ALTRINCHAM
BRIDGE CLUB
FROM A
DIRECTOR’S DESK. No 25
WHAT HAS HAPPENED
AT MY TABLE !
I have nothing against playing bridge for fun, but I
think it has to be ordered “ fun “ if we are to maintain the quality of the
game. All the following incidents have
occurred at my table in the last few months and if this is symptomatic of what
is being done at other tables, then there seems to be a lot of ” sloppy “
bridge going about ! Please read
the comments below & ensure that you will not be guilty of any of them.
1. On
several occasions I have noticed that when the bidding has ended & before
the first card has been faced, one or more players have picked up their bidding
cards & returned them to the bidding box.
This is wrong and, at the very least, it makes it more difficult if
there are any questions asked about the bidding. Also it does not help North, who at this
stage is often involved in entering data into the bridgemate.,
2 When
the lead is in dummy, I have noticed dummy holding his hand or finger over a
card ready for what he assumes declarer wants to play. .Holding your hand over a card in this way
leads declarer to consider & ask himself why you are doing it. It could well lead declarer to a different
course of action to the one he was planning.
I have seen this happen when there was a boss card in dummy – who knows,
declarer may well not have remembered this; but he will when dummy all but
plays it !
3. Some
players are collapsing their cards almost immediately after the last
trick. You must wait until the
opposition agrees with you about how many tricks have been won & lost. If there is a dispute about the number of
tricks won then, unless it is minor & easily resolved, the Director must be
called. He will not be very happy to see
collapsed hands & if in doubt, he will rule against you.
4. When
an opponent makes a bid which needs an alert, I still sometimes see the
opponent looking fixedly at his partner. Wake up partner I am doing my best to remind
you to alert ! Needless to say,
totally against the bridge laws.
5. The
laws say that you must give your cards a shuffle before replacing them into the
board. If I got a free dinner for every
time this does not happen, I would happily (?) put on another stone in weight.
6. I
know it sounds silly but on more than one occasion the opponent who has made
the bid has pulled out & displayed an alert card. Remember, it is only ever the partner of the
person who makes a bid who may bring out an alert card.
7. At
our club, most players play simple systems & do not have convention
cards. There is no harm in this but you
must be careful if you are asked the
meaning of your partner’s bid. If you
know what it is, then answer correctly; if you are not sure or do not know then
say “ I do not know”. Under no circumstances must you say
something on the lines of, “ I think it
is ……”. If opponents are as confused
about the bid as you are, then this is OK.
I wish I had space to enlarge on this.
8. If
you call the director & he gives a ruling against you, then the only words
allowed to come out of your mouth is to
say you wish to appeal. It is totally
wrong to go on about his ruling and to
keep the matter on the boil. At all
times, you must act in an ethical manner.
Appeals are very rare at our club and should not be called merely
because you are upset at the director’s ruling.
9. If
you start the evening as East etc then not only must you finish the evening as
East but you must not play musical chairs & have a dabble at being West
every so often !
10 You
must play your cards at an even tempo.
If you hesitate or take a long time when it is your turn to call, then
this must not be of help to your partner & he must not be able to gain any
benefit from it. My partner led a small
card from a singleton club in dummy & his right hand opponent hesitated
quite definitely & then played a small club, so partner played the Queen
from an Ace, Queen tenace and it was won by the King. Without the hesitation and a singleton in
dummy, it is probable that partner could have played the Ace and not
finessed. There was no reason for the
hesitation so partner called the director.
11 If
you think there is a need, you may ask an opponent at an appropriate time if he
will show you his cards. However,
opponent is under no compulsion to show them to you .
12 I
was asked what should happen when a player sees the score sheet on our web site
& claims that there is an error in one of the scores or contracts. At our club the director or scorer would
conduct an enquiry, consulting all 4 players if necessary. If he agrees it is wrong then he will alter
the score or contract. Once the score
sheet has gone on the notice board, then any appeal must be made reasonably
quickly. We are a friendly club &
we will always try to act in this manner.
By now, many of you will be wondering how many more
small points I am going to bring up !
Because there is no space left, the answer is none. Quite seriously though, it is true that if
you get the small things correct then everything will go more smoothly. Please keep me aware of any “ unusual events “ which take place at your table.
Director’s table01082010 Peter
Dawson August 2010