You should know the rules

Press, 11 February 1986, Page 16

You should know the rules

CONTRACT BRIDGE

J.R. Wignall

The general ignorance of the laws of the game displayed by ' bridge players has always surprised me. Maybe it is caused by laziness; more probably by the difficulty of obtaining a copy of the Laws; but almost certainly by the virtual impossibility of following the maze of cross-references and baffling legal language. A new Bridge Flipper, “A Player’s Guide to the Duplicate Bridge Laws,” fills a need that has existed for many years. It has been produced by Richard Brightling, who played for New Zealand before he moved from Christchurch to Sydney, and Richard Grenside, Australia’s top Tournament Director. It is remarkably good value at its local price of $3.95 and one of the writers is an experienced bridge teacher while the other knows the laws backwards.

It is a guide to and summary of the laws, ex-

plaining clearly what happens when there is an infringement of just about any kind. A companion flipper is a similar guide to the laws of rubber bridge. It certainly pays to know the rules, and in a rubber bridge game to have a copy handy for disbelieving opponents. In tournament bridge of course there is a Director, to whom all infringements must be referred. This let me off the hook in a match against Italy for the world championship two years ago. The hand was dealt by East as follows:

N ♦ A KlO 7 6 4 83 4 102 A 94 W E 4 Q 4 JB2 V KQJ4 4 10765 0 A76 4 KJ543 4 107652 «?> Q

s 4 953 4 A 92 ♦ Q9B ♦ KJB3 The auction was: W N E S No No 2* 24 No 2NT No 3NT All Pass

After two passes the Italian West opened with two clubs, which on this occasion showed a club suit of at least five cards, possibly another four card suit, and 11 to 15 high card points. North overcalled two spades, South tried two no-trumps and his partner found a very aggressive raise to three notrumps in the hope that the spades were solid. Against three no-trumps

West led the king of hearts, and the declarer saw that if the adverse spades were divided two with each opponent, then he had six tricks in the suit — which with the ace and king of clubs plus the ace of hearts would give him the nine he needed. He therefore took the first trick with the heart ace, to play off the ace and king of spades. It was a bitter blow when West showed out, for now South had to concede a trick to the jack of spades. When East took this, the declarer wondered just how many tricks in the red suits the defenders could make. It looked as though he would be three down at least. Well, he thought, at least four spades would not make either. Then, just as South was wondering how best to continue, a very, very strange thing occurred. East suddenly put the jack of spades onto the table! The director was called, and ruled that the spade

jack was an exposed card which had to be played at the first available opportunity whether following suit or discarding. In these events, they all tell me, one has a moral and legal obligation to take full advantage of any such lapses by the opposition, so how I saw an opportunity to make a contract that had once seemed hopeless.

When the ace and king of clubs were played off, East could not follow to the second round so was obliged, with gritted teeth, to discard his jack of spades. Now the declarer could cash the remaining spades, making 10 tricks in all.

“Well played,” said the Italian West with heavy sarcasm.

“I’m very sorry but that is what I had to do,” said South.

“That’s a game swing to the good guys,” said the New Zealand captain later.