1. Your opponent opened 1NT and the bidding eventually finished in them playing in 3NT. After the play of the hand finished, you realised that the opponent who opened 1NT only possessed 10 honour points. At this stage, you asked what they are playing for a 1NT opener and they replied 10 to 14 points. Not being happy about this, you call the director.

2. Declarer led a spade. The first 3 players played a spade but the 4th player discarded a card from another suit (or revoked). The partner of the player who discarded then kept his spade faced up on the table and asked an opponent to turn his card face up after he had turned it face down. He also asked what the contract was.

The inference taken by the declarer was that this was an attempt to remind the discarder about the trick and the contract and to allow him to spot his revoke (if it was a revoke), in time to have it non-established. The director was called.

3. The bidding went: 1S Pass 1NT Pass

2C Pass Pass Pass

The lead was placed face down on the table and immediately the player who had bid 1NT spoke up and said that he had intended to bid 2S. The director was called.

1. This is perfectly OK. At a local club, nearly all the players will be playing "simple systems, level1 category ". Virtually all clubs, however, allow level2 category system to be played, and this is what has happened here. In level2, the minimum agreement for a natural 1NT opener is 10 points and, although it must have a defined range, this range does not have to be restricted.

Incidentally, the onus is on you to ask the opponents what their opening 1NT means, before you start the auction.

2. Under normal circumstances, the defender may request any faced down cards to a trick to be faced up, providing that this defender had kept his own card face up.

After the final pass of the auction, the defender is only allowed to ask for previous calls to be re-stated at his first turn to play (law 20).

Law 74C4 quite clearly states that any commenting or acting during the play so as to call attention to a significant occurrence is a violation of procedure. Having seen a possible revoke by his partner, the defender concerned must go out of his way to make sure that he obeys this law. This obviously means that, in this case, he must do nothing which could be considered as a "wake-up " partner theme ie. neither request having a card turned face up nor asking any questions. It would also be unethical for the partner to take advantage of these actions and correct the revoke.

I would be inclined to put the law book, open at law 74C4 in front of the defender and read it out to him, making him realise the gravity of his offence. Should his partner wake-up and realise that he has revoked, then I would rule that this becomes an established revoke.

3. A player is allowed to change his call if a) it is made inadvertently and b) his partner has not made any further call.

The other feature here is that the auction does not finish until the opening lead has been placed face-up. So, the auction is still in progress.

The director should ask the player why he thinks he should be allowed to change his call and listen to his explanation.

I would rule against him and not allow the change because I reckon that : a) he has had second thoughts about the auction and had a change of mind (and it was not inadvertent), thinking that preference to his partner's first bid will give better results and b) the fact that the pass card he first brought out of the bidding box is in a different section of the box to a 2S bidding card would reinforce my thinking.

Peter Dawson (22 May 2002)