UNAUTHORISED INFORMATION

Unauthorised information (UI) lies at the heart of most judgment rulings. We deal with it in four stages, but there is some overlap:

The basis in law . When does UI arise?

Can occur in both the auction and play.

The TD action at the end of the hand. How the TD arrives at the ruling and score adjustment.

When the facts are disputed.

The basis in law

Law 16 tells us that the players are authorised to base their calls and plays on information from legal calls and/or plays, and from mannerisms of opponents. All other information is unauthorised, including some things that most people think are authorised, eg. When partner answers an opponent's question.

Law 73C tells a player in receipt of UI what his obligations are. A player can only do his best when in receipt of UI. If the director has to adjust the score, the director is not accusing him of cheating, merely saying that he is faced with a difficult problem and maybe, with more experience, would have handled it differently.

2. Six Common mishaps from were UI can arise.

Your partner asks a question or looks at the opponents convention card.

Your partner answers a question put to him by the opponents.

Your partner alerts a bid you meant as natural, or fails to alert a bid you meant as conventional.

Problems involving use of the convention card.

Fingers wandering round the bidding box.

A break in tempo (usually hesitation).

a) Asking questions/looking at convention card.

N : South opened 1club and West looked at my convention card and passed.

I am declarer in 3NT and East has led a club.

TD : East and West, is that an accurate statement of fact.

W : Yes.

TD : (to all) Play on, please. Call me back at the end of the hand if you wish.

Note that law 20F gives any player the right to ask questions and 40B2c at their turn during the auction. Law 41 refers to questions before and after the opening lead is placed face down. The right to ask questions is to do so not without consequence.

In this case it suggest to partner an interest in the suit just bid. The answer to a question partner asks is authorised information; the fact that he asked it is not. As far as UI is concerned, there is no difference between picking up a convention card and looking at it and asking a question.

b) South answers a question, legitimately asked by the opponents.

The answer comes as a surprise to North, who is now aware that he and his

partner are having a bidding misunderstanding. This is unauthorised to

North.

South alerts North bid. North is surprised because he considers it

to be natural. North must continue bidding, assuming South though though

his bid was natural. Alternatively South fails to alert North's conventional

bid. North must continue assuming South recognised his bid was

conventional.

Note that the unexpected alert,or failure to alert, may make North realise that it is he,

who has forgotten the system. North is not allowed to know that!

It can be very difficult for North to cope with the situations that can arise out of (b) and ( c ). North knows that something has gone badly wrong, yet the laws oblige him to carry on as though all is sweetness and light. Often he is obliged to bid a contract which he knows will be absurd, and if doesn't do so the director will adjust accordingly.

Problems involving the use of the 'Stop' card.

There are two kinds, either:

LHO bids too Quickly or slowly; or

a player pulls out a Stop card then makes a non jump bid.

N : I opened 2h, East thought for ages before passing, Pass from

partner and now West has reopened with a double.

TD : (to North) Did you use the Stop card?

N : Yes.

TD : For how long was it on the table?

N : About ten seconds.

TD : (to East) Do you agree firstly that the Stop card was on the table

for about ten seconds, that you did not pass straight away after it

was removed?

E :Yes, but I did not think 'for ages' afterwards.

TD :Thank you. (to West)There has been a break in tempo. Any

information this conveys is unauthorised. You must try to avoid

taking any advantage which might accrue to your side. (to all)

Play on and call me back at the end if you wish.

The Stop card should be on the table for about ten seconds. If it has merely been fingered or removed prematurely, the director will be reluctant to give North the benefit of the regulations as North has himself broken the rules. 'The player must pause for about ten seconds before calling,' irrespective of how quick it was removed. The director has to make sure that East was not just observing the regulations.

Alternatively:

N :West opened 1 spade, I over called 3 hearts, and East went 'Stop'

4d

E : Yes I.....

TD : STOP, I'm sorry to be so abrupt, but please don't say anything.

Did you mean to bid 4d, or did you pull out the wrong card from

the bidding box?

E : I meant to bid 4d.

TD : (to West) You must act as though there has been no Stop card, and

if, for instance, 4d is natural in this auction, treat it as such. Please

continue and call me back if you wish at the end of the hand.

In practice, the TD will be lucky if East has not already told everyone that he hadn't seen the 3h call. It will often be transparent what sort of hand the offender really has, and partner will find it very difficult to put this out of his mind. That is why, particularly for the inexperienced, the TD should specify West obligations. However the TD must not tell East what he should bid.

Some times you may get the stop card out and then realise that you don't want to use it. Call the TD if you don't want to make a skip bid there may be UI.

e) Fingers wandering in the bidding box. This can be very informative – the bidding has been 1nt Pass 2nt (invitational). From the path of partner's hand, opener can tell whether he was thinking of bidding 3nt or passing. This is an offence. Players should decide what to bid before touching the bidding box.

f) A break in tempo (usually a hesitation).

N : In an uncontested auction, East thought for s while before

bidding 3h; West then bid 4h.

TD : East and West, is that an accurate statement of fact?

E&W: Yes

TD : Please call me back if you wish.

Most often there is no need to recall the TD.

An Exercise showing when to call a TD and the outcome that will follow.

Graham Lightfoot 19/07/2014