Our Bridge Club : Being a Good Sport                       
 
We all play bridge because we love it.  Help make the game fun for everyone by observing the few simple proprieties that make bridge fair and enjoyable.  This page should be read together with the more general “Best Behaviour at Bridge” document by the EBU.
 
Be competitive but fair 
 
Be a good sport and play the game in the right spirit. 
 
• Be pleasant to your opponents (and partner).  Welcome new opponents to your table.  Don’t conduct lengthy post mortems. • Don’t stare at opponents, their cards, or from where in their hand they play a card. • If you think that an experienced opponent may have done something inappropriate but don’t want to make a fuss at the table, speak privately to the Director; alternatively, mention your concerns, perhaps on a nonames-basis, to an experienced player you know.  • If you find that you are playing slowly, make the effort to catch up.  It’s not fair to use more than your share of the clock.  If it’s clear, claim your contract. 
 
Make beginners and improvers welcome 
 
New players are both the future of our club and our game. 
 
• Make a special effort to explain your bidding fully to less experienced players, and remember that they may not know the methods and conventions you are using. • When claiming, state your line clearly and explain it if required.  Less experienced players may not see it as quickly as you (remember many situations are new to them). 
 
Tell the opponents what they need to know about your system 
 
Your opponents are entitled to know as much about your system and style as your partner does … the only secret in bridge is what cards you hold. 
 
• If your system is complex, do provide two fully completed convention cards for your opponents. • Make every effort through alerts, announcements and explanations to tell your opponents what they need to know about your system. 
 
No trickery, no tip-offs 
 
You must not try to help your partner or fool your opponents by anything but the bids you make and the cards you play … bridge is not poker! 
 
• Don’t tip partner off – and ignore partner’s tips.  Ethical players will try to avoid revealing mannerisms and make a point of ignoring any information they  accidentally get from partner’s hesitations or  mannerisms. • Don’t deceive the opponents by hesitations or mannerisms.  If you accidentally hesitate, apologise : “Sorry.  I wasn’t thinking, just asleep!”                           
 
 
Correct misexplanations as soon as you can 
 
If partner accidentally misinforms the opponents, you can’t give a correction during the bidding (because you mustn’t tell partner the correct explanation). 
 
• If your side becomes declarer, you must give the correct explanation before the opponents make their opening lead. • If your side defends, apologise and give the correct explanation at the end of the hand.  Call the Director if opponents may have been damaged – that’s one good reason why he/she is there. 
 
Hesitations 
 
• You are allowed to think!  If, however, you do take a long time over something, it shows you had other choices.  Your partner must not use that information to influence what they do. • If partner hesitates, you can still pass, double or bid whatever you want (but without – even subconsciously – using the knowledge that partner apparently had other options). 
 
Questioning the meaning of opponents’ bids 
 
• If, at your turn to call in the bidding, you do not need to have an explanation of an opponent’s call, you should generally defer all questions until you are about to make the opening lead or, if not on lead, until partner’s lead is face down on the table. • You should not ask the meaning of a call to seek to influence the lead your partner makes.  If, for example, the opponents alert a bid and you would like partner to lead that suit, double the bid. 
 
Mechanical Errors 
 
 • You may feel that you do not wish to profit from such  infractions as revokes and calls and leads made out of turn.  If so, feel free to waive whatever rights you have. • You should not, however, suggest that the opponents waive their rights when your side has erred. 
 
Calling the Director 
 
The Director is here to help us all but if you feel reluctant to call him/her you may be showing admirable interest in the spirit of the game rather than the strict letter of the law. 
 
•  Any call for the Director that does involve the      opponents should be made calmly and politely and should be accepted with grace. • If the Director cannot be called quickly, a player might say  “I reserve my rights” if he/she thinks there has been an irregularity.  Again, this is not an emotive issue and no opponent should be made to feel that they are being accused of anything untoward.