Leicestershire Contract Bridge Association
Leicestershire Contract Bridge Association
The first thing to note is that although these Laws did not apply until August 1st 2008, they are officially called the 2007 Laws! The following are, in our opinion, the main changes which affect LCBA players. The changes are listed mainly in Law order but we begin with some definitions. You will note that the Laws employ US spelling.
Law
Number(s)Quick Summary 80 Regulation and Organization - Some Terms Used The REGULATING AUTHORITY is the EBU
The TOURNAMENT ORGANIZER is the LCBA or your club
The COMPETITION CONTROLLER is the person responsible for an event
The DIRECTOR (TD) is the person once called the Tournament Director
Rectification: a Remedial provision applied when irregularity comes to TD's attention
Penalty: may be Procedural or Disciplinary; applied under Laws 90/91.
System Card: what is commonly called Convention Card
An Agreement: Any Partnership Understanding, including what is commonly called a Convention.
4 & 5 Seating Directions Law 5 gives the Director control of directions. In LCBA events the Director will adhere to the following. In your club's own events the Director may do the same or perhaps follow its custom and practice.
When pairs initially NS or EW have to change direction in Team matches or 'Howell type' movements:
North moves to East & South to West
And East moves to North & West to South.
And in an Arrow Switch the East seat plays North cards7A, 7C
& 41DControl of Board and Cards When facing Dummy's hand, each suit is sorted by rank and placed in narrow columns pointing lengthwise towards declarer, and with the lowest card on top nearest to declarer.
The board must remain centrally on the table, separating dummy's hand from declarer's 'playing area'.
Players should shuffle their cards before returning them to the board.
9A Drawing attention to Anticipated Irregularity Any player, including dummy, may attempt to prevent any other player committing an irregularity.
16B Authorized and Unauthorized Information (UI) If Hesitation (or other extraneous information) is NOT agreed the Director must be called immediately. Otherwise the best time to claim actual damage is usually at the end of play of the hand - not on sight of dummy.
20F, 20G Review and Explanation of Calls A player may ask questions about an individual call instead of the whole auction, but must avoid 'leading' questions which might indicate an aspect of his own hand to partner.
A player must give no indication at time of (believed) mistaken explanation by partner, but should call Director and inform opponents at first legal opportunity.
(i.e. after final pass if declarer/dummy; but only at end of play if defender.)
It is illegal to ask questions for partner's benefit (enlightenment)
25B Legal & Illegal changes of call A player may no longer lawfully change an INTENDED call.
27 Insufficient Bid (IB) This Law has been deliberately changed from the 1997 one so as to widen the calls that can be made without silencing partner for the rest of the auction to include all calls that in the Director's opinion have the same meaning as the IB, or a more precise meaning wholly within its meaning.
KEY ACTION POINT:
WHEN AN IB IS MADE CALL THE DIRECTOR IMMEDIATELY.The IB-er should neither attempt to change the IB nor worse to 'explain' it, i.e. to indicate what he thought he was doing. Remarks like "Oops I didn't see... " will give unauthorized information to partner.
40 Partnership Understandings & Regulating Authority Options In general this law inter alia confirms a variety of things already in EBU regulations [Orange Book- see 7D1, 10E]. It also confirms that you cannot have any aide-memoires or aids to calculation.
Players of the declaring side (only) may consult their own system card during the Clarification period (i.e. in the period between the third of the three passes ending the actual auction and the opening lead being faced).
They should do so if necessary to check they have not mis-explained anything.
A player may (at the risk of creating UI) consult his opponent's system card at any time.
61B Inquiries Concerning a Revoke A defender can (risking giving UI) ask his partner about a possible revoke.
64A Procedure after Establishment of a Revoke KEY ACTION POINT: CALL THE DIRECTOR
The automatic 'Two trick transfer rectification' for revokes now ONLY* applies if the offending player took the revoke trick and his side took a subsequent trick.
[* not 'because took a later trick with card that could have been played...']
65B Arrangement of Tricks Declarer may at any time require that card pointed incorrectly is corrected.
Others may draw attention to error - but only until lead made to next trick.
70 & 71 Contested Claim or Concession STOP PLAY; call the Director, NEVER play on.
90 & 91 Procedural Penalties; Director's Powers etc Offences liable to procedural penalty include such things as unduly slow play, unauthorized comparison of scores, failure to comply promptly with tournament regulations and instruction of the Director.
Remember the Director has wide discretion as whether to penalize (or just warn). If penalizing a basic offence then he is likely to apply the 'standard penalty' of 10% of a top (3 IMPs in team play). However if the offence is against the BB@B code involving such as manifest rudeness to other players, or challenging the authority of the Director, then it will normally attract a 'double standard penalty'.
Players should avoid escalating a situation. For example, in dealing with slow play a Director may instruct that a board not be started but 'averaged'. This does not constitute a penalty; but to disregard the instruction is likely to incur at least a 'standard penalty' and probably a double one.