Wrong card played by dummy

[Barry]

Declarer asks dummy to play the AD. Dummy plays the 8D. RHO plays the KD and Declarer and LHO follow suit with low cards. RHO then plays the AC. Declarer says he has played out of turn because he had won the trick with the AD in dummy. The Director is called. Declarer states that he called for the AD. Dummy said he thought he had asked for the 8D. One Defender can't remember but the other Defender says he thought he heard the 8D called for. Normally you would consult Law45D (Card Misplayed by Dummy). However how do you decide which card was called for?

[jdaming]

D. Card Misplayed by Dummy

If dummy places in the played position a card that declarer did not name, the card must be withdrawn if attention is drawn to it before each side has played to the next trick, and a defender may withdraw and return to his hand a card played after the error but before attention was drawn to it. If declarer’s RHO changes his play, declarer may withdraw a card he had subsequently played to that trick (see Law 16D).

 

Well since both sides didn't play to the next trick we must back things up. Sounds to me like declarer should pay a little more attention to what dummy plays. RHO returns both his ♦ and the A♣ to his hand and play proceeds from there.

 

If I had to decide what card was called for I go for the good old 2 against 1 reasoning, but I don't as the law says I must back things up unless both sides have played to the next trick.

 

Maybe if RHO did something cute like immediately played his "winning" ♦ and a club I could see some action as declarer didn't get a chance to correct dummy. It sounds like this was not the case. If this WAS deemed a penalty card anyone could (very unethically or course) call something wait for RHO to lead and then call foul enabling them to make some very unmakeable contracts I am sure.

[blackshoe]

Let's not speculate on players being "cute".

 

The TD must determine the facts of the case to his satisfaction (Law 84 and 85). In this case, the "fact" in question is for which card declarer called. So the TD does have to decide which card it was.

 

I'm not sure "the good old 2 against 1 reasoning" is best here — what declarer's RHO thought he heard may well have been influenced by the card dummy put in the played position, and by the player's desire to win the trick.

 

Further than that I don't have time to go right now.

[jdaming]

Lets say for the sake of argument that the TD decides that declarer wanted to play the A♦ then what do you do? Making the A♣ a penalty card is VERY harsh against RHO especially when it is the fault of declarer for not correcting dummy and dummy/declarer for miscommunicating.

[duschek]

Making the A♣ a penalty card is VERY harsh against RHO especially when it is the fault of declarer for not correcting dummy and dummy/declarer for miscommunicating.

The laws work as you want them to. According to the previously quoted Law 45D:

• The ♣A is returned to RHO's hand.
  
• The ♦8 played by dummy is replaced by the ♦A.
  
• Both defenders may return the card played to the ♦8 and replace it by a different card.
  
• If the declarer's RHO changes his play of the ♦K, declarer may change his play too.
  
• Information from the defenders' plays to the ♦8 (edit: and from the play of the ♣A) is UI to declarer and AI to the defenders (via Law 16D). No penalty card.
  

[bluejak]

If I had to decide what card was called for I go for the good old 2 against 1 reasoning, but I don't as the law says I must back things up unless both sides have played to the next trick.

Well, no, as you quoted it says [my bold/italic]:

If dummy places in the played position a card that declarer did not name, ...