Laws of Duplicate Bridge 9

Law 33
Simultaneous Calls
A call made simultaneously with one made by the player whose turn it was to call is deemed to be a subsequent call.
Law 34
Retention of Right to Call
When following a call there have been three consecutive passes, one or more being out of rotation, Law 17D3 applies.
Law 35
Inadmissable Calls
The following calls are inadmissable:
A. A double or redouble not permitted by Law19. Law 36 applies.
B. A bid, double or redouble by a player requires to pass. Law 37 applies.
C. A bid of more than 7. Law 38 applies.
D. A call afte rthe final pass of the auction. Law 39 applies.
Law 36
Inadmissable Doubles and Redoubles
A. Offender’s LHO Calls Before Rectification
If Offender’s LHO calls before Rectification of an inadmissable double or redouble th einadmissable call and all subsequent calls are cancelled. The auction reverts to the player whose turn it was to call and proceeds as though there had been no irregularity. The lead restrictions in Law 26B do not apply.
B. Offender’s LHO Does Not Call Before Rectification
When A does not apply:
1. Any double or redouble not permitted by Law 19 is cancelled.
2. The offender must substitute a legal call, the auction continues, and the offender’s partner must pass for the remainder of the auction.
3. Law 72C may apply. The lead restrictions in Law 26B may apply.
4. If the call is out of turn the auction reverts to the player whose turn it was to call, th eoffender may make any legal call at their turn, and their partner must pass for the remainder of the auction. Law 72C may apply. Th elead restrictions in Law 26B may apply.
C. Irregularity Discovered After the Auction Period
When attention is drawn to an inadmissable double or redouble only after the opening lead has been faced, the final contract is scored as if the inadmissable call had not been made.
Law 37
Action Violating Obligation to Pass
A. Offender’s LHO Calls Before Rectification
If the inadmissable call was a bid, double or redouble by a player required by law to pass (but not an action contrary to Law 19A1 or Law 19B1) and offender’s LHO calls before the Director has ruled on rectification, that call and all subsequent calls stand. If the offender was required to pass for the remainder of the auction he/she must still pass at subsequent turns. The lead restrictions in Law 26B do not apply.
B. Offender’s LHO Does Not Call Before Rectification
When A does not apply:
1. Any bid, double or redouble, by a player required by law to pass is cancelled.
2. A pass is substituted, the auction continues and each member of the offending side must pass whever it is their turn to call . Law 72C may apply. The lead restrictions in Law 26B may apply.
Law 38
Bid of More Than Seven
A. No Play Permissable
No play of a contract of more than 7 is ever permissable.
B. Bid and Subsequent Calls Cancelled
A bid of more than 7 is cancelled together with any subsequent calls.
C. Offending Side Must Pass
A pass must be substituted; the auction continues unless completed and each member of the offending side must pass whenever it is their turn to call.
D. Possible Lack of Recourse to Laws 26B and 72C.
Law 72C may apply and the lead restrictions in Law 26B may apply, except that if the offender’s LHO had called subsequent to the infraction and before rectification there is no recourse to these laws.
Law 39
Call After the Final Pass
A. Calls Cancelled
All calls after the final pass of the auction are cancelled
B. Pass By Defender or Any Call By Declaring Side
If offender’s LHO calls before rectification, or if the infraction is a pass by a defender or any call by the future declarer or dummy, then there is no further rectification.
C. Other Action By Defender
If Offender’s LHO has not called subsequent to the infraction and the infraction is a bid, double or redouble by a defender, then the lead restrictions in Law 26B may apply.
Law 40
Partnership Understandings
A. Player’s Systemic Agreements
1. a). Partnership understandings as to the methods adopted by a partnership may be reached explicitly in discussion or implicitly through mutual experience or awareness of the players.
b). Each partnership has a duty to make its partnership understandings available to its opponents. The Regulating authority specifies the manner in which this is done.
2. Information conveyed to partner through such understandings must arise from the calls, plays and conditions of the current deal. Each player is entitled to take into account the legal auction and, subject to any exclusions in these laws, the cards he/she has seen. He/she is entitled to use information specified elsewhere in these laws to be authorised. (See Law 73C).
3. A player may make any call or play without prior announcement provided that such call or play is not based on an undisclosed partnership understanding (see Law 40C1).
4. The agreed meaning of a call or play shall not alter by reference to the member of the partnership by whom it is made (this requirement does not restrict style and judgement, only method).
B. Special Partnership Understandings
1. a). An agreement between partners, whether explicit or implicit, is a partnership understanding.
b). In its discretion the Regulating Authority may designate certain partnership understandings as ‘special partnership understandings’. A special partnership understanding is one whose meaning, in the opinion of the Regulating Authority, may not be readily understood and anticipated by a significant number of players in the tournament.
c). Unless the Regulating Authority decides otherwise, any call that has an artificial meaning constitutes a special partnership understanding.
2. a). The Regulating Authority:
i). Is empowered without restriction to allow, disallow, or allow conditionally, any special partnership understanding.
ii). May prescribe a system card, with or without, supplementary sheets, for the prior listing of a partnership’s understandings, and regulate its use.
iii). May prescribe alerting procedures and/or other methods of disclosure of a partnership’s methods.
iv). May disallow prior agreement by a partnership to vary its understandings during the auction or play following an irregularity committed by the opponents.
v). May restrict the use of psychic artificial calls.
b). Unless the Regulating Authority provides otherwise a player may not consult his/her own system card between the commencement of the auction period and the end of play, except that players of the declaring side (only) may consult their own system card during the clarification period.
c). Unless the Regulating Authority provides otherwise a player may consult their opponent’s system card:
i). Prior to the commencement of the auction
ii). During the clarification period
iii). During the auction and during the play but only at his/her turn to call or play and;
iv). Following an opponents request for an explanation pursuant to Law 20F, for the purpose of correctly explaining the significance of his/her partner’s call or play.
d). Unless the Regulating Authority provides otherwise a player is not entitled to any aids to his/her memory, calculation or technique during the auction period and play.
3. a). A side that is damaged as a consequence of its opponents’ failure to provide disclosure of the meaning of a call or play, as these laws require, is entitled to rectification through the awartd of an adjusted score.
b). Repeated violations of requiremements to disclose partnership understandings may be penalised.
4. When a side is damaged by an opponents use of a special partnership understanding that does not comply with the regulations governing the tournament the score shall be adjusted. A side in breach of those regulations may be subject to a procedural penbalty.
5. a). When explaining the significance of a partner’s call or play in reply to an opponents enquiry (see Law 20) a player shall disclose all special information conveyed to him/her through partnership agreement or partnership experience but he/she need not disclose inferences drawn from his/her knowledge and experience of matters generally known to Bridge players.
b). The Director adjusts the score if information not given in an explanation is crucial for an opponent’s choice of action and the opponent is thereby damaged.
C. Deviation From System and Psychic Action
1. A player may deviate from his/her side’s announced understandings, provided that his/her partner has no more reason than the opponents to be aware of the deviation (but seeB2a)v). above). Repeated deviations lead to implicit understandings which then form part of the partnership’s methods and must be disclosed in accordance with the regulations governing disclosure of system. If the Director judges there is undisclosed knowledge that has damaged the opponents he/she shall adjust the score and may assess a procedural penalty.
2. Other than in C1 above, no player is obliged to disclose to the opponents that he/she has deviated from his/her announced methods.