do I have to shuffle my hand before returning it to the board?
1) The easy answer: - because the Laws say you have to.
2) The useful answer:- so that a subsequent player can get no clue about the lead (which will be the bottom card), or the order of cards played, or; most commonly; if the hand was previously passed out.
 
At the end of a board am I allowed to look at another player's hand?
YES - there are several reasons why you might want to: you think they might have revoked; you might wish to question an explanation of a bid; or you might just wish to 'discuss' your partner's play -  BUT you must not touch anybody's cards but your own.  Ask the player to show you.  Touching other people's cards leads to the hands getting mixed or a 12/14 situation.
 
I alerted my partner's strong 2C opening and explained what it meant.  I was told I shouldn't.  Is this right?
Quite right - you must wait until you are asked.  The only bids you ANNOUNCE are opening 1NT; Stayman or Red suit transfers over 1NT; and Natural opening 2 bids.
 
When am I allowed to ask about an opponents call?
You must only ask 1) at your own turn to bid or play; or 2)  after your partner has made the 'face down' opening lead.  You retain the right to ask throughout the play. Of course DUMMY MAY NOT ASK QUESTIONS
 
I was declarer and after leading I realised I led from the wrong hand - can I correct it?
No - It is the opponents who may choose -an opponent (without discussion) can choose to accept or reject it to their own best advantage.  If the opponents choose differently CALL THE DIRECTOR. 
 
On the first round of the session we passed out a board so we redealt it.  Is this OK?
NO NO NO.  Law 22A makes it very clear ".... There shall not be a redeal".  If I pass it is because I hope to obtain a good score by it as it is the best call - not to have it redealt.
The Director may penalise offenders   
 
I was asked whether my partner's bid was weak or strong - I didn't know so I said I was going to take it as strong  - is this right?
Afraid not - Your partner isn't allowed to know how you will take the bid - just say you don't know.  THE DIRECTOR can give further advice
 
"My partner pointed his card the wrong way - can I tell him"?
Yes -BUT only until a lead is made to the next trick - then you have to wait until the end of play
(Declarer is allowed to at any time - but why help the opponents!)
 
I made an insufficient bid - Do I have to 'make it good'?  
No -  You can make any call you like, other than double or redouble - BUT you may silence your partner (Oh! That's how you do it!!!!) CALL THE DIRECTOR
Unauthorised Information 1
After several comments at the club myself and David Messham have constructed the document which was made available at the club.  Your comments and questions would be appreciated.

Please click to view (and print) the document
“Le Mort” and his duties

Dummy is required by the Laws to: 

  1. Correct, after the final pass of the auction, any incorrect explanation given by partner
  2. Correct a mistake in a review of the auction
  3. Arrange hand by suits, in order, and with trumps if any on the right
  4. Play the card indicated by declarer without question
  5. Choose a card to play if declarer says “play anything”
  6. Turn the played card face down, but only when trick is complete
  7. Keep his played tricks in an orderly row, pointed correctly to show ownership
  8. Answer questions as to the meanings of partner’s calls
  9. Correct any incorrect explanation he may have given as soon as he becomes aware of it. 

Notes:

  1. It is possible that this correction will reopen the auction, but only if the DIRECTOR rules that the last opponent to pass may change his call
  2. With bidding boxes this will seldom arise but if I am feeling particular upset by players putting the auction away too soon I will ask for a restatement (NO I wouldn’t really – well not often)  
  3. There is no requirement to place them red/black/red black!!!
  4. This is easy if Declarer says “Queen of Hearts” but what about “play a heart” or some such.  The rules are quite (but not very) simple:
    1. “Play a heart” – play the lowest  DO NOT QUESTION
    2. “Lead the Queen” – choose the same suit as the previous card if possible – DO NOT QUESTION
    3. “Yes” or “Thank You” - Play the lowest card WITHOUT QUESTION
    4. “High” – the highest card
    5. “Win” – the lowest card which will be winning the trick so far
  5. This is the only time the Dummy must choose a card to play BUT either defender can overrule and specify the card to be played if they wish
  6. Dummy must not hesitate in order to try and indicate an error, for example, a revoke by a defender
  7. Can’t think of anything to say about this.
  8. Defender’s are allowed to ask questions throughout the play at their own turn if it may influence their plays.
  9. The masculine pronoun is used here as it only happens to MEN.

 

There are other things that Dummy MAY do and things which MUST NOT be done but as I it has been suggested (unsuccessfully) that I keep these articles short!!!! I’ll leave it for now   

      
Changing a Call

Can I change my Call? 

The auction:  1NT    Pass   2D

You suddenly realise 2D wasan error – Can you change it? 

The answer is simple: “itdepends on what your INTENTION was” 

A couple of examples to explain: 

Hand 1:  You have a weak hand with 6 hearts and you suddenly remember you are not playing transfers with this partner and should have bid 2H.

Hand 2: You have 16 points and4/4 in the majors.  You meant to bid 2C Stayman but you pulled the wrong card from the box. 

Answers- 

Hand1:  No matter how quickly you do it you MUST NOT change your bid.  You have made a“thought” mistake.  When you bid 2D that was what you intended to do.  Only a fraction of a second later did you change your mind. 


Hand 2:  This was a “mechanical” mistake and you are allowed to change your call.  Before bidding boxes it was called a “slip of the tongue”.  You can change your call right up to the moment your partner calls (even if your LHO has already called or the auction has ended).  The Laws use the phrase“without pause for thought” – the pause is not limited in time as long as it doesn’t involve a ‘change of mind’. 

Of course you will have CALLED THE DIRECTOR to explain all this!!! (and the bits I have left out for simplicity) 


Quite often it is unclear, even to the person making the call, what has caused the error – “How did that happen??”  If there is any disagreement or uncertainty amongst the players then the Director will need to form an opinion on any facts he can ascertain; make a ruling deciding whether the bid can be changed or not; and tell a damaged party they have a right to appeal his/her decision.


What are the penalties for changing a call you shouldn't?    You'll have to wait for the next installment.

 

 

 

 
Announcing - a reminder
Until 2007 all artificial bids had to be alerted.  Since then a very few common bids are ANNOUNCED by the bidder's partner:

An opening natural 1NT - Announce the point range (eg "12 - 14")
add a rider if it may contain a singleton!!!
DO NOT ANNOUNCE 1NT overcalls or higher NT calls

2C response to 1NT - "STAYMAN" if it asks for 4 card majors
whether or not the bid promises a major suit but NOT if 1NT is doubled
alert it instead if it asks for 5 card majors or responses other than 2D 2H or 2S are allowed 
The 2D denial response is not alerted or announced

2D response to 1NT - "HEARTS" if it promises that suit
2H response to 1NT - "SPADES" if it promises that suit
Alert these reponses if 1NT has been doubled or overcalled
Alert these responses if 1NT is an overcall
The rebid of 2H or 2S by opener (or any other transfer completion) is not alerted if it is obligatory

Any NATURAL 2 level opening bid - State the strength as:
WEAK - for ranges such as 5 - 9 or 6 - 10 
INTERMEDIATE - approx 12 - 16 points as used by Strong Club systems
STRONG - NON-FORCING - Any bid stronger than 1 one level bid that doesn't demand a response
STRONG - FORCING - such as an Acol 8 playing trick hand which must be responded to.

DO NOT ANNOUNCE ANYTHING ELSE
Don't Get Bullied at Bridge

If you are a less experienced player you can sometimes feel that your opponents take control of proceedings: they play too fast and make you rush; they make a claim that you are not sure of; or at the end of the hand state the result and put their hands back in the board almost simultaneously without giving you a chance to agree. 


What can you do? 


It is no player’s right todictate the speed of play – everybody should have time to think.  If you are being rushed, delay turning yourcard over – if your opponents start to lead to the next trick ask to see thecards again. 


A claim must be detailed andexplained clearly – do not accept a claim you can’t ‘see’.  If you do not agree with a claim don’t getinto a discussion with your opponents - CALL THE DIRECTOR. 


At the end of the hand, thelaws say “the number of tricks won and lost should be agreed”.  Do not disturb the order of your played cardsuntil agreement has been reached (We all tend to rush this bit on occasions).  If you don’t agree you can compare theorientation of the cards trick by trick. You can’t do this if the cards have been put back!!!  If you cannot agree CALL THE DIRECTOR 
Insufficient Bids
The latest laws do not make this easy for the Director so please try not to.  However if you do here are some important points.
  • CALL THE DIRECTOR
  • Do not try to correct it immediately - your opponents have the right to accept it.
  • You are not forced 'to make it good' - though often this is the best choice.  You may make any call (except double or redouble).
  • The rules are different if the insufficient bid or its replacement are not natural.
  • If both are natural then you can make your bid good without immediate penalty (although the Director may adjust the score at the end if your opponents have been damaged by it)
  • If either are artificial then the rules get rather complex - however roughly speaking if you can make a call which has the same meaning as the insufficient one you will be allowed to do this without penalty.
  • If you choose another call (in either case) the penalty is normally that your partner is silenced for the rest of the auction - You are quite within your rights to choose this action if you think it beneficial.
Example of change of artificial call that occurred at Congleton recently:
1C (alerted as strong 16+), 1S overcall, 1D (not noticing the overcall)
The Director determined that the next bidder did not accept the bid, that the overcall had not been noticed, and that 1D was meant to be the forced negative response to 1C showing 0 - 6 points.  As a pass by responder would now have this meaning the Director allowed the player to change his bid to pass without penalty - though he had the option of making any other bid and silencing his partner.
NOTE fourth player could have accepted the 1D and then supported his partner's spades at the one level!
Declarer leads out of turn
THIS IS WHAT USUALLY HAPPENS
Declarer leads a card from his hand when the lead is dummy.  Dummy pipes up "wrong hand". declarer puts the card back and leads from dummy.  Everybody agrees there is no penalty and play continues.

THIS IS WHAT SHOULD HAPPEN
Declarer leads from hand and dummy keeps quiet.  A defender says "wrong hand".  Declarer then waits for a defender to accept or reject the lead.  If the lead is accepted play continues, if it is rejected the card is replaced without penalty and play continues.

THE POINT IS
1) After the incorrect lead defenders can choose to accept the lead if it might be to their advantage (I often accept an out of turn Ace lead as it is better than declarer leading up to it from dummy)

2) Dummy should not draw attention to the lead out of turn - he can try to prevent it but after it is made should keep quiet.
 
Getting Less Tricks Than You Claim
I was dummy a few weeks ago when the following occurred:
After 11 tricks LHO (left hand opponent) says "They're both yours" conceding the remaining two tricks.  After any claim play would normally cease - however RHO immediately objected as he is allowed to do.  In this case alone play continues.

LHO now realised that what he led mattered and chose the card which gave his partner 1 trick.
At the end of play it was my turn to object.  I argued that without his partner's intervention (giving unauthorised informatuion) LHO was just as likely to lead the other card; in which case declarer would win both tricks.  Our opponents correctly agreed and allowed us to win both tricks - If there had been a disagreement then the Director would have needed to adjudicate.

Absolutely strictly we should have called the Director but as both partnerships were experienced and were aware of their rights and agreed on the decision we didn't.
Getting More Tricks than you Claim

After 11 tricks declarer holds AJ of trumps and thinks an opponent holds Kx, and claims 1 trick (and hence concedes the other). The surprised silence leads declarer to think something is not quite right and tries to retract claim.  Can this be done??

Simply the answer is NO - However when it turns out that there is only the trump King left out the Director can cancel the concession (Law 71) IF the trick could not be lost by any 'normal' play of the cards.

I would rule that it would not be NORMAL for declarer to lead the J to trick 12 (losing to singleton K) and therefore I would allow declarer to make both the last tricks.

It isn't always quite that simple
Using the STOP card

The bit everybody knows:
When you make a jump bid display the stop card before your bid.

The bits some people know:
You should keep the STOP card displayed for between 5 and 10 seconds
If your partner uses the STOP card wrongly (he STOPS a non-jump bid or doesn't STOP a jump bid you must take no notice.
Opponents may call the attention of the Director if this is likely to or does cause damage to them.

The bits nobody seems to know:
After a STOP bid you MUST delay your next call for at least 5 seconds (or until the STOP card is removed if this is longer)
If your partner misuses the STOP card, as above, certain calls by you may be ILLEGAL - you do not have free choice.  Example:
1 Spade - STOP 2 Spades - ?
Opener should pass 2 Spades unless he has a strong hand that would always proceed after the weak raise.  With, say, a balanced 16 points, he will have to pass.
 
Your Rights During the Auction

If your opponents:

  • make an insufficient bid: the next player has a right to accept or reject it;
  • call out of turn: the next player has a right to accept or reject it;
  • correct an explanation (or Alert) they have given: you may change your last call if your partner has not subsequently called.

If you:

  • pull out the wrong bidding card accidentally (NOT if you change your mind) you may change it without penalty until your partner has called;
  • pull out the STOP card and then change your mind: you may retract the STOP card without penalty and make any call you wish.
    NB in this case your partner is in receipt of Unauthorised Informatiuon (UI) and must not act on what he has seen or infer anything from it.
When Alerting Goes Wrong

After your 2D (Benji - Strong usually 23+ points) you hear your partner bid 3D.  What would you bid?  After the positive response you should be aiming for a slam (6D or 6NT both seem likely contracts).  You might agree raise diamonds or take a Blackwood 4NT route.

HOWEVER when you bid 2D your partner (not for much longer) announces WEAK!!!  What should you do?
Firstly you must not draw attention to your partner's error in any way during the auction.
Secondly you must pretend you never heard his misdescription and assume he has understood your bid.  Alerts and Announcements are to help your opponents you must not be influenced by them in any way.
Thirdly when he bids 3D you know he has just made a pre-emptive raise of what he thinks is your weak opening - might only be 5 or 6 points with 3 diamonds (Click show all hands).  BUT you must bid on assuming it is a positive response showing a good diamond suit. 

The bid that will most likely get you out of trouble is 3NT - but it would be illegal to make it.  You must bid towards a slam regardless of whether it will be a disaster or not. 
MORAL If you play conventions and you forget them then you must expect the occasional bottom - you can't have it both ways.

You do have a duty to tell your opponents of the mistake.  The right time for this is the end of the auction (if you are declaring) or the end of play (if you are defending).

If this happens to your opponents (or if they use or fail to use a STOP card incorrectly) then you are within your rights to call the Director who can review the legality of their auction at the end of the hand and could adjust the score of the board in your favour if you have been damaged. 

John Whitelock  
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