ALTRINCHAM BRIDGE CLUB

A DIRECTORS CORNER FOR JANUARY 2003.

I had a couple of interesting, but minor points brought to me which I thought you might like to try to answer before looking at the end of this memo:-

1. The correct dealer started to deal and one of the players at the table noticed that she was dealing in an anti-clockwise direction. When this was pointed out to her, she came back with "Oh, does it matter". What would you rule?

2. When told to move, the correct E/W pair came to the table but North noticed that they chose to sit in the reverse position from the previous table. ie. The East player sat in the West seat etc. Nobody bothered, but what would you rule if called as a director?

I had to answer yet another "simple" problem when the following occurred:-

3. North revoked at trick 7 and nobody seemed to notice. The next trick was played and then East, who was dummy, called the director about the revoke on trick 7. North gave dummy a dirty look & said that he was not allowed to call the director at this stage. What do you rule? If you agree with North that dummy is not allowed to call the Director at this stage then, if you were directing, would you penalise the revoke; and, as director, would you take any action against East (dummy)?

4. I was called to a table the other night & North explained that East had pulled a traveller out of a board which they were just about to play. East said that he intended to take it out of the board that they had just finished where the traveller scored had been scored. What is the ruling?

5. I find it surprising how unusual situations keep cropping up. Everyone knows that dummy must not take out and play any card from dummy unless it has been called for by the declarer. Even though I commented on this over a year ago, I still find it happening at our club. A card has to be played from dummy and, without waiting for declarer, dummy takes a card out of his hand on the table and places it in front of him. The next player immediately plays his card and in the meanwhile, declarer states that he wants a different card played than the card dummy played.

The director is called and the defenders say that the first card must remain played because they have accepted the card and played a card of their own to it. Your ruling?

ANSWERS:
1. It is recommended that you deal in a clockwise direction, but it is not obligatory. Law 6B

2. The player who sits in the East position for the first board played, must always sit in the East position for the rest of the session. The same holds for the other 3 players. Law 5A

3. Dummy is not allowed to call attention to any irregularity during the play but he may do so after the play of the hand is concluded ( Law9A.2) . The Director will probably tell East that he is not playing within the Laws of the game & will warn him about his future conduct.

The director ensures that the revoke has been established & tells the players to finish the hand & then to call him back, when he will deal with the revoke in the usual manner. Dummy is allowed to call the director at the end of the play of the hand & if this had happened, the director would have dealt with the revoke in the same way.

4. Have the hand bid & played; return to the table & award East an average minus (or his actual score if worse) and North an average plus (or his actual score if better) Law12. Chastise East for his misdemeanour.

5. Dummy may not touch or indicate or play any card without instruction from declarer. The card must be withdrawn if attention is drawn to it before each side has played to the next trick. The defender then withdraws, without penalty, the card he has played. Law45 C/D

(the director also has to note that unauthorised information is not later used by declarer)

Peter Dawson ( January 2003)