Scoring North or South

[swanway]

EBU

 

In our club we use Bridgmates. After playing a hand it is normal for North to score the hand and then show the result to East who will accept the score displayed on the screen or not accept it. Is South allowed to score the board instead of North? We have one couple who prefer to use this method of scoring. Is it a law that North does the scoring and East does the checking or can South undertake this task? Dont't even ask about suggesting to South that they play North. Been there, done that!!

[Lanor Fow]

The laws themselves do not specify who should input or write down scores. There may be local regulations applicable, but the EBU does not regulate that North has to score. Indeed in the white book it says

 

"Possibly because of some very old Laws there is an impression amongst some players

that only North is allowed to do anything. They assume he has to score, look after the

boards, put the board on the table correctly, move the boards and so on. Some people

ascribe further responsibilities to North, such as looking after speed of play, deciding

whether the board should stay in the centre of the table, and so on. How much of this

is true?

According to the Law Book, only moving the boards is the specific responsibility of

North [Law 8]. However, custom and practice, plus some local regulations, mean that

scoring is normally done by North or South, and checked by East or West."

[ahydra]

That explains why people kept screaming at me at my (now ex-)club when I, as East, cycled the boards at the end of a hand -.-

 

If having South score is not illegal, and given that it really doesn't matter provided someone scores, I don't see why South shouldn't be allowed to score. Hell, why not let West check it for added fun! :)

 

ahydra

[gordontd]

This is a matter of regulation, not law. In the programmes for EBU events it currently says that North (or South) enters the scores into the Bridgemates and East (or West) checks it. This clearly acknowledges standard practice while allowing for it to be varied. It will be included in the next edition of the White Book, but clubs are free to make their own regulations about this. It's hard to see though why a club might want to deny the possibility of South scoring instead of North.

[gnasher]

It's even harder to imagine what led to this question being asked.

[paulg]

It's even harder to imagine what led to this question being asked.

As DWS oft says, most of us have no understanding of real club bridge.

[mycroft]

There are Lords (frankly, almost always Ladies, but not always) Of The Table in bridge, and when you hit one of them, watch out if anybody takes North's (that is, LotT's) privilege (for anything but moving the boards - they'll do anything not to have to do anything more than bruise the next South's arm for that)^*

 

But there is a good and valid reason why Only North (or Only South, if North so delegates) cycles boards. At least once a tournament, I get a "we're bidding from different boards" situation; almost always, someone cycled the boards and pulled their cards, and then the LotT does it and pulls out *their* hand. What the other two do is somewhat random. As this frequently leads to two boards being unplayable, it's somewhat discouraged. Yes, I know *you're* smarter than that and pay more attention, but your opponents aren't...

 

^*including getting the TDs to do it because "you're there, and up". Unless you have a walker, you can get up. If you're late, I'll move the board that the new table needs to keep the game moving; if it's a real request and not a polite (and sometimes not even polite) demand, and you don't do it *every round*, yeah, maybe I'll do it; otherwise, "I'm sorry, I need to pay attention to that table down there." If it's a not polite demand, it might even get a not polite "No."

[mgoetze]

I don't see why South shouldn't be allowed to score. Hell, why not let West check it for added fun! :)

On the contrary, I don't consider this fun at all. If I'm sitting East I expect to be the one doing the checking regardless of whether North or South is entering the score in the Bridgemate. I find that people scoring South often do present it to West instead and consider it annoying.

[blackshoe]

Marge was sitting East today. Sweet old lady, somewhere in her nineties. Decent, but not great, player. I made to hand her the bridgepad after the first board. Her partner said, "would you give that to me, please". So I did. :P

 

BTW, I was north.

[shevek]

In Australia, South scores & East checks. That's our advice, not a Rule.

 

Incidentally, it seems clear to me(us) that South should score since he sees the world the right way up.

Fewer errors in keying declarer.

 

I suspect North as scorer started in America a century ago and nobody sort to question it.

This is not a hemispherical issue.

Now boards and movement cards are mostly numbered upside down. The horse has bolted, which is a pity.

[bluejak]

It's even harder to imagine what led to this question being asked.

I have been told off by opponents for scoring as South. They told me I mustn't, the Law says it had to be North. When I told them I did not think so they intimated I had no idea of the Laws. This is not an isolated case, it has happened to me a few times.

 

My partner likes to check the Bridgemate so I always indicate it should be shown to her. One particularly obnoxious North said "The Bridgemate says for East or West to check it". I replied, mildly [for me]: "My partner is East or West".

 

When I score I always ask opponents which one would like to check the Bridgemate.

[barmar]

When I'm scoring, I usually keep the bridgemate towards my right, so I tend to show it to West because they're closer. Most EW pairs don't seem to have a preference over who checks, but sometimes they'll say that their partner does the checking and then I pass it over to East.

[inquiry]

when we are ew and we get a bad result, i make my partner check the score. I check all the good ones. He likes it when he doesn't get to check many. :)

[Vampyr]

I find that when all men and many women are doing the scoring, it doesn't matter whether they usually show it to East or West, when it is a mixed pair. Pisses me off.

[Cthulhu D]

I generally ask 'who checks the scores' after the first hand, and failing that give it to whoever I happened to be looking at at the time.. but I generally sit west because superstition and I like to move as much as possible because I get uncomfortable sitting at a small table for a protracted period of time.

 

when we are ew and we get a bad result, i make my partner check the score. I check all the good ones. He likes it when he doesn't get to check many. :)

 

This is a good idea. I am going to start doing this - partly because I'm currently playing with some new players so seeing the scoring can only help.

[Oof Arted]

I have been told off by opponents for scoring as South. They told me I mustn't, the Law says it had to be North. When I told them I did not think so they intimated I had no idea of the Laws. This is not an isolated case, it has happened to me a few times.

:rolleyes:

 

Sounds as if they know you David :P

[gwnn]

When I'm North and I was defending, I let declarer check. When I was declarer or dummy, I usually give it to East, I think some (most?) Bridgemates say "verify score by East", or is this my dyslexia acting up again?

[gordontd]

I think some (most?) Bridgemates say "verify score by East", or is this my dyslexia acting up again?

The older ones do, but more recent firmware corrected this to say East or West.

[mycroft]

When doing tickets, or scoring bridgemates, I have also noticed the "mixed pair" issue, so I deliberately, unless I know better for this pair, pass it the other way. I have even had that commented on (as in "wow, Round 9 and you're the first person that assumed partner is able to check the scores. Thank you.")

 

Of course, almost all of my partners (in particular, all my female partners) refuse to allow me to score any more.

[barmar]

I find that when all men and many women are doing the scoring, it doesn't matter whether they usually show it to East or West, when it is a mixed pair. Pisses me off.

I can't figure out what this means. I'm guessing there's supposed to be some implication of gender discrimination, but I can't see where you're saying it.

[Vampyr]

I can't figure out what this means. I'm guessing there's supposed to be some implication of gender discrimination, but I can't see where you're saying it.

 

Read the post directly above yours.

[gnasher]

Is checking the bridgemate an important job that can be entrusted only to a responsible male, or is it a tiresome administrative task ideally suited to the female mind?

[CSGibson]

With bridge mates, the only consideration I have when giving the bridge mate to east or west to check the score is:

 

Is either one of them at least a generation younger than the other one?

 

If the answer is yes, I give it to the younger person, since my experience is that they'll be less intimidated by technology. I had no idea that there was a traditional direction that checked scores.

[Vampyr]

Is checking the bridgemate an important job that can be entrusted only to a responsible male, or is it a tiresome administrative task ideally suited to the female mind?

 

I find it's the former, though I wasn't aware until now that giving the bridgemate to either person is evidence of sexism.

[pran]

I am astonished over what some people can make a problem.

 

If some regulation or CoC specifies the players responsible for recording and confirming (respectively) the result on a board then obviously the same players are responsible for the corresponding handling of Bridgemates.

 

And if no such regulation or CoC exists then there should be no more problem with Bridgemates than there has been through more than 80 years with travellers or similar forms to be written and confirmed.