Failing to follow suit in Bridge is known as a revoke and is one of the most common things to go wrong at the bridge table. But what should happen if a revoke has been discovered or is suspected? Click on this article to read more, as players often get this wrong.
Everybody revokes once in a while (even you!), so following the correct procedure is important. As always, the tournament director (TD) should be called before anything happens. However please note, Dummy is not allowed to call the TD or draw attention to possible revokes by the opponents, until play has concluded.
Inspections of earlier tricks:
Players are not allowed to start inspecting (or ask to see) the quitted tricks of their opponents or their partner if they suspect, or know for certain, that a revoke has happened on an earlier trick. Revokes on earlier tricks are ‘established’ and must be dealt with by the TD at the end of the hand.
So, if you suspect a revoke has happened on an earlier trick, make a statement to that effect so that everybody keeps their quitted tricks in order until the end of the hand, whereupon trick inspections can take place. The hand must be played out in full and the TD must be called.
Corrections:
Established revokes cannot be corrected by the substitution of a legal card in the middle of a hand.
Inspecting the current trick:
Defenders and declarer are allowed to enquire about the current trick. If a player then realises that she has revoked, by inspecting her own card, she can correct it provided she, or her partner, has not played to the next trick. However, it is essential that the TD is called as the revoke card becomes a major penalty card and the opponents have the right to substitute their cards to that trick.
Automatic redress? – not necessarily:
If a revoke has happened then, as the non-offending side, you don’t necessarily have an automatic redress. The TD will rule on this. For example, if the offender didn’t win the revoke trick and the offending side did not win any tricks after the revoke, there is no redress!
Redress – how many tricks, if applicable?
The TD will determine the size of the redress. It is usually one or two tricks. However, on rare occasions the TD may award a bigger redress. For example, if declarer is locked out of dummy as a result of the revoke, and there are tricks in dummy that she might otherwise have reached, the TD can allow for this.
Losing your rights:
It is important that you keep your quitted cards in the correct sequence and in the proper orientation until everybody has agreed the number of tricks made and whether or not there has been a revoke. If you gather up or muddle your cards before that, the director will most likely rule in favour of your opponents if a claim of a revoke is made against you.
Revoke Establishment:
A revoke becomes established when the offender or her partner plays to the next trick. As soon as that happens the revoke cannot be corrected. The hand must be played out to the end and the director called to make a ruling.
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