Laws of Duplicate Bridge 15

Law 74
Conduct and Etiquette
A. Proper Attitude
1. A player should maintain a courteous attitude at all times.
2. A player should carefully avoid any remark or extraneous action that might cause annoyance or embarrassment to another player or might interfere with the enjoyment of the game.
3. Every player should follow uniform and correct procedure in calling and playing.
B. Etiquette
As a matter of courtesy a player should refrain from:
1. Paying insufficient attention to the game.
2. Making gratuitous comments during the auction and play.
3. Detaching a card before their turn to play.
4. Prolonging play unnecessarily (as in playing on although he/she knows that all the tricks are surely his/hers) for the purpose of disconcerting an opponent.
5. Summoning and addressing the Director in a manner discourteous to him/her or to other contestants.
C. Violations of Procedure
The following are examples of violations of procedure:
1. Using different designations for the same call.
2. Indicating approval or disapproval of a call or play.
3. Indicating the expectationm or intention of winning or losing a trick that has not been completed.
4. 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.
5. Looking intently at any other player during the auction and play, or at another player’s hand as for the purpose of seeing his/her cards or of observing the place from which he/she draws a card (but it is appropriate to act on information aquired by unintentionally seeing an opponent’s card).
6. Showing an obvious lack of further interest in a deal (as by folding one’s cards).
7. Varying the normal tempo of bidding or play for the purpose of disconcerting an opponent.
8. Leaving the table needlessly before the round is called.
Law 75
Mistaken Explanation or Mistaken Call
After a misleading explanation has been given to opponents the responsibilities of the players (and the Director) are as follows:
A. Mistake Causing Unauthorised Information
Irrespective of whether or not an explanation is a correct statement of partnership agreement, a player, having heard his/her partner’s explanation, knows that his/her own call has been misinterpreted. This knowledge is unauthorised information (see Law 16A) and the player must carefully avoid taking any advantage from it (see Law 73C); otherwise the Director shall award an adjusted score.
B. Mistaken Explanation
1. When the partnership agreement is different from the explanation given, the explanation is an infraction of law. When this infraction results in damage to the non-offending side, the Director shall award an adjusted score.
2. If a player becomes aware of his/her own mistake, he/she must summon the Director before the opening lead is faced (or during the play, if discovered later), and then provide a correction. The player is also permitted to call the Director before the auction ends, but he/she is under no obligation to do so (see Law 20F4).
3. The player’s partner must do nothing to correct the mistaken explanation while the auction continues and if he/she subsequently becomes a defender, he/she must call the Director and correct the explanation only after play ends. If the player’s partner is to be declarer or dummy , he/she must, after the final pass, call the Director and then provide a correction.
C. Mistaken Call
When the partnership agreement has been explained correctly, the mistake being the call made and not the explanation, there is no infraction. The explanation must not be corrected (nor must the Director be notified) immediately and there is no obligation to do so subsequently. Regardless of damage, the result stands [but see Law 21B1b)].
D. Director’s Determination
1. Players are expected to disclose their partnership agreements accurately (see Law 20F1); failure to do so constitutes Misinformation.
2. It is a condition of any partnership agreement that both players possess the same mutual understanding, and it is an infraction to describe an agreement where the same mutual understanding does not exist. If the Director determines that the misleading explanation was not based upon a partnership agreement, he/she applies Law 21B.
3. When there is an infraction (as per B1 or D2) and sufficient evidence exists as to the agreed meaning of the call , the Director awards an adjusted score based upon the likely outcome had the opponents received the correct explanation in a timely manner. If the Director determines that the call has no agreed meaning, he/she awards an adjusted score based upon the likely outcome had the opponents been so informed.
Law 76
Spectators
A. Control
1. Spectators in the playing area are subject to the control of the Director under the regulations for the tournament.
2. Regulating authorities and tournament organisers who grant facilities for electronic transmission of play as it occurs may establish by regulation the terms by which such transmissions are viewed and prescribe acceptable conduct for viewers. (A viewer must not communicate with a player in the course of a session in which the latter is playing).
B. At the Table
1. A spectator may not look at the hand of more than one player unless allowed by regulation.
2. A spectator must not show any reaction to the bidding or play when a deal is in progress.
3. During a round a spectator must refrain from mannerisms or remarks of any kind and must have no conversation with a player.
4. A spectator must not disturb a player.
5. A spectator at the table shall not draw attention to any aspect of the game.
C. Participation
1. A spectator may speak as to fact or law within the playing area only when requested to do so by the Director.
2. Regulating authorities and tournament organisers may specify how to deal with irregularities caused by spectators.
D. Status
Any person in the playing area, other than a player or a tournament official, has the status of a spectator unless the Director specifies differently.

Law 77
Duplicate Bridge Scoring Table

Law 78
Methods of Scoring and Conditions of Contest

These two Laws largely comprise scoring tables so they have not
been reproduced.

Law 79
Tricks Won
A. Agreement on Tricks Won
1. The number of tricks won shall be agreed upon before all 4 hands have been returned to the board.
2. A player must not knowingly accept either the score for a trick that his/her side did not win or the concession of a trick that his/her opponents could not lose.
B. Disagreement on Tricks Won
If a disagreement arises, the Director must be called, then:
1. The Director determines whether there has been a claim or concession and, if so, applies Law 69B or Law 71.
2. If B1 above does not apply, the Director rules what score is to be recorded.
3. If the Director is not called until the round ends , the score may be changed for both sides only when he/she is clearly convinced as to the result obtained at the table. Otherwise he/she should either allow the recorded score to stand, or decrease the score for one side without increasing it for the other.
C. Error in Score
1. An error in recording or computing the agreed-upon score, whether made by a player or an official, may be corrected until the expiration of the period(s) specified by the tourtnament organiser. Unless the tournament organiser specifies a later time, this Correction Period expires 30 minutes after the official score has been made available for inspection.
2. Subject to approval by the Tournament Organiser, a scoring error may be corrected after expiry of the correction period if the Director is satisfied beyond reasonable doubt that the record is wrong.