Suppose that a player makes a call based on misinformation, and later
in the auction the misinformation is revealed.
South (dealer): 2H.
West: Pass.
North: Pass.
East: What is your weak 2 style?
North: He has 6-10 HCP and exactly 6 cards in hearts.
East: 2NT. [it's to play]
South: Double. [it's for penalties]
West: Pass.
North: Wait, I just remembered, I play strong 2 bids with this partner.
The actual agreement is indeed strong 2 bids. In duplicate bridge,
North calls the director at this point. Under Law 21B1(a) it is
too late for East to retract the 2NT call and substitute the pass
that he would have made with correct information. Therefore
Law 21B3 applies and the director can adjust the score after play,
using Law 12 as the basis for this adjustment.
But now suppose it's rubber bridge. It's a home game with no
arbiter available, between players who have a high standard of
ethics and want to follow the Laws strictly. But in rubber bridge,
Law 21 reads in full:
# A player has no recourse if he has made a call on the basis of
# his own misunderstanding.
#
# Until the auction is closed, a player may, without penalty, change
# any call he may have made as a result of misinformation given him
# by an opponent, provided his partner has not subsequently called.
# If he elects to correct his call, his LHO may then, in turn and
# without penalty, change any subsequent call he may have made
This provides no guidance whatever to players as to how to proceed
after the irregularity. Rubber bridge Law 14 says that if the four
players agree on a penalty then it stands as correct, but contains
no instruction like the duplicate Law 12, as to a basis that they
might decide on.
Is there an applicable provision somewhere that I missed, or do the
rubber laws just leave the players to improvise?
--
Mark Brader "As penance, I suppose I should read the standard
Toronto again, but I've already lost as much hair as
m...@vex.net I can afford." -- Tom Kelly
My text in this article is in the public domain.