The BRIDGE CENTER of SPRINGFIELD

DID YOU KNOW?

BRIDGE IS A GAME
HAVE FUN
Don't worry if you don't know or forget a rule, bid or play.
Here are some of the rules from the American Contract Bridge League (ACBL)
to help everyone.
1. YOU (being a player or dummy!) CANNOT ask about or tell your partner or an opponent how many tricks have been won or lost during the play of the hand. Each person is responsible for keeping tricks vertical (for wins) or horizontal (for losses) on their own during the play of the hand. Otherwise, pointing it out helps your partner decide how to play the hand. Pointing it out at one time versus another can give information to partner.
2. If an insufficient bid is made, the next player to bid can accept the insufficient bid. The director should be called if it is not accepted.
3. Having once selected a compass direction, a player may change it within a session ONLY upon instruction or with permission of the Director.
4. A request to have the auction repeated must be done by an opponent and the alerts must be included in the re-statement. If an error is made during this explanation of the auction then anyone at the table may correct it. The auction must be repeated in its entirety. A portion cannot be asked about or explained because it would place emphasis on what part of the auction is important to a player.
5. Until his partner makes a call, a player may substitute his intended call for an inadvertent call but only if he does so, or attempts to do so, without pause for thought. Left hand opponent can change their call if this happens.
6. During the auction and play, any player except dummy may refer to his opponents' convention card at his own turn to call or play, but not to his own.
7. If declarer, in playing from dummy, calls ``high'', or words of like import, he is deemed to have called the highest card; in fourth seat he may be deemed to have called for the lowest winning card of the suit indicated; if he directs dummy to win the trick, he is deemed to have called the lowest winning card; if he calls ``low'', or words of like import, he is deemed to have called the lowest.
8. If declarer designates a suit but not a rank, he is deemed to have called the lowest card of the suit indicated.
9. If declarer indicates a play without designating either a suit or rank (as by saying, ``play anything'', or words of like import), either defender may designate the play from dummy.
10. After any claim or concession, play ceases. All play subsequent to a claim or concession shall be voided by the Director.
11. The Director shall not accept from claimer any successful line of play not embraced in the original clarification statement if there is an alternative normal line of play that would be less successful.
12. A trick cannot be lost if a player has conceded a trick his side had, in fact, won, or a trick his side could not have lost by any legal play of the remaining cards.
13. Until the conceding side makes a call on a subsequent board, or until the round ends, the Director shall cancel the concession of a trick that could not have been lost by any normal play of the remaining cards.
14. As a matter of courtesy a player should refrain from:

  • Paying insufficient attention to the game.

  • Making gratuitous comments during the auction and play.

  • Detaching a card before it is his turn to play.

  • Prolonging play unnecessarily (as in playing on although he knows that all the tricks are surely his) for the purpose of disconcerting an opponent.

  • Summoning and addressing the Director in a manner discourteous to him or to other contestants.
15. The following are considered violations of procedure:

  • Using different designations for the same call.

  • Indicating approval or disapproval of a call or play.

  • Indicating the expectation or intention of winning or losing a trick that has not been completed.

  • Commenting or acting during the auction or play so as to call attention to a significant occurrence, or to the number of tricks still required for success.

16. The following are ALSO considered violations of procedure:

  • Looking intently at any other player during the auction and play, or at another player's hand as for the purpose of seeing his cards or of observing the place from which he draws a card (but it is appropriate to act on information acquired by inadvertently seeing an opponent's card).

  • Showing an obvious lack of further interest in a deal (as by folding one's cards).

  • Varying the normal tempo of bidding or play for the purpose of disconcerting an opponent.

  • Leaving the table needlessly before the round is called.
17. An Alert is made by tapping an Alert card on the table or by tapping the Alert strip on the side of the bid box. In addition, the Alerter must say, "Alert." It is the responsibility of the player saying, “Alert,” to make sure the opponents heard it.
18. NEVER explain the meaning of the alert unless asked by the opponents to explain the alert.
19.The proper way to ask for information is "please explain"; when it is YOUR turn to bid. You cannot ask about an alert to bring it to the attention of your partner.
20. To make an announcement (“Transfer,”“Could be Short, “15 to 17,” “Forcing”) the Alert strip is tapped and the appropriate spoken statement is made without explanation unless asked about it.
21. Players who, by experience or expertise, recognize that their opponents have neglected to Alert a special agreement will be expected to protect themselves by asking when it is their turn to bid.
22. Except for leading low from a doubleton, which requires a pre-Alert, carding agreements do not require an Alert of any kind.
23. Declarer is expected to examine an opponent’s convention card without prompting in order to ascertain their defensive methods.
24. Once the auction has progressed to the point that the opening bidder has had the opportunity to make a second call, conventional calls at the four level or higher are not Alerted until the auction is over.
25. After a bid, double or redouble has been followed by three passes in rotation, the defender on presumed declarer's left makes the opening lead face down. The face-down lead may be withdrawn only upon instruction of the Director after an irregularity.
26. Before the opening lead is faced, the leader's partner and the presumed declarer each may require a review of the auction, or request explanation of an opponent's call and do so before they play a card from dummy if declarer and their hand if leader’s partner.
27. Following this question period, the opening lead is faced, the play period begins, and dummy's hand is spread. After it is too late to have previous calls restated, declarer or either defender, at his own turn to play, is entitled to be informed as to what the contract is and whether, but not by whom, it was doubled or redoubled.
28. A player may not attempt to mislead an opponent by means of remark or gesture, through the haste or hesitancy of a call or play (as in hesitating before playing a singleton), or by the manner in which the call or play is made.
29. When a player has available to him unauthorized information from his partner, as from a remark, question, explanation, gesture, mannerism, special emphasis, inflection, haste or hesitation, he must carefully avoid taking any advantage that might accrue to his side.
30. When a player has substantial reason to believe; that an opponent who had a logical alternative has chosen an action that could have been suggested by such information, he should summon the Director forthwith. The Director shall require the auction and play to continue, standing ready to assign an adjusted score if he considers that an infraction of law has resulted in damage.

BRIDGE IS A GAME
HAVE FUN
SMILE AT PARTNER
Page Created: 10/07/03