During the auction and before the final pass any player may request; at his/her own turn to call, an explanation of the opponents auction. However the partner of a player who asks a question, may not ask a supplementary question untill it is his/her own turn to call.
LAW 20 F1
A player, whose partner has given a mistaken explanation may not correct the error during the auction, nor must he /she indicate in any manner that a mistake has been made.
LAW 20 5(a)
A claim should be accompanied at once by a clear statement of the line of play or defence through which the claimer proposes to win the tricks claimed, including the order in which the cards will be played. The player making the claim faces his/her hand
law 68C
A natural opening bid of two of a suit showing 5+ cards is announced by stating its range from the following categories. Partner of the opener says the words shown.
(a) ‘Strong, forcing’
(b) ‘Strong, not forcing’
(c) ‘Intermediate’
(d) ‘Weak’
LAW 4F1
Use of the STOP Card
Before making a jump bid (i.e. a bid at a higher level than the minimum in that denomination) a player should place the Stop card in front of them, then place their call as usual, and eventually remove the Stop card. Their LHO should not call until the Stop card has been removed.
The Stop card should be left on the table for about ten seconds, to give the next player time to reflect.
It should not be removed prematurely.
After a jump bid, the next player MUST pause for about ten seconds before calling.
It is an offence either not to pause or to show indifference when pausing.
If the Stop card has been removed prematurely or has not been used, an opponent should nevertheless pause as though the Stop card had been used correctly.
If a Stop card is taken from the box no call has been made until the card for the actual bid is taken out. Thus a player who has pulled out the Stop card is entitled to change their mind and make a call which is not a jump bid. Also a Stop card played out of turn is not a call out of turn, and the player can make any legal call when it reaches their turn. Unauthorised information is available to partner in either case
When a board is to be played it is placed in the centre of the table where it shall remain, correctly oriented, until play is completed.
Law 7 A
A player should carefully avoid any remark or extraneous action that might cause annoyance or embarrassment to another player or might interfere with the enjoyment of the game.
law 74 A2
A Revoke must be corrected if attention is drawn to the irregularity before it becomes established.
Law 62
Thus it is important to know when a revoke does become established, which is why the Director should be called.
However FYI a Revoke becomes established :
1. When the offender or his partner leads or plays to the FOLLOWING trick (any play legal or otherwise establishes the revoke)
2. When the offender or his partner names or otherwise designates a card to be played to the FOLLOWING trick
3. When a member of the offending side makes a claim or concession of tricks orally or by facing his hand or in any other way
Law 63
No rectification or redress is due to a player who acts on the basis of his own misunderstanding.
LAW 21 A
Any insufficient bid may be accepted (treated as legal) at the option of offender's LHO.
It is automatically accepted if that player (LHO) calls
law 27 1
ALERTING AND ANNOUNCING
The purpose of alerting and announcing is to draw to the opponents’ attention a call by partner that may have a special meaning.
If a player is uncertain whether the regulations require an alert, but believes it would help the opponents, he should alert
Unauthorised information is a very real problem in Face to Face Bridge. It is more often than not unintentional but has very real consequences and if given, must not be used .
An example
You open 1H your opposition annoyingly bid 2S now your partner says STOP! 3H.
This is of course not a jump bid but the use of the stop card indicates that partner is inviting you to game should you have the correct hand.
You must now realise that you have been given unauthorised information and you must not act upon it. If your hand is a nice 18/19 count and you would have gone to game even if partner only raised you minimally then it is fine to bid 4H However if you have a 15/16 count you should pass partners bid as it is NOT a jump bid. Partner may have meant to jump but didn't therefore you are not allowed to use the added information partner has illegally given you.
LAW 16 covers Authorised and Unauthorised information and you can read it by clicking the link below and scrolling down to law 16
Removing and returning cards from and to the boards
1. Each player takes a hand from the pocket corresponding to his compass position.
2. Each player counts his cards face down to be sure he has exactly thirteen; after that, and before making a call, he must inspect the faces of his cards.
3. During play each player retains possession of his own cards, not permitting them to be mixed with those of any other player. No player shall touch any cards other than his own (but declarer may play dummy’s cards in accordance with Law 45) during or after play except by permission of an opponent or the Director.
4. After play has finished, each player should shuffle his original thirteen cards, after which he restores them to the pocket corresponding to his compass position. Thereafter no hand shall be removed from the board unless a member of each side, or the Director, is present.
Responsibility for Procedures
Any contestant remaining at a table throughout a session is primarily responsible for maintaining proper conditions of play at the table.
LAW 7 B,C AND D
Communication between partners during the auction and play shall be effected only by means of calls and plays.
Calls and plays should be made without undue emphasis, mannerism or inflection, and without undue hesitation or haste. But Regulating Authorities may require mandatory pauses, as on the first round of the auction, or after a skip warning, or on the first trick..
Partners shall not communicate by means such as the manner in which calls or plays are made, extraneous remarks or gestures, questions asked or not asked, or alerts and explanations given or not given.
The gravest possible offence is for a partnership to exchange information through prearranged methods of communication other than those sanctioned by these Laws.
LAW 73 A,B
Partnership Understandings
Deviation from System and Psychic Action
A player may deviate from his side's announced understandings, provided that his partner has no more reason than the opponents to be aware of the deviation.
However repeated deviations lead to implicit understandings which then form part of the partnership's methods and must be disclosed in accordance with the regulations governing disclosure of system.
Use of undisclosed knowledge can lead to score adjustments in favour of the opponents
LAW 40 C1
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