THE BURY ATHENAEUM
THE SURVIVAL GUIDE
NOTES FOR BRIDGE PLAYERS
You enjoy playing bridge – that's why you
come to the Bury Athenaeum. Many players,
especially those who have attended classes
here, join every year and are new to duplicate
bridge. For the inexperienced some rules and
etiquette of duplicate bridge can be quite
strange. These note are designed to explain
the conduct of the game so that a session
of duplicate bridge runs smoothly... This should
help newcomers (as well as seasoned players!)
to avoid misunderstandings and occasional
embarrassment.
THE TOURNAMENT DIRECTOR (T.D.)
It is important to understand that the T.D. of
each session of bridge is there to arrange seating;
to ensure that the movement of players is done in
an orderly fashion and, above all, to adjudicate
in matters of irregularity. Bridge is undoubtedly
a complicated game – that's what makes it so
fascinating – and the rules governing its playing
are also complicated. It's not surprising that not all
players are as familiar with the rules as they might
be and this leads from time to time to some
infringements, which need to be corrected.
1.
THE TOURNAMENT DIRECTOR (T.D.)
(cont'd)
The T.D. should be called as soon as any
irregularity or failure to follow the rules of
of bridge occurs – such as a lead out of turn,
a revoke, a call out of turn or any point of
disagreement between opponents. Players
should never try to settle matters themselves;
The T.D. is there to adjudicate.
We all make mistakes from time to time and
it should be understood that to have the T.D.
called to sort out a problem is not a slur on
one's integrity! Some players regard
calling the T.D. almost as a personal insult
involving the suggestion that the offending
player has tried to take an unfair advantage,
or has not been entirely above board in
whatever action he or she has taken.
THIS IS COMPLETELY WRONG.
The T.D. is called as an impartial judge
of the matter and to give a decision on
the action to be taken; this is fair to all
players, not only at the table concerned but
to all other players in the room. In the general
run of things the T.D's ruling should be
accepted with good grace. If however, the
ruling is of such importance to you and
seems at odds with the rule book, you can
appeal to a specially appointed appeals
committee.
2.
THE TOURNAMENT DIRECTOR (T.D.)
(cont'd)
This seems a bit cumbersome – it would have to
be frightfully important to go to that length!
Rather than give the impression that your
opponent has committed some heinous breach
of rules or etiquette by immediately bellowing
'DIRECTOR'!! it is helpful to suggest quietly
that the T.D. be called to explain and adjudicate
on the action to be taken.
SEATING
In the absence of any agreement, players should
at the start of a session, 'cut' to decide the playing
direction of the pairs. The T.D. can use his
discretion, if necessary.
GREETING
It is only polite to greet one's opponents at each
table when you meet and say thank you when you
leave. Some players are so absorbed in discussing
previous hands that they fail to be polite... that's
their excuse, anyway! Having an apparently solid
slam being taken to the cleaners by three tricks
doubled is no excuse for this failure-no matter how
upsetting it is!!
3.
DISCUSSION
There are often occasions when we wish to discuss
hands we have just played with partner, or perhaps
to put it more directly, to point out his errors! Such
discussion should stop immediately the next hand is
played as it is rude to opponents to delay play of the
following hand and in addition it can and does convey
information to players at other tables who have yet to
play the hand.
It is considered impertinent and bad manners to give
unsolicited advice to opponents or comment on how
they should have played or defended a hand. Say
nothing and just be grateful for the benefit of their
errors. Let them find out their own mistakes. Your
expert view might, just possibly, be right but they are
entitled to be wrong. Some bridge players have big
egos!
For the movement to run smoothly, there should be
as little delay as possible between hands and also
moving from one table to the next.
COUNTING CARDS
Before looking at your cards you should count them
immediately you remove them from the board. If you
do not have thirteen, you should call the T.D.
Equally after the hand has been played you should
ensure that you shuffle and replace all thirteen cards
in the board in the correct slot and that they were all
cards you were dealt in the first place.
4.
BIDDING BOXES
You should make up your mind what your call is
going to be before touching any card in your
bidding box. Only when you have decided on
your call should you withdraw and table a bidding
card. Don't hover over your box or partially
withdraw a card and replace it to draw another one.
Above all, do not fiddle with the bidding cards and
then pass. This could be interpreted as giving
unauthorised information to partner – although
surely that wouldn't have been your intention!
A player may ask questions about an opponent's
bid, when it is his turn to call. Questions must be
answered only by the partner of the player
making the bid.
It is obligatory, by the way, to leave all the bidding
cards on the table in front of you until bidding is
finished and the lead is tabled.
RETRACTION OF A BID
If by mistake you table a bidding card which you
didn't intend to, you may withdraw that card,but
only if done without pause for further thought.
Otherwise the bid must stand and, if it is illegal,
the T.D. should be called. Perhaps this should
be explained a little further; suppose the bidding
has gone 1C (from your partner),2D from your
opponent and you intend to bid 3C, but in error
pull out 3D. If you retract immediately you may
then bid your 3C, with apologies and without penalty,
but if you delay your retraction the bid of 3D stands.
5.
RETRACTION OF A BID
cont'd
If, however, you bid say, 1NT in error, even if you
correct immediately the T.D. should be called as this
is an illegal (insufficient) bid and in addition gives
unauthorised information to partner.
ALERTING
When a player makes a bid which has a meaning to
his partner other than the apparently obvious one
(i.e. a conventional bid), that player's partner should
alert the opponents with the alert card. If no
explanation is called for, no unsolicited explanation
should be given. Certain calls such as Stayman and
transfers should be announced rather than alerted.
STOP CALLS
Before making a call, which is greater than the next
step up from a previous bid, the 'stop' card must be
shown to opponents. For example, if over your
partner's 1D call you intend to bid, say 2H you should
show the stop card; this should also be done before
a pre-emptive bid of, say 3H, or an opening at the
two level. The stop card should remain on the table
for about ten seconds and no other bid should be
made during this time.
6.
HESITATION/PAUSES
You should appreciate that a long pause during the
bidding followed by a pass can, by implication,
convey unauthorised information to your partner.
It can be considered that the pause suggests to partner
that you have some significant holding which could
influence the bidding even though you do not disclose
it. How long a pause is 'reasonable' is as long as a
piece of string and depends on circumstances but is
a matter for agreement and discretion. Too long a
pause may give rights to your opponents so that you
should try to decide in good time what bid you are
going to make. Equally a hurried or emphatic PASS
should be avoided. You should try to keep an even
tempo in both your bidding and the play of your cards
and be at least a little faster than either dead slow
or stop. Further, when you are defending and sitting
in the 'finesse position', for example, when you have
to play a card before dummy which has A-Q, to pause
when you have the King in your hand is a very
revealing and poor play but to pause when you do not
have the King is considered 'bad form' and unethical.
The aim is play all cards smoothly and at even speed,
unless there is some good reason for hesitation. It is
not illegal or improper to hesitate but be aware that
this may compromise your partner (your partner may
be asked to justify any subsequent bid).
OPENING LEAD
When bidding is complete (3 consecutive passes),
the defender on lead may ask questions about any bid,
before tabling the lead (FACE DOWN).
7.
OPENING LEAD
cont'd
At that point, the other defender may ask any question.
When there are no more questions, the opening lead
is faced.
EXPOSED CARDS
A card which is exposed illegally – a card dropped
face up accidentally either during the bidding or
played out of turn, gives unauthorised information
to one's partner and becomes a penalty card. The T.D
should be called to adjudicate the penalty.
Note: Declarer is not subject to penalties for exposing
a card during play as any information he may give to
opponents could be helpful to them – and obviously it
is of no advantage to dummy!
PSYCHE CALLS AND DECEPTION
A call which deliberately exaggerates or makes a gross
misstatement of your values (psyche call) is quite legal.
Equally, it is legal to make a call or play, which deceives
opponents, provided there is no understanding with your
partner, i.e. your partner is equally deceived. However,
too frequent psyche calls are regarded with suspicion
as giving rise to such an implicit understanding.
Psyches should be reported to the T.D. and a record of
them kept.
8.
BOARDS DURING PLAY
During the play of the hand the board in play should
be retained uncovered(without the bidding box on top
of it!) on the table and in the correct orientation – the
North position facing North. The recommended
position for the board is in front of the declarer.
The number of tricks won or lost should be agreed
by all players before the cards are closed together.
NORTH'S DUTIES
The player in the North position is responsible for
entering the score on the travelling score sheet.
The North player must enter the score without
shouting it out. Some bridge players have big ears!
It can ruin a hand for following players who already
know that 7NT will make! Before entering the score
North should obtain the opponent's agreement to the
score. It is also part of North's duties to ensure the
proper positioning of the board during play and that
all cards are replaced in the correct pockets, before
passing the boards to the next table.
HANDLING DUMMY
It is important that players should be familiar with the
duties, rights and limitations of dummy. These are set
out in the Rules, but as with all rules they are somewhat
complicated. The essential ones, however, can be
explained fairly simply and are as follows:
9.
Dummy should:
1. Play the card designated by declarer – to this end
declarer should always clearly nominate a card to
be played from dummy. This is the obvious way to
avoid possible confusion as to which card declarer
intends to play.
2. Avoid hovering over dummy's cards in anticipation
of declarer's instructions – this may be interpreted
by some (obviously unjust) suspicious person as
suggesting which card declarer should play.
3. Never play a card, however obvious it may seem,
without instruction from declarer.
4. Keep track of tricks won and lost. Dummy may
advise declarer if he has placed winning/losing
tricks in the wrong direction.
5. Prevent any irregularity by declarer – e.g. leading
from the wrong hand.
6. Prevent a revoke by asking declarer – but not
opponents – if he has no card of the suit led.
7. Not call the T.D. – except if any irregularity
has been pointed out by another player.
8. Not draw attention to an irregularity by defenders
during play but may do so after play has
concluded.
10.
IRREGULARITIES IN BIDDING AND PLAY
Most irregularities in bidding and play have some
penalty attached to them. It would be wise for all
bridge players to be familiar with the most common
irregularities and the penalties attached to them
(a counsel of perfection?) and to try to avoid them.
Short of copying the entire Rule book there is no
easy way to cover all the ground so that only the
most common irregularities can be indicated here:
1. Pass out of turn – pass is called before the