Bridge enjoys immense popularity; partly because of the high standards of ethics and etiquette by all players who are expected to conduct themselves in a highly civilised manner. Violation of the rules of play and proper etiquette by experienced players is inexcusable and, if drawn to the attention of the Director, will be dealt with accordingly. However, amongst inexperienced players, violation is quite common either through ignorance or inadvertence. If a well-mannered opponent is the victim of such violation, he or she will, if comment is considered necessary, be at pains to make it clear that comment is intended to be helpful and will never make a newcomer feel ill at ease.
All good players strive to ensure their bridge ethics are impeccable, as no more serious charge can be brought against a player other than unethical conduct or outright cheating. We therefore ask that all experienced players act in a proper manner and be patient and helpful and, to all players who are relatively new to the game, not to be afraid to ask for advice and be ready to learn.
Conversations, i.e. post mortems and the like, as in most serious games, are unwelcome. Advice, as long as it is constructive and limited, is acceptable. However, it is best to keep all post mortems until the session is over when you can go over any individual hands with your partner with the aid of hand records which are available. If you do make comment regarding hands please keep your voices low as your remarks may be heard by other players in the confined conditions of our rooms.
To help everyone enjoy bridge at our club, please observe the following directives
- Our room and car park are on a shared basis but the church does however retain priority.
- We are contracted to two sessions weekly with evening sessions starting at 7.30. Please do not enter the car park before 7.00pm.
- Arrive in good time. If you don’t have a partner, advise the director as soon as possible. At the start of the session, please observe quiet and listen carefully to all announcements.
- Don`t be afraid to call the Director for any reason – and call early. If a problem occurs – don’t try and sort it out with other players at the table. If you receive a ruling that you feel is wrong please remember that you may appeal against the decision and any scores may be amended if it is justified to do so.
- Be ready to move when the Director calls at the end of a round. Consistently slow players will have a chance to catch up by missing a board but will only score 40% on that board. The Director will gently warn them before this happens!
- Use bidding boxes correctly. Don’t let your hand hover indecisively over the bidding box. Make your mind up before reaching for a bid. ALWAYS use the “alert and “stop” cards (look at the reverse of these cards as to when and how to use them).
- The board in play should remain on the table throughout the play of the hand. Bidding cards should only be removed AFTER the initial lead is faced. Dummy should then go down immediately to allow declarer time to plan the play and so speed up the whole movement.
- If, during an auction, your hand does not warrant a bid it is best not to ask the meaning of any conventional bids until the bidding has finished. The defender on lead may ask questions before selecting a lead and placing it face down on the table. That is the time when defender’s partner has the opportunity to ask any questions.
- During play declarer should nominate the specific card to be played from dummy. For instance, if declarer just says “play a heart” then dummy has to play the lowest card in that suit.
- At the start of each hand count your cards and ensure that you have 13. After the hand has been played the cards should be shuffled before returning them to the board. In the event of a query it is advisable that one player from each partnership should keep a scorecard.
- Please be courteous and greet your opponents when they come to your table and thank them for their company when they leave. It is extremely bad-mannered to criticise your partner or opponents.
- In conclusion, when the initial lead has been played and dummy’s hand goes down on the table, it is usual and courteous to say “Thank you partner” even though the hand may not always be to your liking. In France, the dummy is called “le mort” which is literally translated as “the dead one” and sometimes you wish he/she was !!!
Every effort is made by your committee to ensure that our club is a safe and comfortable venue. We would however seek your cooperation with the following:-
- If windows are opened please make sure they are closed at the end of the session.
- As we do not have a cleaner on duty after every bridge session, we ask that everyone tidies up by removing used crockery and stationery and returning bidding boxes and boards to store.
- We have received complaints from neighbours that cars are badly parked in nearby streets and sometimes obstruct driveways. Please be considerate when you park and be aware that we cannot use the car park on specified Mondays.
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