"Play One"

[mycroft]

Actually, I just call the card. "Jack of Hearts, please". It causes offence, because "play anything, partner" means "play something obviously safe" in the minds of the declarers. Not that it has ever mattered, but that's because the "play anything" people aren't playing for the bad discard, they do in fact have all the tricks and are just avoiding claiming.

[pran]

Actually, I just call the card. "Jack of Hearts, please". It causes offence, because "play anything, partner" means "play something obviously safe" in the minds of the declarers. Not that it has ever mattered, but that's because the "play anything" people aren't playing for the bad discard, they do in fact have all the tricks and are just avoiding claiming.

And this sounds fair enough.

Now if that raises any objection by declarer it is time to tell him politely that you will call the director because that is the law. (I do hope that your next statement will never be insisting that he does play the ♥J?)

[Siegmund]

If only they would come right out and object. What most of the dummies do, in my experience, is put their deuce of clubs in the played position in tempo, either ignoring you entirely or chuckling at (what they think is) your little joke of pretending to tell them what to play." Meanwhile declarer has turned his card over and already led to the next trick.

 

I find myself trying to say, hey, wait a minute, no, I was serious about that ♥J, while trying to bring the play to a halt until the situation is resolved. And somehow it seems to be impossible to make all that come across as polite. I could try calling the director immediately without saying why again, I suppose, but I think that might be interpreted as even more hostile.

[pran]

If only they would come right out and object. What most of the dummies do, in my experience, is put their deuce of clubs in the played position in tempo, either ignoring you entirely or chuckling at (what they think is) your little joke of pretending to tell them what to play." Meanwhile declarer has turned his card over and already led to the next trick.

 

I find myself trying to say, hey, wait a minute, no, I was serious about that ♥J, while trying to bring the play to a halt until the situation is resolved. And somehow it seems to be impossible to make all that come across as polite. I could try calling the director immediately without saying why again, I suppose, but I think that might be interpreted as even more hostile.

OK.

Now depending on the situation:

 

In a friendly club event or if the selection of the card to be played is indeed immaterial I would suggest (either immediately or at the end of the play) stating something like: "You should really be aware that it is a serious offence by dummy selecting the card to be played. When declarer says ANY then either defender, not dummy, decides which card is to be played from dummy".

 

In a more serious situation I would recommend (immediately): "Sorry, but I shall have to call the director" and then do so.

[Vampyr]

In a more serious situation I would recommend (immediately): "Sorry, but I shall have to call the director" and then do so.

I would prefer to follow the rules of the game than give my opponents a lecture.

 

I have often called the card from dummy, but I have never had the opponents consider it a joke.