How do you handle this (common) situation?

[hirowla]

I was wondering what the best "technique" is to use in this situation - both as a player (declarer and dummy) and as a director.

 

The situation is a common one - declarer plays from the wrong hand and dummy fails to notify him in time before he makes a complete designation of the card. The situations I'd like advice for are:

• If you are dummy, do you simply play the card? What if the opponents point out that the "lead is from the wrong hand"? They don't say whether they want to accept it or not. I usually just leave the card as played and I get some really strange looks when I don't change the card!
  
• As a director, how should you instruct the players to handle this? I'm considering standard "club" sessions, not more serious events where people should know better. The most common response from an opponent is "wrong hand" - in my opinion this doesn't express whether they want the lead from either hand, they are just pointing out a fact. I tried explaining it before a session and it caused confusion and didn't solve the problem.
  
• As declarer, when they say "wrong hand" do you pause? Do you play from the right hand? Do you do anything apart from calling the director?
  

 

I know you are always supposed to call the director - teaching little old ladies to change what they have done for the last 20 years is difficult to do!

 

Any suggestions would be appreciated.

 

Regards,

 

Ian

[NickRW]

[*]If you are dummy, do you simply play the card?

 

Dummy has the right to try to prevent an infraction, but not to draw attention to it once it has been committed (until the end of the hand). Therefore, if declarer has called the card, then declarer has done exactly that and dummy must comply without complaint or comment.

 

What if the opponents point out that the "lead is from the wrong hand"? They don't say whether they want to accept it or not.

 

I personally think "lead is from the wrong hand" is rejection of the lead, which defenders have the right to do.

 

If anyone has the slightest query, however, then the director should sort it out rather than argue about it.

 

Nick

[helene_t]

The problem with following the law at club level is that declarer will sometimes play from the dummy when he wish he were in dummy, and if the next opponent accidentally condones the play he will give declarer an advantage. So when dummy, contrary to the law, points out the mistake, he will often restore equity.

[gordontd]

I personally think "lead is from the wrong hand" is rejection of the lead, which defenders have the right to do.

I don't, not least because they may not know that they also have the right to accept the lead, which they should be told before deciding.

[blackshoe]

"Lead is from the wrong hand" draws attention to an irregularity. That's all it does. As attention has been drawn to an irregularity, the director should be called immediately. Failure to call the director is an additional irregularity, and an infraction of law.

 

As has been pointed out, dummy is entitled to attempt to prevent an irregularity, but if the irregularity has already occurred, he must do nothing other than to follow declarer's instructions. If dummy has done that (placed a card in the played position) and an opponents says "lead is from the wrong hand" or the like, the card should remain in the played position until the director makes his ruling.

 

As a director, I would explain the proper procedure in designating cards from dummy, in dummy's subsequent action, and in calling the director when someone has pointed out an irregularity. Then I would follow Law 55, finding out if either defender wishes to accept the lead, and if not requiring dummy to retract his lead and declarer to lead from his hand. Note that if declarer may have gained information from the irregular lead, I might adjust the score.

 

As declarer: "oh, sorry, director please!"

[NickRW]

I don't, not least because they may not know that they also have the right to accept the lead, which they should be told before deciding.

 

Yuh. Perhaps I'm too long in the tooth ;)

 

Nick

[mycroft]

It may be different in other parts of the world, but yes, we are instructed to treat "you're in [the other hand]" as simply notification, rather than rejection, and offer the defenders the option to accept it (or reject it, without consultation, silence treated as rejection, we know the drill).

 

But I agree that if the designation is incomplete, dummy may try to stop it. Once it's complete, dummy should pull the card without comment. Not that that ever happens.