Sky Red

This is a real life situation. I was the player director and my partner was the fourth pass. Because there was no other director available, I did have to rule and said that it was a passed out board. It turned out to be a bad board for us – but it might not have been. I posted the situation just in case I might be called to deal with a similar event at another table within the next half century and also to hope some side issues would be aired. They have; in particular the “very convincing argument”. My OP described the hand (15 hcp with 6 clubs headed by AK) so clearly biddable and not border-line. So what has the director to be convinced about?. Presumably the director should not rule any differently just because it is the fourth pass and not an earlier one. And how would the director reject a mechanical error explanation without implying a lie having been told?

1 There are four passes 2 Dealer then shows his hand saying that with a different partner he would have opened a weak two hearts. 3 This announcement “wakes up” fourth bidder (the final pass) who claims that he meant to open one club. 4 He does have his bid – there are 15 hcp with six clubs headed with AK. Q1 Can the fourth pass now be changed to a one club bid? Q2 If so; can dealer bid having exposed all thirteen cards? Q3 Would there then be any restrictions on the bidding by dealer’s partner? Q4 If dealer elects not to bid (passes again) can dealer’s partner bid? Q5 Should the “one club bidder” or his partner become declarer, are all thirteen exposed cards now major penalty cards? Q6 And would this mean that in effect declarer could play the opponent’s exposed hand?

another try there has been a full round of bidding Declarer makes a second bid Declarer's LHO makes a second bid followed by two passes Now it is Declarer's turn to bid again. Instead of bidding, Declarer picks up the bidding cards, moves them towards the bidding box but stops half-way there. Then declarer puts them back on the table with the intention of continuing the bidding Q Is another bid allowed or by the actions of picking up the cards etc. is declarer deemed to have passed?

Can I start again? Declarer would have been the third pass (and so ended the bidding) All the other players had previously bid No one has doubled anything Main question - can Declarer's actions be deemed to have been a Pass?

It is meant to mean that there were three passes and if Declarer had then passed properly there would have been four consecutive passes. Instead of that, Declarer picked up the bidding cards and put them back on the table.

There is a contested auction with all four players making bids. Declarer in the pass out seat, picks up the bidding cards and half-way to the bidding box announces that it is intended to make a bid and thus continue the auction. Opponents call the Director, claiming that the auction has ended. Declarer’s defence is that she was distracted when the maid arrived with the tea and did not intend to pass. Has the auction ended?

Declarer leads towards dummy and not looking at LHO’s card says “sm……..”.This is assumed to be the start of the word”small”. At the same time dummy, without any complete instruction, plays a card higher than the one played by LHO. Declarer now designates the card to be played as the same one selected by dummy. In dummy there is a card smaller than that played by LHO. The Director is called and the issues are:1) how should the director deal with the situation? and 2) what should the ruling be?