Writing the score before the hand is finished

[nige1]

Unobtrusively writing down the score may be an aide-mémoire but appears to confer no practical advantage in the play. As aquahombre points out, writing down the the contract and declarer might help, to a small extent. But some score-cards have a box for opening-lead. The act of entering the opening-lead on his card can reinforce a player's memory and hence help him in the play (even if he closes his card, immediately after writing).

[chrism]

I routinely record my hand in my scorecard (in events that won't deliver hand records). Sometimes i make a mark as a reminder that i want to discuss the hand later, and why.

 

Is that a violation, then? It seems wrong to make everyone wait after the hand while i do this.

I would consider it a violation by the same argument that I used against writing down the auction.

Presumably you find the time to do this while other players are thinking about the current hand, since you are appropriately concerned not to keep them waiting. I can see no legal reason why you could not instead write down the previous board's auction and/or hand during this time instead. You might find this a distraction from the current hand, of course, but that is nobody's problem but yours, and there is no legal prohibition against using hindrances to memory :)

 

A serious practical problem with recording hands and/or auctions during an event where the boards will be played in a subsequent round is the risk of accidentally revealing that information to other players, which would certainly put you in jeopardy of a PP. Not likely to be an issue during a KO or Swiss Team event, however.

[blackshoe]

Unobtrusively writing down the score may be an aide-mémoire but appears to confer no practical advantage in the play. As aquahombre points out, writing down the the contract and declarer might help, to a small extent. But some score-cards have a box for opening-lead. The act of entering the opening-lead on his card can reinforce a player's memory and hence help him in the play (even if he closes his card, immediately after writing).

Whether there should be sanctions against this action may depend on the type of event or level of player. I don't imagine players in national or international competition write anything down. OTOH, generally speaking they don't need aides-mémoire. Beginners in a club game are a different thing. They need a little help - and they're not going to learn if they can't write down some things - like "I want to discuss this hand later because…" End result? "Screw this game, it's too hard!"

[ggwhiz]

I routinely record my hand in my scorecard (in events that won't deliver hand records). Sometimes i make a mark as a reminder that i want to discuss the hand later, and why.

 

Is that a violation, then? It seems wrong to make everyone wait after the hand while i do this.

 

We have a local GLM who does this all the time as a habit developed before hand records. She never delays the play and you would need a microscope to read it so I can't believe it is a violation of anything to record what is in front of your eyes.

[blackshoe]

I routinely look at my hand, then close it up and try to recall it. Then I look at it again to see if I got it right. I suppose someone could argue that the second look is an illegal aide to memory. :ph34r:

[Cascade]

On a related subject, I was asked a few years ago whether a player's habit of writing down the entire auction as well as the contract before the opening lead was illegal (in addition to irritating many of his opponents). I established that he never made reference to it during the hand, but then told him not to do it anyway, (1) because of the annoyance factor, but more specifically (2) because in my view the very process of recording the auction helped him commit it to memory and thus constituted an illicit aid to memory.

 

Would this reasoning not also apply to writing down the final contract, which is very common practice?

[RSliwinski]

Would this reasoning not also apply to writing down the final contract, which is very common practice?

No, the difference being that during the play period you can (whenever it is your turn to play) ask about the final contract but not about the auction.

Law 41 b: "... Declarer or either defender may, at his first turn to play a card,require a review of the auction; this right expires when he plays a card."

Law 41 c: "...declarer or either defender, at his own turn to play, is entitled to be informed as to what the contract is and whether, but not by whom, it was doubled or redoubled."

So writing down the final contract is innocent but writing down the auction is not.

[barmar]

On a related subject, I was asked a few years ago whether a player's habit of writing down the entire auction as well as the contract before the opening lead was illegal (in addition to irritating many of his opponents). I established that he never made reference to it during the hand, but then told him not to do it anyway, (1) because of the annoyance factor, but more specifically (2) because in my view the very process of recording the auction helped him commit it to memory and thus constituted an illicit aid to memory.

What if the player asked for the bidding cards to be left out, because he's studying the auction? Might he not be using this study time to repeat the auction in his head, to help him memorize it?

 

Unless the player uses a memory aid that he actually consults during the auction/play period, I don't think it's illicit.