The following procedural information is provided mainly for the benefit of new members and less experienced players in the belief that by following these suggested procedures the enjoyment of bridge at the Club will be enhanced for all. Also members entering County competitions for the first time may find the information helpful.

Arrival. The arrival time is 7.00pm. Players are requested to be seated at their table by 7.05pm to enable the Treasurer to collect the table money and Director to determine the movement to be played and have the boards put out by 7.10pm. Players arriving early are requested to help by putting out tables etc.

The Director. The Director is there to organise the event, to keep play running smoothly and quietly and, in the event of a suspected infringement or procedural irregularity, to make an appropriate Ruling according to the Rule Book. Do not be afraid to call the Director in a friendly and pleasant manner should the need arise.

In order to help the Director (and opponents) with any difficult judgements both partners must have identical Convention Cards displayed at the table. If you forget your Convention Cards then you should fill in a temporary one for the evening giving the main elements of your bidding system. If you play without a Convention Card then your opponents (and the Director) will assume you are playing basic Acol and any departure from this could mean you will be penalised.

At the Table. North is the host and organiser at each table. North has the following responsibilities:

1.Handling the boards and ensuring that the board remains near the centre of the table during play. (this helps prevent cards being mixed).

2.Writing the names and numbers of both Pairs on the first traveller and showing it to East for verification.

3.Entering the score on the traveller after each hand and showing it to East for verification.

4.Seeing that the boards are moved correctly after each round.

5.Checking at the beginning of subsequent rounds that the correct EW pair and correct boards are being played.

East has the responsibility of diligently checking North’s entries on the traveller.

Commencement of Bidding and Play. Unless using computer dealt boards, all cards will need shuffling and dealing for the first round.

1.Each player should count his cards face down before examining them. (this allows any miss-boarding to be corrected before it is too late).

2.Bidding is silent using bidding boxes.

3.Bidding cards should not be touched until you have decided your bid (to do otherwise implies you have equally valid choices) and then should be placed facing the centre of the table. Subsequent bids should be made the same way, leaving the previous bid on display.

4.Bidding should be carried out at an even tempo so as not to give unauthorised information to partner. For example instant bidding shows you have nothing to think about; a long delay shows that you have more than one option.

5.Questions about your opponents bidding system should be done only if you are thinking of bidding. If you don’t intend bidding or decide to pass after the question then the question could disadvantage your partner i.e. your partner may think you were close to a bid and any action they take may be seen as "fielding" in which case your opponents may "reserve their rights". In this instant the director will, at the end of the evening’s play, check if your partner has a valid bid without any inference from your question.

6.Bidding cards should not be replaced before the opening lead has been placed on the table face down together with the question "Any questions partner". This not only allows the bidding to be reviewed, it also prevents the lead from being made from the wrong hand and allows the partner of the opening leader to question the opponents as to the meaning of Bids and Alerts. If the opening leader has questions these must be asked before the opening lead is selected.

7.If Declarer or Declarer’s partner gives a wrong explanation of a bid, (different to that shown on their convention cards) this should be corrected at the end of the bidding. Incorrect explanations by Defenders should only be corrected at the end of play. This is to prevent defenders inadvertently passing unauthorised information to each other. In either case, if the opponents feel they have been damaged once an incorrect explanation has been corrected, they should call the Director.

8.Once the Bidding has ended the Defender making the opening lead should do so before entering the details on a score-card in order to avoid unnecessary delay. The time to do this is when dummy is being put down and Declarer is considering his line of play.