[dickiegera]

Is dummy allowed to chat during play of hand?

I know dummy can ask partner
#1 if he is out of a suit to prevent possible revoke
@2 tell partner which hand he is in to prevent a lead from wrong hand
#3 tell partner [but not opponets] they have trick turned wrong must be done before next trick is played


I believe that is about all dummy may do.
Chatting just to talk is not proper. Correct??



Thank you

[barmar]

Dummy isn't allowed to participate in the play except for the examples you gave. If his chatter isn't related to the play (e.g. "I need to go to the restroom"), I think he would be treated like any other player.

[pescetom]

Chatting just to talk is not proper for anyone during play, dummy included.
If there is a compelling but non-bridge reason to chat, then as barmar says.

[pescetom]

dickiegera, on 2022-November-10, 17:18, said:

Is dummy allowed to chat during play of hand?

I know dummy can ask partner
#1 if he is out of a suit to prevent possible revoke
#2 tell partner which hand he is in to prevent a lead from wrong hand
#3 tell partner [but not opponets] they have trick turned wrong must be done before next trick is played


I believe that is about all dummy may do.

The key phrase in #2 is "to prevent...": dummy is not allowed to say anything unless it looks imminent that partner will lead from the wrong hand. It shouldn't be a ritual reminder or an answer to a question by declarer.

There are other rights you failed to mention: for instance he can check that partner does not make him revoke, he can try to prevent any irregularity, he can bring attention to any irregularity (but only after play is finished).

[sanst]

AFAIK nowhere in the Laws there is a regulation that forbids players to chat or talk. What the dummy can or can’t do is in Laws 42 and 43, but these are limited to the play, not to some remark that has nothing to do with it. The only reason why the dummy should be silent, but that goes for the other players as well, you find in Law 74A2 (A player should carefully avoid any remark or extraneous action that might cause annoyance or embarrassment to another player or might interfere with the enjoyment of the game) and 74B2 (making gratuitous comments during the auction and play). If it annoys you when the dummy or any other player is chatting, just politely ask her or him to be quiet.

[pescetom]

sanst, on 2022-November-12, 03:14, said:

AFAIK nowhere in the Laws there is a regulation that forbids players to chat or talk. What the dummy can or can’t do is in Laws 42 and 43, but these are limited to the play, not to some remark that has nothing to do with it. The only reason why the dummy should be silent, but that goes for the other players as well, you find in Law 74A2 (A player should carefully avoid any remark or extraneous action that might cause annoyance or embarrassment to another player or might interfere with the enjoyment of the game) and 74B2 (making gratuitous comments during the auction and play). If it annoys you when the dummy or any other player is chatting, just politely ask her or him to be quiet.

True, but Law 81C1 gives Director the duty and power to maintain discipline and to ensure the orderly progress of the game.
Most Directors around here (let alone at Bermuda Bowl) will ask people to play in silence and while occasional exchanges are tolerated, "just talking" or disturbing other tables is certainly not.

[sanst]

pescetom, on 2022-November-12, 12:30, said:

True, but Law 81C1 gives Director the duty and power to maintain discipline and to ensure the orderly progress of the game.
Most Directors around here (let alone at Bermuda Bowl) will ask people to play in silence and while occasional exchanges are tolerated, "just talking" or disturbing other tables is certainly not.

At clubs here bridge is a social pastime, not a competitive game. Forcing everybody to shut up, would finish that. During play most players are relatively quiet, but once they have finished the four boards - it’s almost everywhere MP’s - there’s a lot of chatter. But nobody is surprised if the dummy says something, although most players know that (s)he shouldn’t interfere with the game.

[pescetom]

sanst, on 2022-November-13, 12:22, said:

At clubs here bridge is a social pastime, not a competitive game. Forcing everybody to shut up, would finish that. During play most players are relatively quiet, but once they have finished the four boards - it’s almost everywhere MP’s - there’s a lot of chatter. But nobody is surprised if the dummy says something, although most players know that (s)he shouldn’t interfere with the game.

I suspect we're talking about much the same thing from different cultural viewpoints. Keeping Italians totally quiet is impossible by definition, but they know they can't "just chat" during play.
Keeping the volume down at the end of the round used to be a problem here, but partly I don't concede them much time and partly our recent change to phone based scoring has them all absorbed in silence, fishing to see how they scored and what they can blame on partner.

[axman]

sanst, on 2022-November-13, 12:22, said:

At clubs here bridge is a social pastime, not a competitive game. Forcing everybody to shut up, would finish that. During play most players are relatively quiet, but once they have finished the four boards - it’s almost everywhere MP’s - there’s a lot of chatter. But nobody is surprised if the dummy says something, although most players know that (s)he shouldn’t interfere with the game.

A couple weeks ago some protracted drivel ensued during the course of several hands. My assessment was that National Champion was distracted into several IB from which a litany of irregularities emanated as well as non director calls and a bad TD ruling (when finally one was sought). It might be said that World Champion survived with some advantageous results. There were attempts to engage me in the drivel but I escaped by uttering,'That's above my pay grade.'

Personally I have found no redeeming features in using force to end chit chat and it is better to allow the perpetrators to exhaust themselves. My response is to 1. keep my trap shut and 2. do nothing until it stops which includes no bidding and no playing and no calling the TD about it 3. but if the others call the director about it that's a different story. If the objective is to minimize the length of the round this seems to work best.

[barmar]

In most games I've played in, at both clubs and tournaments, the players are mostly silent during the play. But it's not uncommon for dummy to make a comment about their hand as they're putting it down (e.g. "I know I overbid, good luck partner"). Chatter like this is pretty innocuous, and I've never heard of anyone being called out for it.

[mycroft]

"Standard rule 1 applies" if playing with my regular partner, or its translation "my fault if it's wrong" if not...

If it's distracting, or if it moves into "assisting partner with the play", then yeah. I've been known to ask. I've even been known to call the director, if asking didn't help. Unfortunately, what I find interesting my partners can find distracting, and it's at least partially my fault...

But almost all is that kind of innocuous, nobody should be calling anyone out for it, kind of stuff.

[blackshoe]

barmar, on 2022-November-18, 15:35, said:

In most games I've played in, at both clubs and tournaments, the players are mostly silent during the play. But it's not uncommon for dummy to make a comment about their hand as they're putting it down (e.g. "I know I overbid, good luck partner"). Chatter like this is pretty innocuous, and I've never heard of anyone being called out for it.

Neither have I, nor, surprising some, I'm sure, have I done such calling myself.

[pescetom]

barmar, on 2022-November-18, 15:35, said:

In most games I've played in, at both clubs and tournaments, the players are mostly silent during the play.

I'm glad to learn I am not alone in this experience.
'Mostly' being the key word.

barmar, on 2022-November-18, 15:35, said:

But it's not uncommon for dummy to make a comment about their hand as they're putting it down (e.g. "I know I overbid, good luck partner"). Chatter like this is pretty innocuous, and I've never heard of anyone being called out for it.

I would be astounded otherwise, also because realistically there is little chance this will make any difference to the result except that Declarer is heartened and does his best.
I call out dummy (face to face) when he pretends to be deaf and declarer takes advantage to change his call, or something similar.

[pigpenz]

I can remember playing against Barry Goren and a client Sid Grossman.
every card Barry kept saying just take your 9tricks Sid....it did get old,
but we didnt do anything.