Duplicate Decisions A Club Director’s Guide for Ruling at the Table Revised September 2020 Table of Contents INTRODUCTION TO THE 2017 LAWS OF DUPLICATE BRIDGE ................................................................................................ 1 CHAPTER I - DEFINITIONS ............................................................ 3 CHAPTER II - THE BASICS ............................................................. 9 1 - The Pack ........................................................................................... 9 2 - The Duplicate Boards ..................................................................... 10 3 - Arrangement of Tables ................................................................... 10 4 - Partnerships..................................................................................... 11 5 - Assignment of Seats ....................................................................... 12 CHAPTER III - PREPARATION AND PROGRESSION ............ 14 6 - The Shuffle and Deal ...................................................................... 14 7 - Control of Boards and Cards .......................................................... 16 8 - Sequence of Rounds ....................................................................... 18 CHAPTER IV - GENERAL LAWS GOVERNING IRREGULARITIES ........................................................................... 20 9 - Procedure Following an Irregularity ............................................... 20 10 - Assessment of Rectification ......................................................... 22 11 - Forfeiture of the Right to Rectification ........................................ 23 12 - Director’s Discretionary Powers................................................... 24 13 - Incorrect Number of Cards ........................................................... 29 14 - Missing Card ................................................................................. 32 15 - Wrong Board or Hand .................................................................. 34 16 - Authorized and Unauthorized Information ................................... 37 CHAPTER V - THE AUCTION ....................................................... 44 17 - The Auction Period ....................................................................... 44 18 - Bids ............................................................................................... 47 19 - Doubles and Redoubles ................................................................ 47 20 - Review and Explanation of Calls ................................................. 48 21 - Misinformation ............................................................................. 55 22 - End of Auction .............................................................................. 59 23 - Comparable Call ........................................................................... 59 24 - Card Exposed or Led During the Auction .................................... 64 25 - Legal and Illegal Changes of Call ................................................ 65 i 26 - Call Withdrawn, Lead Restrictions............................................... 68 27 - Insufficient Bid ............................................................................. 70 28-32 - Call out of Rotation ................................................................. 73 28 - Calls Considered to be in Rotation ............................................... 75 29 - Procedure after a Call out of Rotation .......................................... 76 30 - Pass out of Rotation ...................................................................... 77 31 - Bid out of Rotation ....................................................................... 78 32 - Double or Redouble out of Rotation ............................................. 79 33 - Simultaneous Calls ....................................................................... 80 34 - Retention of Right to Call ............................................................. 81 35-39 - (Inadmissible Calls) ................................................................ 81 40 - Partnership Understandings .......................................................... 83 Convention Card Regulations .............................................................. 90 CHAPTER VI - THE PLAY ............................................................. 93 41 - Commencement of Play ................................................................ 93 42 - Dummy’s Rights ........................................................................... 95 43 - Dummy’s Limitations ................................................................... 97 44 - Sequence and Procedure of Play................................................... 99 45 - Card Played ................................................................................... 99 46 - Incomplete or Erroneous Call of Card from Dummy ................. 107 47 - Retraction of Card Played ........................................................... 110 48 - Exposure of Declarer’s Cards ..................................................... 114 49 - Exposure of a Defender’s Cards ................................................. 115 50 - Disposition of a Penalty Card ..................................................... 116 51 - Two or More Penalty Cards ........................................................ 122 52 - Failure to Lead or Play a Penalty Card ....................................... 123 53 - Lead out of Turn Accepted ......................................................... 124 54 - Faced Opening Lead out of Turn ................................................ 127 55 - Declarer’s Lead out of Turn ....................................................... 129 56 - Defender’s Lead out of Turn ...................................................... 130 57 - Premature Lead or Play .............................................................. 130 58 - Simultaneous Leads or Plays ...................................................... 131 59 - Inability to Lead or Play as Required ......................................... 133 60 - Play after an Illegal Play ............................................................. 134 61 - Failure to Follow Suit: Inquiries Concerning a Revoke ............. 136 62 - Correction of a Revoke ............................................................... 138 63 - Establishment of a Revoke ......................................................... 142 ii 64 - Procedure after Establishment of a Revoke ................................ 143 65 - Arrangement of Tricks ................................................................ 146 66 - Inspection of Tricks .................................................................... 148 67 - Defective Trick ........................................................................... 149 68 - Claim or Concession of Tricks ................................................... 152 69 - Agreed Claim or Concession ...................................................... 157 70 - Contested Claim or Concession .................................................. 158 71 - Concession Canceled .................................................................. 165 CHAPTER VII - PROPRIETIES ................................................... 167 72 - GENERAL PRINCIPLES .......................................................... 167 73 - Communication, Tempo, and Deception .................................... 169 74 - Conduct and Etiquette................................................................. 173 75 - Mistaken Explanation or Mistaken Call ..................................... 175 76 - Spectators .................................................................................... 182 CHAPTER VIII - THE SCORE ..................................................... 184 77 - Duplicate Bridge Scoring Table ................................................. 184 78 - Methods of Scoring..................................................................... 184 79 - Tricks Won ................................................................................. 184 CHAPTER IX - TOURNAMENT SPONSORSHIP ..................... 187 80 - Regulation and Organization ...................................................... 187 CHAPTER X - TOURNAMENT DIRECTOR ............................. 189 81 - The Director ................................................................................ 189 82 - Rectification of Errors of Procedure ........................................... 191 83 - Notification of the Right to Appeal ............................................ 194 84 - Rulings on Agreed Facts ............................................................. 194 85 - Rulings on Disputed Facts .......................................................... 196 86 - Team Play ................................................................................... 197 87 - Fouled Board .............................................................................. 201 88 - Award of Indemnity Points ......................................................... 203 89 - Rectification in Individual Events .............................................. 203 90 - Procedural Penalties.................................................................... 203 91 - Penalize or Suspend .................................................................... 205 CHAPTER XI - APPEALS ............................................................. 207 92 - Right to Appeal