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Bridge Questions and Answers - saskatoon bridge club

Bridge Questions and Answers - saskatoon bridge club

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him to bid again. This should not work, as partner must make his response based only on his h<strong>and</strong>.<br />

2. When partner hesitates, your action is controlled by the following rule. (Paraphrasing <strong>and</strong><br />

simplifying Law 16): From among the logical alternatives, the partner of the offender must NOT<br />

choose the call reasonably suggested by the hesitation. You are not barred, but you must make your call<br />

based on your h<strong>and</strong> <strong>and</strong> the bids on the table <strong>and</strong> nothing else. For example, if you need a little extra<br />

from partner to bid game, <strong>and</strong> partner’s hesitation suggests he has it, you must not bid the game. Note<br />

that this does not mean you cannot make the bid you would have made in any case; it’s just that you<br />

must not be influenced in your choice of bids by partner’s hesitation. And if the director is called, be<br />

prepared to defend your action<br />

.When an opponent hesitates, you have a decision to make. Previously,<br />

the director should have been called immediately. The rules have changed, <strong>and</strong> now it is only<br />

necessary that all 4 players at the table agree that a hesitation occurred, <strong>and</strong> play continues for now. The<br />

director should be called if all 4 players do not agree. The idea is that you must establish your position<br />

as early as possible so as to minimize the damage <strong>and</strong> the complexity of the remedy. This is often very<br />

difficult <strong>and</strong> awkward to do, especially if playing in a <strong>club</strong> game with friends. Some players will never<br />

say anything. Most will do it only if the “tanking” is flagrant <strong>and</strong> seems likely to significantly affect<br />

the outcome. But be warned. If you don’t speak immediately, it may be more difficult to prove your<br />

case later. Finally, arguments pro <strong>and</strong> con about hesitation are rampant. Many want the rules changed,<br />

some want to eliminate the issue altogether <strong>and</strong> “play on.” It is certainly not a perfect world. For now,<br />

we players have no choice but to live with the present rules <strong>and</strong> do the best we can to play fair <strong>and</strong> bid<br />

in an ethical <strong>and</strong> honest manner.<br />

DON'T VARY THE SPEED OF YOUR ACTIONS<br />

A typical violation occurs when a player doubles quickly, thinking about inflicting a large penalty<br />

on the opponents. Partner, who may get in the way by bidding something new over the double, is not<br />

entitled to know doubler's degree of optimism. It is equally improper deliberately to hesitate for a long<br />

time <strong>and</strong> then double when the issue is close. Hesitations are unavoidable, because <strong>bridge</strong> is a tough<br />

game <strong>and</strong> everyone encounters problems, but you should keep the same tempo whenever possible; take<br />

a second or two to act even when your decision is an obvious one.<br />

DON'T DRAW INFERENCES FROM THE SPEED OF YOUR PARTNER'S BIDS AND<br />

PLAYS<br />

If your partner hesitates for a long while <strong>and</strong> then passes, it is obvious that the hesitation indicates<br />

something of value (else there would be nothing to consider). However, you are ethically obligated not<br />

to make any use of this information <strong>and</strong> to act just as though partner had passed quickly. Notice that<br />

although you must try to make your calls <strong>and</strong> plays in a uniform tempo, there is nothing wrong with<br />

thinking at length when it is necessary. What is wrong is for the hesitator's partner to take an unusual<br />

action on the basis of this illegal information. Players who take advantage of such hesitations (<strong>and</strong>, for<br />

example, bid further with poor values, expecting to find unannounced strength in partner's h<strong>and</strong>)<br />

deserve to be shunned by those who know better. And they usually are.<br />

DON'T MAKE EMPHATIC GESTURES<br />

It may be tempting to slam a card down if you don't like partner's play or to speak loudly <strong>and</strong> angrily if<br />

partner's bids seem to be heading your side towards disaster, but such temptation must be resisted.<br />

Similarly, don't smile or applaud loudly if partner's actions please you. Maintain the same tone <strong>and</strong><br />

demeanor.<br />

DON'T MAKE SUPERFLUOUS COMMENTS

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