This list is prepared mainly for the benefit of new members, particularly those who are relatively unaccustomed to playing in a club affiliated to the English Bridge Union.
General procedure and keeping to time:
Please aim to arrive at 6.30pm to be seated by 6.40pm for a 6.45pm start. If you arrive after 6.45 please do not expect to be accommodated since the movement will probably already have been set up.
Please switch off your mobile phone or set it to silent mode before play begins.
Always count your cards before looking at them. If you don’t have 13 cards, call the tournament director.
Leave the board in play on the table, pointing in the right direction, until the hand is finished. This makes it much more difficult to put the hands back in the wrong slot afterwards!
When you are on lead, make your lead face-down in case your partner wants to ask a question.
It is good practice to make a lead before putting your bidding cards away or entering a contract on the ArcScorer tablet. Similarly, when you are dummy, put your hand down first, then put away the bidding cards.
Try not to take too long over calls or when playing a card. Best practice is to always try and play in tempo.
It is discourteous and unfair to keep other pairs waiting. Where possible, players should leave the table (eg to make coffee) only when dummy, rather than between rounds.
Unless dummy has left the table, declarer should never touch dummy’s cards,even to rearrange them. This avoids arguements about whether a card has been played or not.
As declarer, if you can clearly see that all the remaining tricks are yours, claim them rather than play on. You must specify clearly your line of play, including a statement about drawing any remaining trumps.
At the end of the board, make sure that all players are agreed on the result before putting the cards away. North should be careful to record the score fully and accurately, and East or West should verify it.
Don’t spend time talking about a hand until you have finished all the boards in that round. And if you want to discuss a hand at the table do it very quietly (otherwise people who haven’t yet played it might hear you).
It is North’s responsibility to make sure that boards are passed on to the correct table (or relay as appropriate) at the end of each round.
Bidding and Play:
Don’t touch the bid cards in the bidding box and then take out a card from the other section, or vice versa. In fact, try not to touch the box at all until you are sure of your bid.
Avoid looking directly at partner or opponents or their hands during the bidding and play.
Use the STOP card when making a jump bid (including in the opening bids). Take it out, leave it on the table for ten seconds and then put it away. The next player should not bid whilst the STOP card is still on the table. This automatically creates a short pause for thought, avoiding the inference that a player who passes quickly has nothing to think about.
During the bidding, you can only ask an opponent for an explanation of a bid made by their side when it’s your turn to call. And you must ask the partner of the player who made the bid, not the player who made it.
Avoid asking questions about the bidding while it is continuing,unless you really need to know the answer in order to decide what your next call should be (because if you then pass, your partner might draw an inference about your strength, or your interest in the suit bid). Otherwise wait until the auction is finished.
The opening lead should always be made face down. At that point the leader’s partner has the opportunity to ask questions about the opponents’ bidding. If there are none, partner should say “No questions”. Once the opening lead has been made it can’t be changed but it shouldn’t be turned over until partner has asked any questions. For this reason all four players should leave the bidding cards on the table until any questions have been asked and the opening lead has been faced.
You should not say anything about the hand while the auction is in progress, or during the play - unless asked for an explanation of a call, or lead/signalling/discard system by an opponent.
You should not touch other players’ cards. You may ask them to show you.
You should shuffle your cards after the hand before returning them to the board.
Thank your opponents at the end of the round and move promptly to your new table.
Calling the Director:
Do call the Director at any time if there is a problem during the bidding or the play - he or she is there to help, so don’t try to sort things out yourself.
Please call the Director in a courteous manner. Agree the necessity or politely explain to your opponents the reasons for calling the Director first.
Please do not argue if the Director makes a ruling you do not agree with. You do have the right to make an appeal if you so wish.
Additional Points of Etiquette:
North is responsible for entering the scores but he/she may delegate this to South.
East is responsible for verifying the entry but he/she may delegate this to West.
If there is a mistake, North should undo the score and re-enter it correctly and this should then be verified by East.
If an incorrect result has been erroneously verified and cannot be corrected, the scorer (or Director) should be called.
The other players may request to see the overall percentage and other scores. Best practice is for East (or West) to hold the terminal in a fashion such that all the other players at the table can see these.
If you are unsure about something, please ask the scorer or the Director.
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