| Poser (Accepted Claims) |
POSER:. You are defending and pondering your lead to the next trick.. Declarer says: It does't matter the rest are mine making 5.. The claim certainly looks good.. You and partner nod and start to mix your cards and put them in the board. But hey, wait a minute, maybe the claim has a hole in it. Poser 1: May you change your mind about the claim and suggest anoter outcome was at least possible? Yes or No? If so, until when? a) Until both defenders’ hands are back in the board, then you’re done. b.) Score in the Bridgemate and approved by East or West, fini! . )) You make a call on the next board or the round is called for the last board of the set. Poser . Same set up you are admiring your 55% tied for 2-3 in A, when another player approaches you and says “Glad we tied but how did you ever let them make 5 on board …”. Do you? a) Hum the Carole King classic “It’s too Late” and head for the door or b) Check your watch and go looking for the director. Is it “a” or “b”? Why?
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First Answer: You have until your side bids on the next board or the round ends, which ever happens first.. Law. . Also you may ask the Director to adjust a score for an agreed result for either a trick you had already won before the claim. (You cash AK and another A. Three tricks later Declarer says Making 5 and you look at his hand and say Yes.) or same thing and Declarer says making 4 and you not only cashed the AK A but hold the Ace of Trump This would be an example of a trick which can not be lost. Law. ..
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| Last updated : Oct 24, 2025 08:48 CDT |
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| Poser II (Insufficient Bids) |
A bid laid is a bid made, right? The auction has gone 1♠ 1♥ followed by a chorus of "insufficient" and finally "Director, Please." So when the Director arrives at the table and after the Director has been given the basic fact of an insufficient bid what is the first thing the Director needs to determine? a) Did LHO to the heart bidder bid yet? b) Did LHO and Offender's Partner both bid? Or c) Did the 1♥ bidder simply pull the wrong card? Poser, part 2, assume the answers are "No," "No," and "Yes" now what can 1♥ bidder do a) They must bid 2♥ b) They can do anything they want except Pass Or Double. (It may be beyond most players power of persuasion to convince the Director they reached into the totally wrong pocket. And finally Poser, part 3 the answers are "No," "No," and "No" Now what?. Does any thing change?. If so what is it? Finally suppose it was 1♠ 1♥ Insufficient 2♥ (by 1♥ bidder) Di-Rec-Tor!! May LHO accept the intended but insufficient bid even after calling attention to it and now calling the director?
As before the answers are elsewhere on this site.
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| Last updated : Oct 24, 2025 08:51 CDT |
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| Poser III (Bidding, Super Acceptance) |
Continuing the weekly series of Q and A and introducing a new Click box to display the Answer.
The quedtion is what do these auctions have in common?. (Opponents kindly passing throughout and not shown.)
1NT---- 2♥ ---- 3♠ 1♥ ---- 1NT (Forcing) ---- 2♦ ---- 2♠ .
And assuming partnership is playing four way transfers, then
1NT ---- 2♠ (Clubs) ----- 2NT & 1NT —— 2NT (Diamonds) —— 3♣
Show Answer
These auctions all demonstrate forms of “super acceptance.” You know the feeling You open 1NT holding AKxx of spades and Partner says 2 ♥ showing 5 spades and “something”
The jump to 3♠ says: I really like this. We will be playing spades, is slam possible? Example 2 is the "Impossible Spade." A full discussion of this can be found under a Thinking Game with an example in the Interesting Hands tab.
The same excitement conveyed by 1NT 2H 3S can be shown if you are playing Four Way Transfers, with minor suits by bidding 1 below the target suit, For example: 1NT 2♠ (NT Opener says ‘Clubs’) then bids 2NT (ALERT) [Partner loves my clubs.] (if asked)
How good of a hand makes super acceptance? Keep in mind the acceptance is being made by the 1NT Opener. The 1NT hand is limited both in total points and distribution. The message to Responder is “This is as good as it gets!” Partners should discuss.
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| Last updated : Oct 25, 2025 06:45 CDT |
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| Poser IV (Play from Wrong Hand) |
First, an observation, (You are free to disagree!) The most common mistake at the table is for Declarer to play from the wrong hand. Oft times followed by clamorous corrections by both opponents and by the Dummy. Next, most often, Declarer will then correct himself or herself by playing the same suit from the correct hand. Poser 1. How much, if any, of this is required by the Laws? .Poser 2. Does any part of the forgoing actually constitute a further breach of the Laws? You think, I'll wait.
Show Answer
When the Declarer leads from the wrong hand, it is deemed a lead out of turn and Law 53 applies.
[ Law 53A. Lead Out of Turn Treated as Correct Lead: (…) Any lead faced out of turn may be treated as a correct lead (…). It becomes a correct lead if declarer or either defender, as the case may be, accepts it by making a statement to that effect, or if a play is made from the hand next in rotation to the irregular lead. Law 53A needs to be considered in context with: Law 45B. Play of Card from Dummy: Declarer plays a card from dummy by naming the card, after which dummy picks up the card and faces it on the table. Notably the card is played when it is named!! The dummy picking up and facing the card on the table happens after the card has been played. The first option of ether opponent is to accept the lead from the wrong hand. If the Declarer's lead is not accepted Declarer must then lead from the correct hand. But there is no requirement to lead the same suit or to play the same card incorrectly faced previously.
Next, in the senario first posed has a further violation of the Laws occured? Poser 2. Yes! Law 42B provides for Dummy's Qualified Rights.... 2. He may try to prevent any irregularity. If declarer tries to play from the wrong hand, dummy may try to prevent it, calling partner’s attention to which hand won the previous trick. However, once declarer actually plays from the wrong hand, the irregularity is already committed, and dummy cannot prevent it anymore. Thus When Declarer says "Play the King of Spades." Dummy may not say: "You are in your hand." Such a statement is a violation. Declarer playing from his hand is a bit more nuanced and simply detatchig the card and moving it toward the table does not play the card Thus Dummy, on his toes as ever, may then say: "On the Board." No problem.
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| Last updated : Oct 25, 2025 06:05 CDT |
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| Poser V (2S / 1NT) |
Poser, How many meanings can you attribute to the bid of 2♠ in the auction 1NT Pass 2♠ ?. My count is four (4). Can you name them? Any others??
Show Answer
Here are my four:
- Natural, at least 5 spades 7 to 9 HCP.
- Relay to Clubs. Correct to Diamonds.. AKA 3 Way Transfers. [ALERT]
- Transfer to Clubs AKA 4 Way Transfers. [Announce: Clubs]
- Minor suit Stayman. [ALERT]
All four are part of a bigger picture. (1) Playing "Natural" likely no transfers are being used 2♦ and 2♥ are non forcing descriptive bids as well. (2) Part of a 3 Way Transfer System in which the initial Spade bidder may correct to Diamonds after the relay to Clubs. (3) Four Way Transfers: Spades to Clubs, 2NT to Diamonds useful but some what complicates showing a natural 1NT -- 2NT raise. (4) MSS asks for a 4 card minor;
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| Last updated : Oct 31, 2025 12:42 CDT |
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| Poser VI Lead out of Turn |
This week's Poser explores a bit of Law 53, Lead Out of Turn. There are numerous nuances to this occurrence, here are two. First, the simple case. West is on lead and East leads instead, South is Declarer. Law 53A applies. If South does not accept the lead, then the lead reverts to West, East's card becomes a Major Penalty Card and West's lead is subject possible lead restrictions or requirements due to the penalty card. Poser 1: Same situation but suppose South plays to East's improper lead. West says: "Hey, it is my lead! Director!!" What result and why? Poser 2: South is Declarer and is on lead. West leads out of turn. South does not notice and leads from their own hand. What happens now?
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South's play to (acceptance of) East's improper lead as set up in Poser 1, changes the dynamic from the initial situation. West makes his normal lead to the trick but both South and East are allowed to pick up their cards. (Law 53B) East's improper lead does not become a penalty card but Unathorized Information (Law 16) may apply.
Poser 2 resolves thusly: South’s lead stands, West’s card is picked up and is Unauthorized Information for East (Laws 53B and 16C). Why? Because Declarer's play, even though a proper lead, acts to wave rectification. Had South noticed the lead, and called the Director then South would have been given the option to accept the lead and if not accepted the lead out of turn would become a Major Penalty Card. In some cases, like this,one, the exact sequence of events may change the outcome.
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| Last updated : Nov 8, 2025 22:23 CST |
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| Poser VII. (Bid out of Rotation) |
This weeks Poser explores bids out of rotation the example comes from Duplicate Decisions by the ACBL. The "normal" situation is a player who bids out of rotation must either repeat the bid if previous players all pass or when it is their turn to call, make a comparable bid. (Fairure to make a comparable bid will bar partner and lead penalties may attach.) However this Poser explores an alternative occurance... South is dealer. East opens out of rotation with 1♣. South bids 1♠ and West calls the director after noticing the opening bid out of turn. What happens next?
Show Answer
The Director must ascertain (away from the table) if South thought that they were calling over 1♣, in which case they accepted the bid out of rotation under Law 29A (the auction continues normally), or if they wanted to open 1♠ (maybe they didn’t notice the 1♣ bid). If this is the case, 1♣ is canceled, the auction starts with 1♠, no lead penalties, but 1♣ is UI for West. This result is required by LAW 28B which provides Call by Correct Player Canceling Call Out of Rotation: A call is considered to be in rotation when made by a player whose turn it was to call before rectification has been assessed for a call out of rotation by an opponent. Making such a call forfeits the right to rectification for the call out of rotation. The auction proceeds as though the opponent had not called at that turn. Law 26 (lead penalties) does not apply, but see Law 16C2. Law 16C2 is the Unathorized Information and is discussed on the Eductation Page.
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| Last updated : Nov 14, 2025 18:57 CST |
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