RULES & ETIQUETTE

Well ahead of your arrival at the bridge club

Make out a ‘systems card’ giving full details of the systems and conventions you play.

Secret bids are not permitted (ie bids that only you and partner have agreed upon).

Your full system must be available to the opponents.

‘Secrets’ between partners are considered to be a serious form of cheating.

(At this stage of the development of the Williamstown Bridge Club there is no need for a systems card. Everyone plays a simple form of Standard American. If you are going to play in a serious competition at another club they will prefer you to have a systems card. However, at most club duplicate games it is entirely acceptable to advise opponents of your system verbally. Simply let them know that you play “Standard, better minor with Stayman, Jacoby transfers, 2C strong, other 2 openings weak, Michaels cue bid, Unusual NT and/or whatever conventions you play.”

In brief, you are duty-bound to tell the opponents everything about the system you are playing. If, during play, they ask for an explanation of any bid made, the partner of the player making the bid must give a clear and truthful answer. If you made the bid, you must remain silent and should even ensure that you maintain a bland look while partner gives the explanation - - especially in the case where partner is giving the wrong explanation!)

Before start of play

· Greet your opponents cordially

• Count your cards before the start of bidding each board to ensure there is no mis-deal.

The bidding

• Bid at an even pace
• Be particularly careful not to pause for a lengthy period before making your bid unless you are sure you are going to make a positive bid. A long pause followed by a pass can be considered as ‘passing information illegally’ to partner
• You are not allowed to bid x, score it out and then bid y for the same reason - it can be construed as passing information illegally to partner.
• Do not overemphasise or draw attention to any bid made by writing it with particular strength or by engaging partner with ‘meaningful eye contact’ (as if to say ‘for goodness sake remember what this is supposed to mean’)
• Grimaces or other meaningful facial language are not permitted (eg, as if to say ‘I have no idea what your bid means partner’)
• You are not permitted to talk to yourself, repeat partner’s or opponents’ bids out loud or say such things as ‘I see, got it partner’ or conversely ‘what the heck?’ etc
• Make sure you complete the bidding with a double line if you are last to bid. If someone else is dithering and seems to have forgotten it is their turn to bid it is OK to remind them politely.

NB Most clubs do not permit ‘psyche bidding’ unless it is listed on your systems card. For example, you are not permitted to open 1S with a void or singleton in the suit unless your systems card says you may do so. Otherwise, it is considered to be a form of cheating. Opponents are entitled to quickly prepare a defensive method for dealing with such bids (such as low level doubles being for penalties and not for take-out, etc)

The lead

• If you believe you should be the player making the opening lead, do so by playing the card face down on the table. Wait for the OK from partner and declarer before turning the card face up.
• Make sure you do not lead out of turn at any time later in the play. (penalties apply for leading out of turn)

Turning the card face down during play (as declarer, dummy or defender) and gathering the cards together at the end of play.

• Always give the opponents a reasonable time to see the card played before turning it face down.
• Ensure that you place the card vertically if your side has won the trick and horizontally if you have lost the trick.
• Do not gather the cards together at the end of play until there is full agreement about the number of tricks won by declarer. (Otherwise, agreeing the number of tricks at a later stage is fraught with difficulty)
• Either as declarer, dummy or defender you are not permitted to turn the cards face up after they have been placed face down. You are not permitted to even ‘take a quick look’. (you are expected to stay alert and remember where the trick was won)

Dummy’s role

• Lay out dummy quickly and efficiently with the trump suit (if any) on your right (declarer’s left). All cards must be on view with highest cards at the top graded down to lowest at the bottom. Your efficiency in completing this task gives partner more time to plan the play.
• Henceforth, dummy is not permitted to touch the cards unless specifically requested by declarer. Dummy must not take any other part in the play. Eg, having your hand hovering over a specific card because you believe it should be played by declarer. Strictly speaking, dummy’s hands should be under the table. That is not practical so it is generally accepted that hands may rest motionless on top of the table. The critical issue is that dummy must not in any way suggest or infer which card declarer should play. In short, there is only one declarer.
• Dummy is expected to remain alert but silent throughout the play of the hand. The exceptions to the silence rule are (a) dummy is permitted to say ‘Having none partner?’ if partner fails to follow suit. (b) dummy may tap the table to indicate the lead is from dummy if declarer is about to play from hand.

Alerting

• Rules for alerting vary from state to state and club to club. The general concensus is that it is best to alert most conventional bids except stayman which is the most commonly used convention. The following should be alerted:

Transfers

Michaels

Unusual NT

Cue bid of opponent’s suit bid

Capeletti

Smolen

Lebensohl

Or any similar conventional bids

• The bid should be alerted by bidder’s partner by saying ‘alert’ and circling the bid on the bidding sheet.
• Nothing further should be done and nothing should be said unless the opponents ask for an explanation.
• The person making the alertable bid must stay silent and expressionless. Only bidder’s partner may give the explanation. This must be done clearly and honestly to the very best of your knowledge.
• Even if partner feels you are giving an incorrect explanation, she is not permitted to speak nor to make any inferences with facial expressions etc. (maintain a bland look)

Specific errors

There are clear guidelines for directors for the following:

• Revoking
• Leading or playing out of turn
• Bidding out of turn (including passing out of turn)

All incur some form of penalty or at least inconvenience.

General demeanour

It behoves us in bridge, as in life, to remain polite at all times. Maintain sound emotional control even in the height of a dreadful bloody battle! Try to be quiet during play for the sake of others who may be concentrating on a tricky hand. At least, aim to speak softly/quietly if you must speak.

Post mortems

Post mortems are actually forbidden in the rules of bridge. The probable reason for this is that people at other tables may overhear and glean useful information to give them an unfair advantage.

We allow post mortems at Williamstown on two conditions:

1. The discussion must be held in a very quiet voice
2. It must not cause a hold-up in the play

Importantly - post mortems should never be treated as some form of recrimination. Do not use them to ‘get at’ partner. After all, partner is your buddy - recriminations will only antagonise - what’s the point ?

Constructive, unheated discussion with a view to learning is the only purpose of a post mortem. For that reason, it is best done far from ‘the heat of battle’ at some quieter moment - when you have time for the constructive learning process.