Marple Duplicate Bridge Club

Slow Play

The Club Committee discusses the impact of slow play at regular intervals. At a meeting in

September 2012 the Committee decided to take two actions as follows:

1. To reintroduce the use of a timer. The Director will set it to ring 7 minutes before the

end of each round. This should alert all players to the fact that they should, by then,

be starting to bid on the last board.

2. To issue this guidance note to all players.

Some hands are difficult to bid and others take greater thought while playing them but

persistent slow play shows a lack of consideration and is discourteous to other pairs. It also

has a knock-on effect on subsequent rounds. All players need to be aware that the average

time allowed for each hand is 7 minutes and play accordingly.

Members are reminded that details of the contract should only be entered on a score card

after the opening lead has been faced. Discussion about a board should be limited to

agreeing the scoring unless players are sure that they can complete the round in time. All

discussion should be quiet and must cease as soon as players are seated for the next round.

If asked by the Director to bid or play a hand quickly every effort should be made to do so

whatever the reason for being behind. It will never be acceptable to challenge the Director’s

request.

If the same pair has to be reminded several times over this issue then the Director is likely to

impose a points fine in accordance with EBU Rules. It is hoped that this will never be needed

but all players need to remember that the Director’s decision is final.

Members should be aware that EBU Guidance states that a board should not be removed if

play has started this being defined as at the commencement of bidding. However, the

Director may have to remove a Board from the next or subsequent rounds in order to allow

play to catch up. Non offending players will normally be awarded an average plus.

Offending players will normally be awarded an average minus and, in persistent cases, given

a points fine.

Issued 26 September 2012