CHAPTER IV
General Laws Governing Irregularities ![polish version](../poland.gif)
LAW 9 - PROCEDURE FOLLOWING AN IRREGULARITY ![polish version](../poland.gif)
- A. Calling Attention to an Irregularity
- 1. During the Auction Period
- Unless prohibited by Law, any player may call attention to an irregularity
during the auction, whether or not it is his turn to call.
- 2. During the Play Period
- (a) Declarer or Either Defender
- Unless prohibited by Law, declarer or either defender may call attention
to an irregularity that occurs during the play period.
- (b) Dummy (dummy's restricted rights are defined in Law 42
and Law 43)
- (1) Dummy may not call attention to an irregularity
during the play but may do so after play of the hand is concluded.
- (2) Dummy may attempt to prevent declarer from committing an irregularity
(Law 42B2).
- B. After Attention Is Called to an Irregularity
- 1. Summoning the Director
- (a) When to Summon
- The Director must be summoned at once when attention is drawn to an
irregularity.
- (b) Who May Summon
- Any player, including dummy, may summon the Director after attention
has been drawn to an irregularity.
- (c) Retention of Rights
- Summoning the Director does not cause a player to forfeit any rights
to which he might otherwise be entitled.
- (d) Opponents' Rights
- The fact that a player draws attention to an irregularity committed
by his side does not affect the rights of the opponents.
- 2. Further Bids or Plays
- No player shall take any action until the Director has explained all
matters in regard to rectification and to the assessment of a penalty.
- C. Premature Correction of an Irregularity
- Any premature correction of an irregularity by the offender may subject
him to a further penalty (see the lead penalties of Law 26).
LAW 10 - ASSESSMENT OF PENALTY ![polish version](../poland.gif)
- A. Right to Assess Penalty
- The Director alone has the right to assess penalties when applicable.
Players do not have the right to assess (or waive) penalties on their own
initiative.
- B. Cancellation of Payment or Waiver of Penalty
- The Director may allow or cancel any payment or waiver of penalties
made by the players without instructions.
- C. Choice after Irregularity
- 1. Explanation of Options
- When these Laws provide an option after an irregularity, the Director
shall explain all the options available.
- 2. Choice among Options
- If a player has an option after an irregularity, he must make his selection
without consulting partner.
LAW 11 - FORFEITURE OF THE RIGHT TO PENALISE ![polish version](../poland.gif)
- A. Action by Non-Offending Side
- The right to penalise an irregularity may be forfeited if either member
of the non-offending side takes any action before summoning the Director.
The Director so rules when the non-offending side may have gained through
subsequent action taken by an opponent in ignorance of the penalty.
- B. Irregularity Called by Spectator
- 1. Spectator Responsibility of Non-Offending Side
- The right to penalise an irregularity may be forfeited if attention
is first drawn to the irregularity by a spectator for whose presence at
the table the non-offending side is responsible.
- 2. Spectator Responsibility of Offending Side
- The right to correct an irregularity may be forfeited if attention
is first drawn to the irregularity by a spectator for whose presence at
the table the offending side is responsible.
- C. Penalty after Forfeiture of the Right to
Penalise
- Even after the right to penalise has been forfeited under this law,
the Director may assess a procedural penalty (see Law 90).
LAW 12 - DIRECTOR'S DISCRETIONARY POWERS ![polish version](../poland.gif)
- A. Right to Award an Adjusted Score
- The Director may award an adjusted score (or scores), either on his
own initiative or on the application of any player, but only when these
Laws empower him to do so, or:
- 1. Laws Provide No Indemnity
- The Director may award an assigned adjusted score when he judges that
these Laws do not provide indemnity to the non-offending contestant for
the particular type of violation of law committed by an opponent.
- 2. Normal Play of the Board is Impossible
- The Director may award an artificial adjusted score if no rectification
can be made that will permit normal play of the board (see Law 88).
- 3. Incorrect Penalty Has Been Paid
- The Director may award an adjusted score if an incorrect penalty has
been paid.
- B. No Adjustment for Undue Severity of Penalty
- The Director may not award an adjusted score on the ground that the
penalty provided in these Laws is either unduly severe or advantageous
to either side.
- C. Awarding an Adjusted Score
- 1. Artificial Score
- When, owing to an irregularity, no result can be obtained, the Director
awards an artificial adjusted score according to responsibility for the
irregularity: average minus (at most 40% of the available matchpoints in
pairs) to a contestant directly at fault; average (50% in pairs) to a contestant
only partially at fault; average plus (at least 60% in pairs) to a contestant
in no way at fault (see Law 86 for team
play or Law 88 for pairs play). The scores
awarded to the two sides need not balance.
- 2. Assigned Score
- When the Director awards an assigned adjusted score in place of a result
actually obtained after an irregularity, the score is, for a non-offending
side, the most favourable result that was likely had the irregularity not
occurred, or, for an offending side, the most unfavourable result that
was at all probable. The scores awarded to the two sides need not balance,
and may be assigned either in matchpoints or by altering the total-point
score prior to matchpointing.
- 3. Powers of Appeals Committee
- Unless Zonal Organisations specify otherwise, an appeals committee
may vary an assigned adjusted score in order to achieve equity.
LAW 13 - INCORRECT NUMBER OF CARDS ![polish version](../poland.gif)
When the Director determines that one or more pockets of the board contained
an incorrect number of cards,
and a player with an incorrect hand has made a call, then when the Director
deems that the deal can be corrected and played normally with no change
of call, the deal may be so played with the concurrence of all four players.
Otherwise, the Director shall award an artificial adjusted score, and may
penalise an offender. If no such call has been made, then:
- A. No Player Has Seen Another's Card
- The Director shall correct the discrepancy as follows, and, if no player
will then have seen another's card, shall require that the board be played
normally.
- 1. Hand Records
- When hand records are available, the Director shall distribute the
cards in accordance with the records.
- 2. Consult Previous Players
- If hand records are not available, the Director shall correct the board
by consulting with players who have previously played it.
- 3. Require a Redeal
- If the board was incorrectly dealt, the Director shall require a redeal
(Law 6).
- B. A Player Has Seen Another Player's Card(s)
- When the Director determines that one or more pockets of the board
contained an incorrect number of cards, and after restoration of the board
to its original condition a player has seen one or more cards of another
player's hand, if the Director deems:
- 1. The Information Gained Is Inconsequential
- that such information will not interfere with normal bidding or play,
the Director, with the concurrence of all four players, may allow the board
to be played and scored normally.
- 2. The Information Will Interfere with Normal Play
- that the information gained thereby is of sufficient importance to
interfere with normal bidding or play, or if any player objects to playing
the board, the Director shall award an artificial adjusted score and may
penalise an offender.
- C. Play Completed
- When it is determined, after play ends, that a player's hand originally
contained more than 13 cards with another player holding correspondingly
fewer, the result must be cancelled (for procedural penalty, see Law 90).
Where three hands are correct and one hand is deficient,
Law 14, and not this law, applies.
LAW 14 - MISSING
CARD ![polish version](../poland.gif)
- A. Hand Found Deficient before Play Commences
- When three hands are correct and the fourth is found to be deficient
before the play period begins, the Director makes a search for any missing
card, and:
- 1. Card Is Found
- If a card is found, it is restored to the deficient hand.
- 2. Card Cannot Be Found
- If a card cannot be found, the Director reconstructs the deal, as near
to its original form as he can determine, by substituting another pack.
- B. Hand Found Deficient Afterwards
- When three hands are correct and the fourth is found to be deficient
after the play period begins, the Director makes a search for any missing
card, and:
- 1. Card Is Found
- (a) If a card is found among the played cards, Law 67
applies.
- (b) If a card is found elsewhere, it is restored to the deficient hand,
and penalties may apply (see 3., following).
- 2. Card Cannot Be Found
- If a card cannot be found, the deal is reconstructed as nearly as can
be determined in its original form by substituting another pack, and penalties
may apply (see 3., following).
- 3. Possible Penalties
- A card restored to a hand under the provisions of Section B of this
law is deemed to have belonged continuously to the deficient hand. It may
become a penalty card (Law 50), and failure
to have played it may constitute a revoke.
LAW 15 - PLAY
OF A WRONG BOARD ![polish version](../poland.gif)
- A. Players Have Not Previously Played Board
- If players play a board not designated for them to play in the current
round:
- 1. Score Board as Played
- The Director normally allows the score to stand if none of the four
players have previously played the board.
- 2. Designate a Late Play
- The Director may require both pairs to play the correct board against
one another later.
- B. One or More Players Have Previously Played
Board
- If any player plays a board he has previously played, with the correct
opponents or otherwise, his second score on the board is cancelled both
for his side and his opponents', and the Director shall award an artificial
adjusted score to the contestants deprived of the opportunity to earn a
valid score.
- C. Discovered during Auction
- If, during the auction period, the Director discovers that a contestant
is playing a board not designated for him to play in the current round,
he shall cancel the auction, ensure that the correct contestants are seated
and informed of their rights both now and at future rounds. A second auction
begins. Players must repeat calls they made previously. If any call differs
in any way from the corresponding call in the first auction, the Director
shall cancel the board. Otherwise, play continues normally.
LAW 16 - UNAUTHORISED INFORMATION ![polish version](../poland.gif)
Players are authorised to base their calls and plays on information
from legal calls and plays and from mannerisms of opponents. To base a
call or play on other extraneous information may be an infraction of law.
- A. Extraneous Information from Partner
- After a player makes available to his partner extraneous information
that may suggest a call or play, as by means of a remark, a question, a
reply to a question, or by unmistakable hesitation, unwonted speed, special
emphasis, tone, gesture, movement, mannerism or the like, the partner may
not choose from among logical alternative actions one that could demonstrably
have been suggested over another by the extraneous information.
- 1. When Such Information Is Given
- When a player considers that an opponent has made such information
available, and that damage could well result, he may, unless the regulations
of the sponsoring organisation prohibit, immediately announce that he reserves
the right to summon the Director later (the opponents should summon the
Director immediately if they dispute the fact that unauthorised information
might have been conveyed).
- 2. When Illegal Alternative Is Chosen
- 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.
- B. Extraneous Information from Other Sources
- When a player accidentally receives unauthorised information about
a board he is playing or has yet to play, as by looking at the wrong hand;
by overhearing calls, results or remarks; by seeing cards at another table;
or by seeing a card belonging to another player at his own table before
the auction begins: the Director should be notified forthwith, preferably
by the recipient of the information. If the Director considers that the
information could interfere with normal play, he may:
- 1. Adjust Positions
- if the type of contest and scoring permit, adjust the players' positions
at the table, so that the player with information about one hand will hold
that hand; or,
- 2. Appoint Substitute
- with the concurrence of all four players, appoint a temporary substitute
to replace the player who received the unauthorised information; or,
- 3. Award an Adjusted Score
- forthwith award an artificial adjusted score.
- C. Information from Withdrawn Calls and Plays
- A call or play may be withdrawn, and another substituted, either by
a non-offending side after an opponent's infraction, or by an offending
side to rectify an infraction.
- 1. Non-offending Side
- For the non-offending side, all information arising from a withdrawn
action is authorised, whether the action be its own or its opponents'.
- 2. Offending Side
- For the offending side, information arising from its own withdrawn
action, and from withdrawn actions of the non-offending side, is unauthorised.
A player of the offending side may not choose from among logical alternative
actions one that could demonstrably have been suggested over another by
the unauthorised information.
When play ends; or, as to dummy's hand, when dummy
is exposed.
Next: CHAPTER
V - The Auction Top of this Chapter
Previous: CHAPTER
III - Preparation and Progression
Last modified: Sun Oct 12 12:02:18
1997