East Texas Unit 225
ACBL District 16
ACBL Unit 225
East Texas
United States
acblunit
Bridge Laws
ACBL enacts and enforces the governing laws and rules of duplicate bridge. To the casual bridge player, these laws or rules can be difficult to understand and interpret. Beginning in 2022, explanations of some of the more common laws/rules will be posted here.
Law 45 -- Played Cards
Law 45 addresses the issue of played cards. Here is a situation that is not uncommon: N - Dummy – A Q W - K Declarer leads the 5, West plays the King and Declarer says: “Queen uh King; play the Ace. The Director is called. Partner of the person who played the King tells the Director what happened. Declarer agrees, but says the statement was all in one breath without pause for thought, so the Ace should be the card played from Dummy. The following is from Duplicate Decisions: “A player may correct the call of a card if it is inadvertent (i.e., a slip of the tongue) and if there was no pause for thought in indicating a desire to change the card called. An opponent, however, may change a legal play made in turn prior to the correction. Example: It frequently occurs that declarer leads and his play from dummy is intended to be conditional on the play of LHO. He then prematurely calls a card from dummy and, observing that LHO’s card makes his choice unpalatable, endeavors to change it. The change must not be allowed regardless of the tempo, for his first designation was not inadvertent. Declarer leads a club, intending to ruff in dummy. As he says “ruff,” he notices that LHO has ruffed with a trump higher than any in dummy. Regardless of how quickly he says, “pitch a diamond,” such a change may not be allowed, because "ruff' was not inadvertent.” The Director ruled that the Queen was played as Declarer had intended to finesse and changed his mind after calling for the Queen and noticing that the King hand been played by the defender. | ||
Laws 53 thru 58 -- Lead Out of Turn
These laws address the various situations. If a Defender makes a lead out of turn, the Director must be called, as declarer has several options. Duplicate Decisions covers these laws:
53 Lead out of Turn Accepted
Any Lead Faced out of Turn May Be Treated as a Correct Lead
If declarer or either defender, as the case may be, accepts it by making a statement to that effect. Play will then continue and dummy is faced before declarer plays from their own hand.
If no acceptance is made, the Director will require that the lead be made from the correct hand. NOTE: See Law 50 E for declarer’s options if the proper lead is to be made by the partner of the player who led out of turn.
54 Faced Opening Lead out of Turn
The Director’s ruling should begin with this statement to declarer: “You have five options. They are:
1. “You may accept the lead from the wrong hand and see dummy before playing in proper sequence from your own hand.”
2. “You may accept the lead and become the dummy.” (If the declarer exposes one of more cards, he must spread his hand, becoming dummy.)
3. “You may require the lead — one time only from the proper opening leader — of the suit that was improperly led, and the penalty card is returned to the offender’s hand.
4. “You may prohibit the lead — from the proper leader for as long as he holds the lead — of the suit that was improperly led, and the penalty card is returned to the offender’s hand.
5. “You may leave the improperly led card on the table to remain a penalty card. The opening leader can lead as he chooses. If the correct opening leader retains or regains the lead, however, and his partner still has the penalty card, you will, each time before the defender leads, have the choice of exercising option 3, option 4 or option 5.”
NOTE: A player may withdraw a lead out of turn if the leader was mistakenly informed by an opponent that it was his turn to lead (Law 47E). Remember, too, that an opening lead by the declaring side may not be accepted, Law 24.
55 Declarer’s Lead out of Turn
The Laws state that either opponent may accept or require retraction of a lead out of turn by declarer. (Note: if the lead out of turn was due to misinformation from an opponent, see Law 47 E.)
Occasionally someone will point out declarer’s lead from the wrong hand. That is merely calling attention to the irregularity. Both defenders still have all their rights. The proper method of extending the defenders their rights is as follows:
1. The Director should advise the defenders that either of them may accept or reject the lead. They are not allowed to consult and the first to speak will speak for the partnership.
2. The Director should explain that if a defender chooses to reject the lead, declarer must lead from the correct hand but is not required to lead the same suit. The card incorrectly led will be restored to its proper hand with no further penalty, and declarer will make any legal play from the correct hand.
3. If no one has yet spoken up, the Director should say, “If neither of you cares to accept the lead, declarer will be required to lead from the proper hand,” pause for a moment, and then so direct the declarer. If a defender requests a little more time to ponder his decision, the Director should honor the request.
56 Defender’s Lead out of Turn
Declarer’s Options when a Defender Leads out of Turn:
1. Declarer may choose to accept the lead out of turn.
2. Declarer may require the defender to retract his lead out of turn. The card illegally led becomes a major penalty card.
57 Premature Lead or Play
Declarer’s Options:
When a defender leads to the next trick before his partner has played to the current trick or plays out of turn before his partner has played, the card so led or played becomes a major penalty card. Declarer has three options:
1. He may require offender’s partner to play the highest card he holds of the suit led.
2. He may require offender’s partner to play the lowest card he holds of the suit led.
3. He may prohibit offender’s partner from playing a card of a different specified suit.
NOTE: When offender’s partner is unable to comply with the choice made by declarer, he may play any legal card.
When a defender plays before his partner, there is no penalty:
1. If declarer has played from both hands or indicated a play from dummy. (A premature play by declarer from either hand is a played card, it may not be withdrawn.)
2. If dummy has played a card on his own initiative or illegally suggested that it be played. NOTE: A singleton in dummy or one of a group of cards in the same suit which are equal in rank is not considered to be automatically played.
58 Simultaneous Leads or Plays
A lead or play made simultaneously with another player’s legal lead or play is deemed to be subsequent to it. If both defenders lead at the same time, for example, and one was the proper leader, the lead from the defender who was not the proper leader should be treated as a penalty card using Law 50 as a guideline.
If a Player Leads or Plays More than One Card Simultaneously:
1. When only one card is visible, that card is played and the other card(s) is returned to the player’s hand without penalty.
2. When more than one card is visible, the player chooses the card he proposes to play. Each of the other cards becomes a penalty card subject to Law 50 if the player was a defender. If a single remaining card is lower than a 10, it becomes a minor penalty card — the offender is entitled to know this prior to selecting the card to be played.
3. If the simultaneous play remains undiscovered until both sides have played to the next trick, the Director would, without exposing the extra cards, return them to the player’s hand. Those cards may constitute a revoke if the player could have played one to an earlier trick rather than not follow suit. (See Law 67.) NOTE: After a player withdraws a visible card, an opponent who subsequently played to that card has the right to withdraw his card and substitute another without penalty. The Director may award an adjusted score if the withdrawn card gives information to the offending side that benefits them in the play.
Law 40 Partnership Understandings
Duplicate Decisions which is published by ACBL goes into detailed explanation of the requirements and can be viewed here: http://
The principles of the law are clear. People playing together each must have a filled out convention card disclosing their agreements and the cards must be identical. Our opponents are entitled to know our agreements concerning system, conventions, leads and signaling.
Communication between partners during a hand is limited to the bids, and the cards played; not body language, positioning of cards, hesitations etc.
ACBL and individual sponsors may limit which conventions are acceptable for use in the games and tournaments under their jurisdiction. Some new players are surprised to find out they are not free to “invent and use” conventions, but must follow the charts as prescribed by ACBL.
The charts were updated in the fall of 2018 and you'll find that the "Open" chart is the most commonly used.
ACBL offers guidance on how to fill out the convention card: https://www.acbl.org/document-library/#players
One area that can be confusing to new players is use of the word “standard.” For leads and defensive carding, it is important to reach agreement with partner on your methods. Standard leads are in bold on the convention card. If your agreement deviates from these, your leads are not “standard”. Likewise “standard” count and attitude signals are defined. Standard attitude is “high cards are encouraging; low are discouraging”. When giving count, standard signals are up the line for holding an odd number of cards and a high/low echo for an even number.
Take the time to talk over these agreements with your partner. Knowing what partner is doing will help improve your defense and produce better results.
posted 2/22
Law 45 -- When a card is played
This is a very frequent cause for Director calls. The following is from Duplicate Decisions which is published by ACBL:
“Declarer’s card is played when it is held face up, touching or nearly touching the table, or maintained in such a position as to indicate that it has been played. It is irrelevant whether either or both of the defenders see the card. If the card is held in a manner to indicate declarer has determined to play it, the card is played.
A defender’s card is played when it is held in a position where it could be possible for his partner to see its face.
Declarer may correct the call of a card from dummy if it is inadvertent (i.e., a slip of the tongue) and if there was no pause for thought in indicating a desire to change the card called. An opponent, however, may change a legal play made in turn prior to the correction.”
Duplicate Decisions gives the Directors guidelines for determining the correct ruling in the event the play of a card is contested. The guidelines basically boil down to NOT allowing the change unless there is overwhelming evidence that it should be changed.
Here is one example of the guidelines:
“Example: It frequently occurs that declarer leads and his play from dummy is intended to be conditional on the play of LHO. He then prematurely calls a card from dummy and, observing that LHO’s card makes his choice unpalatable, endeavors to change it. The change must not be allowed regardless of the tempo, for his first designation was not inadvertent. Declarer leads a club, intending to ruff in dummy. As he says “ruff,” he notices that LHO has ruffed with a trump higher than any in dummy. Regardless of how quickly he says “pitch a diamond,” such a change may not be allowed, because “ruff ” was not inadvertent.”
posted 2/22
-Copyright 2014 ACBL Unit 225. All rights reserved.
ACBL Unit 225
East Texas
United States
acblunit