blackshoe, on 2013-April-29, 09:06, said:
You can rest easy, Iviehoff, Sven is right.
If Sven would be right, he would have referred to a Law in the book. Sven is right, but Barry is more right: This is not specified in the laws, it is "common understanding".
That means that it won't be as easy as some suggest to do something about dummies who tell declarer after each trick in which hand he is:
You call the TD. He comes, you explain what happened and the TD tells the dummy that he is not allowed to tell declarer whether he is in hand or in dummy. Your opponent is surprised:
- "Wasn't there a law that specifically allowed me to prevent an irregularity by declarer? Wasn't that part of dummy's rights somewhere? Or did they change that? And leading from the wrong hand is an irregularity, isn't it?".
The TD explains: "You are preventing too early. Now you are participating in the play."
- "Participating in the play?! I am not suggesting what cards he should play. I am merely preventing an irregularity."
"Well, but you are preventing too early anyway.."
- "Well, I always say 'Don't put off to tomorrow what you can do today' and my mother always said 'It's better to be safe than sorry'. Is there a law that says when I am preventing too early? I guess there must be."
"Well ... err ... no, there is no such law, but it's just common understanding, so..."
- "Now I have never heard of that. There is no such law, so then it should be allowed. But you say that it is common understanding. I have never heard of this understanding, so it can't be that common."
"Well ... err ... Barmar told the people at the BBF laws forum that this is a common understanding."
- "What?!? So Barmar needed to point this out to this crowd of experienced TDs that are regulars on the BBF laws forum? If these guys didn't even know this, then it can't be that common, can it?"
"Blast!"
Rik
I want my opponents to leave my table with a smile on their face and without matchpoints on their score card - in that order.
The most exciting phrase to hear in science, the one that heralds the new discoveries, is not “Eureka!” (I found it!), but “That’s funny…” – Isaac Asimov
The only reason God did not put "Thou shalt mind thine own business" in the Ten Commandments was that He thought that it was too obvious to need stating. - Kenberg