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THE AUCTION
CORRECT PROCEDURE
LAW 17
DURATION OF THE AUCTION
 The auction begins when the last
card of a correct deal has been placed on the table. The dealer makes
the first call, and thereafter each player calls in rotation. When
three passes in rotation have followed any call the auction is closed,
unless Law 34 applies.
LAW 18
BIDS
Each bid *
must name a number of odd tricks, from one to seven, and a
denomination. A bid supersedes the previous bid if it names either a
greater number of odd tricks or the same number of odd tricks in a
higher denomination. A bid that fulfills these requirements is
sufficient; one that does not is insufficient. The denominations rank
in descending order: notrump, spades, hearts, diamonds, clubs.
* Pass, double and redouble are calls, not
bids.
LAW 19
DOUBLES AND REDOUBLES
A player may double only the
last preceding bid, and then only if it was made by an opponent and no
calls other than pass have intervened.
A player may redouble only the
last preceding double, and then only if it was made by an opponent and
no calls other than pass have intervened.
A player should not, in doubling
or redoubling, state the number of tricks or the denomination; but, if
he states either or both incorrectly, he is deemed to have doubled or
redoubled the bid as it was made. The only correct form is the single
word "Double" or "Redouble".
All doubles and redoubles are
superseded by a subsequent legal bid. If there is no subsequent bid,
scoring values are increased as provided in
Law 81.
LAW 20
REVIEW AND EXPLANATION
A player who does not hear a
call distinctly may forthwith require that it be repeated.
At his own turn to call during
the auction, a player (unless required by law to pass) may require a
restatement of the auction in its entirety.
After the final pass, declarer
before making any play, or either defender at his first turn to play,
may require a restatement of the auction in its entirety.
A request to have calls restated
should be responded to only by an opponent (dummy or a player required
by law to pass may so respond). All players, including dummy, should
promptly correct errors in restatement.
A player may require an
explanation of the partnership understanding relating to any call made
by an opponent, but only at the player's own turn to call or play. A
request for an explanation of a call should be responded to by the
partner of the player making the call (see Proprieties 4).
LAW 21
CALL BASED ON MISINFORMATION
A player has no recourse if he
has made a call on the basis of his own misunderstanding.
Until the auction is closed, a
player may, without penalty, change any call he may have made as a
result of misinformation given him by an opponent, provided his
partner has not subsequently called. If he elects to correct his call,
his LHO may then, in turn and without penalty, change any subsequent
call he may have made.
LAW 22
PROCEDURE AFTER THE AUCTION IS CLOSED
After the auction is closed:
 (a) if no player has bid, the
hands are abandoned and the turn to deal passes in rotation.
(b) if any player has bid, the
final bid becomes the contract and play begins.
IRREGULARITIES
LAW 23
CARD EXPOSED OR LED DURING THE AUCTION
(Club Law 23)
Whenever, during the auction, a
player faces a card on the table or holds a card so that it is
possible for his partner to see its face, every such card must be left
face up on the table until the auction closes; and (penalty) if the
offender subsequently becomes a defender, declarer may treat every
such card as a penalty card ( Law
50).
In addition,
(a) if it is a single card below
the rank of an honor and not prematurely led, there is no further
penalty.
(b) if it is a single card of
honor rank, or any card prematurely led, or if more than one card is
so exposed, (penalty) the offender's partner must pass when next it is
his turn to call.
(c) when
the penalty under this or any other law compels the offender's partner
to pass, and offender could have known at the time of his infraction
that the enforced pass would be likely to damage the non-offending
side, the offenders should redress the damage in accordance with
Proprieties 1.
LAW 24
IMMEDIATE CORRECTION OF A CALL
A player may substitute his
intended call for an inadvertent call, but only if he does so, or
attempts to do so, without pause for thought. If legal, his last call
stands without penalty; if illegal, it is subject to the applicable
law.
LAW 25
CHANGE OF CALL
(Club Law 25)
When a call is substituted for a
call made previously at the same turn, and it is too late for
correction as provided in Law 24, then
(a) if the first call was
illegal, the substitute call is cancelled and the offender is subject
to the applicable law.
(b) if the
first call was legal, the offender must either
| (i) |
allow his first call to stand and (penalty) his
partner must pass when next it is his turn to call; or |
| (ii) |
make any other legal call and (penalty) his
partner must pass whenever it is his turn to call. |
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LAW 26
CHANGE OF CALL - LEAD PENALTIES
When a player makes a call and
subsequently changes it to another legal call (except as permitted
under Law 24), then if he becomes a defender:
(a) if the changed call was in a
suit, and the substituted call did not repeat that suit, declarer may *
either require the offender's partner to lead, or prohibit him from
leading, such suit when first the offender's partner has the lead
(including the opening lead). A prohibition continues for as long as
offender's partner retains the lead. When the irregular call
artificially relates to a denomination other than the one actually
named, "such suit" is the suit or suits to which the call relates.
(b) if the
changed call was
| (i) |
in notrump, and the player's (or the offender's)
final call at that turn was not, or |
| (ii) |
pass, double or redouble, other than an
out-of-rotation call repeated in turn in accordance with
Law 30(a) or Law 32(b)(i),
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declarer may* prohibit
offender's partner from leading any one specified suit when first the
offender's partner has the lead (including the opening lead). This
prohibition continues for as long as offender's partner retains the
lead. |
* Declarer makes the decision at the time
that offender's partner first has the lead.
LAW 27
INSUFFICIENT BID
(Club Law 27)
Any insufficient bid may be
accepted (treated as legal) at the option of offender's LHO, and is
accepted if that opponent calls.
An insufficient bid made in
rotation must be corrected by the substitution of either a sufficient
bid (not a double or redouble) or a pass *,
unless the irregular bid is accepted.
If the call substituted is
(a) the lowest sufficient bid in
the same denomination, the auction proceeds as though the irregularity
had not occurred **.
(b) any other sufficient bid or
pass, (penalty) the offender's partner must pass whenever it is his
turn to call ( Law 23(c) may apply), and the lead
penalties of Law 26 will apply if he becomes a
defender.
If the offender attempts to
substitute a double or redouble, it is cancelled; he must pass at that
turn and the offense is subject to the penalty provided in subsection
(b) above.
If a player makes an
insufficient bid out of rotation, Law 31 applies.
* The offender is entitled to select his
final call at that turn after the applicable penalties have been
stated, and any call he has previously attempted to substitute is
cancelled, but the lead penalties of Law 26 will
apply if he becomes a defender.
** Offender's partner must not base any
subsequent calls or plays on information gained from such a withdrawn
bid.
CALL OUT OF ROTATION
LAW 28
CALLS CONSIDERED TO BE IN ROTATION
A call is considered to be in
rotation
(a) when it is made without
waiting for the RHO to pass, if that opponent is required by law to
pass.
(b) when it is made by the
player whose turn it was to call, before a penalty has been imposed
for a call out of rotation by an opponent; it waives any penalty for
the call out of rotation and the auction proceeds as though that
opponent had not called at that turn.
LAW 29
PROCEDURE AFTER A CALL OUT OF ROTATION
After a call out of rotation,
offender's LHO * may either
(a) make any legal call; if he
chooses to do so, the call out of rotation stands as if it were legal
(but if it is an inadmissible call, see Law 35),
and the auction proceeds without penalty; or,
(b) require that the call out of
rotation be cancelled. The auction reverts to the player whose turn it
was to call. The offender may make any legal call in proper turn
subject to Laws 30, 31, and
32.
* He alone exercises the option, although any
player may draw attention to the irregularity.
LAW 30
PASS OUT OF ROTATION
(Club Law 30)
When a player has passed out of
rotation
(a) before
any player has bid, or when it was the turn of his RHO *
to call, (penalty) the offender must pass when next it is his turn to
call.
(b) after any player has bid and
when it was the turn of the offender's partner to call (penalty) the
offender must pass whenever it is his turn to call; the offender's
partner may make a sufficient bid or may pass, but may not double or
redouble at that turn.
* After any player has bid, a call at the
turn of offender's LHO is a change of call; Law 25
applies and not this section.
LAW 31
BID OUT OF ROTATION
(Club Law 31)
When a player has bid out of
rotation
(a) at the turn of offender's
partner to call, or before any player has called when offender's LHO
was the dealer, (penalty) the offender's partner must pass whenever it
is his turn to call ( Law 23(c) may apply), and
the lead penalties of Law 26 will apply if he
becomes a defender.
(b) at the turn of the
offender's RHO * to call,
| (i) |
if RHO passes, the bid out of rotation must be
repeated, and there is no penalty (if the bid out of rotation was
insufficient, it must be corrected as provided in
Law 27). |
| (ii) |
if RHO makes a legal**
bid, double or redouble, the offender may in turn make any legal
call. If such call repeats the denomination of the bid out of
rotation, (penalty) the offender's partner must pass when next it is
his turn to call (Law 23(c) may apply). If the
substituted call does not repeat the denomination, (penalty) the
offender's partner must pass whenever it is his turn to call (Law
23(c) may apply), and the lead penalties of Law
26 will apply if he becomes a defender. |
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* After any player has bid, a call at the
turn of offender's LHO is a change of call; Law 25
applies and not this section.
** An illegal call by that opponent may be
penalized in the usual way, after which this subsection. (b)(ii),
applies.
LAW 32
DOUBLE OR REDOUBLE OUT OF ROTATION
(Club Law 32)
When a player has doubled or
redoubled out of rotation, *
(a) if it was the offender's
partner's turn to call, (penalty) the offender's partner must pass
whenever it is his turn to call ( Law 23(c) may
apply); the offender may not thereafter, in turn, double or redouble
the same bid he doubled out of turn; and the lead penalties of
Law 26(b) will apply if he becomes a defender.
(b) if it was the turn of
offender's RHO * to call,
| (i) |
if offender's RHO passes, the double or redouble
out of rotation must be repeated and there is no penalty. |
| (ii) |
if offender's RHO bids, the offender may in turn
make any legal call, and (penalty) the offender's partner must pass
when next it is his turn to call (Law 23(c)
may apply), and the lead penalties of Law 26(b)
will apply if he becomes a defender. |
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* After any player has called, a call at
offender's LHO's turn is a change of call; Law 25
applies and not this section.
LAW 33
SIMULTANEOUS CALLS
A call made simultaneously with
one made by the player whose turn it was to call is deemed to be a
subsequent call.
LAW 34
RETENTION OF THE RIGHT TO CALL
When a call has been followed by
three passes, the auction does not end when one of those passes was
out of rotation, thereby depriving a player of his right to call at
that turn. The auction reverts to the player who missed his turn. All
subsequent passes are cancelled and the auction proceeds as though
there had been no irregularity.
INADMISSIBLE CALLS
LAW 35
INADMISSIBLE CALL CONDONED
When, after an inadmissible call
specified below, offender's LHO makes a call before a penalty has been
assessed, there is no penalty for the offense (the lead penalties of
Law 26 do not apply). If the inadmissible call
was
(a) a double or redouble not
permitted by Law 19, that call and all subsequent
calls are cancelled; the auction reverts to the player whose turn it
is to call and proceeds as though there had been no irregularity.
(b) a bid, double or redouble by
a player required by law to pass, that call and subsequent legal calls
stand; but if the offender was required to pass for the remainder of
the auction, he must still pass at subsequent turns.
(c) a bid of more than seven,
that call and all subsequent calls are cancelled; the offender must
substitute a pass, and the auction proceeds as though there had been
no irregularity.
(d) a call
after the auction is closed, that call and all subsequent calls are
cancelled without penalty.
LAW 36
INADMISSIBLE DOUBLE OR REDOUBLE
(Club Law 36)
Any double or redouble not
permitted by Law 19 is cancelled, and the
offender must substitute a legal call; and (penalty) the offender's
partner must pass whenever it is his turn to call ( Law
23(c) may apply), and the lead penalties of Law
26(b) will apply if he becomes a defender.
If the right of the
non-offending side to penalize is forfeited, Law 35
applies.
LAW 37
BID, DOUBLE OR REDOUBLE IN VIOLATION OF
THE OBLIGATION TO PASS
A bid, double or redouble by a
player who is required by law to pass is cancelled, and (penalty) both
members of the offending side must pass during the remainder of the
auction ( Law 23(c) may apply), and the lead
penalties of Law 26 will apply if they become
defenders.
LAW 38
BID OF MORE THAN SEVEN
(Club Law 38)
No contract of more than seven
is ever permissible. A bid of more than seven by any player is
cancelled, and (penalty) both members of the offending side must pass
during the remainder of the auction ( Law 23(c)
may apply), and the lead penalties of Law 26 will
apply if they become defenders.
LAW 39
CALL AFTER THE AUCTION IS CLOSED
(Club Law 39)
A call after the auction is
closed is cancelled, and
(a) if it is a pass by a
defender or any call by declarer or dummy, there is no penalty.
(b) if it is a bid, double or
redouble by a defender, the lead penalties of Law 26
apply, unless the call has been condoned (see Law
35(d)).
LAW 40
PARTNERSHIP AGREEMENTS
(Club Law 40)
A player may make any call or
play (including an intentionally misleading call such as a "psychic
bid", or a call or play that departs from commonly accepted or
previously announced practice) without prior announcement, provided
that it is not based on a partnership understanding. But a player may
not make use of a bidding or play agreement unless
(a) his side has disclosed its
use of such a call or play beforehand, or
(b) it has been agreed
beforehand that the use of partnership understandings be disclosed at
the time they are used. His partner must then disclose it. In this
case, partner's disclosure must be confined to an indication that a
partnership understanding has been used; he should not offer any
explanation unless requested to do so.
Any group may restrict the use
of special partnership understandings in its games.
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