Best Behaviour at Bridge

• Greet others in a friendly manner at the start of each round
• Be a good host or guest at the table
• Make your system card readily available to your opponents
• Respond promptly to reasonable and justified enquiries
• Make bridge enjoyable to yourself, your partner and opponents
• Give credit to opponents when deserved
• Ensure any mobile phone is switched off
• Enjoy the company as well as the game

Remember that it is rude to criticize others in public, to be less than polite at the table, to gloat over a good result or object to a call for the Director or to dispute or argue about his/her ruling, or generally to make any personal and disparaging remark.  As in all games that are governed by rules and regulations, bad behaviour will be penalized.  If a player at the table behaves in an unacceptable manner the Director should be called immediately.  Annoying behaviour, embarrassing remarks, or any other conduct which might interfere with the enjoyment of the game is specifically prohibited by Law 74.  Any violation may affect the player's future participation in tournaments.

(Extract from 'Best Behaviour at Bridge', EBU January 2021)

Please call the Director if you think you may have been affected by bad behaviour.

Law 74 - Conduct and Etiquette

A. Proper Attitude

1. A player should maintain a courteous attitude at all times.
2. A player should carefully avoid any remark or action that might cause annoyance or embarrassment to another player or might interfere with the enjoyment of the game.
3. Every player should follow uniform and correct procedure in calling and playing.

B. Etiquette

As a matter of courtesy a player should refrain from:

1. paying insufficient attention to the game;
2. making gratuitous comments during the auction and play;
3. detaching a card before it is his turn to play;
4. prolonging play unnecessarily (as in playing on although he knows that all tricks are surely his) for the purpose of disconcerting an opponent;
5. summoning and addressing the Director in a manner discourteous to him or to other contestants.

C. Violation of Procedure

The following are examples of violation of procedure:

1. Using different designations for the same call.
2. Indicating approval or disapproval of a call or play.
3. Indicating the expectation or intention of winning or losing a trick that has not been completed.
4. Commenting or acting during the auction or play so as to call attention to a significant occurrence, or to the number of tricks still required for success.
5. Looking intently at any other player during the auction and play, or at another player's hand as for the purpose of seeing his cards or of observing the place from which he draws a card (but it is appropriate to act on information acquired by unintentionally seeing an opponent's card).
6. Showing an obvious lack of further interest in a deal (as by folding one's cards).
7. Varying the normal tempo of bidding or play for the purpose of disconcerting an opponent.
8. Leaving the table needlessly before the round is called.

The Constitution of Dickleburgh Bridge Club

Name

The name of the Club is Dickleburgh Bridge Club (DBC)

Club Objectives

These are to

• Promote Bridge in Dickleburgh and its surroundings.
• Encourage the development of new players.
• Enable enjoyable Bridge meetings for members.

Branches of DBC

The Club is to be formed of 2 branches

• The Monday Branch – a teaching club with regular structured teaching, open to beginners and improvers
• The Friday Branch – a club for both improvers and experienced players.

These branches will run in parallel but share online resources and be mutually supportive.

Management

Each branch will be managed by a committee consisting of a Chairperson, Secretary and Treasurer, and at least 2 other members.

In the event of vacancies on the committee that cannot be filled other members will step in to carry out the work needed. The roles should be filled as possible.

Each branch committee can co-opt, in an advisory capacity, 1 or 2 additional members.

Decisions about the running of either branch should be voted on by the committee, with the Chairperson having a casting vote. Matters that are considered to have a significant change on the running of the branch should be put to the membership for discussion and for them to vote on if necessary.

The committees should meet at least 3 times a year, the date to be given to the membership 14 days beforehand to enable them to nominate topics for the agenda. Each branch should hold an annual AGM, also with notice given 14 days beforehand.

Administration

The branch Secretary will be responsible for recording and despatching the minutes of branch meetings and ensuring that members receive timely information about other club matters.

Finance

Each branch will set their own weekly table money and annual subscription according to their financial circumstances. These should be reviewed at the same time as the AGM .

The branch treasurer should keep financial records, whether the branch funds are kept in cash or a bank account. These should be audited by an appropriate person at the time of the branch AGM.

Members can introduce a guest to either branch who can attend for 3 sessions before any payment is required.

General Rules

The branch committees are not responsible for the loss of damage to the property of any member or guest.

Members and their guests are responsible for their own safety at all times when attending the club, and should make themselves aware of all fire exits,

In the event of either club branch closing, all assets will be given to a charity to be decided upon by members.

Acceptance of membership of Dickleburgh Bridge Club is deemed to be acceptance of the above rules.

Dickleburgh Bridge Club, January 31^st 2024

PROCEDURAL PENALTIES (LAW 90)

- when a player does anything wrong that affects the conduct of the event, such as failing to count his cards, scoring on the wrong line, passing the boards to the wrong table, is slow or late, touches another player's cards or anything else similar, then the player receives a Procedural Penalty, which could consist of a warning on the first few occasions, but continual failure to follow correct procedure can be assessed as a fine, which might be 10% of the top of a board.

DISCIPLINARY PENALTIES LAWS 74 & 91

- players are required by law to be courteous.  If a player is rude or offensive to partner, opponents, the Director or anyone else present, uses bad language or acts in a drunken fashion, or any other similar way, the Director can issue a Disciplinary Penalty which would normally be a fine of 20% of the top on a board.  Further discourtesies would lead to suspension from the rest of the session and the Committee might consider further action.