The New Directives
It's all change in the duplicate game. I was tempted to add 'again' but in truth, it's been fifteen years since a major upheaval. From August 1st a revision of the procedures for disclosure of methods will come into force. I'm reluctant to give a potted description and so set up another version of the instructions but suffice to say they introduce a number of new and changed actions for players.
Occasional, social and rubber bridge players who come to the duplicate game are often bewildered by the requirements placed upon them. There is no doubt that this represents a barrier to taking up duplicate and, with membership of the national governing body, The English Bridge Union, hardly blooming, this must be a worry. So, after all the convention cards and alerting have been overcome, the new player must now get the hang of announcements.
This is the major novelty: in an effort to avoid the most common questions, certain frequent situations are now announced by the partner opposite the person making the bid. For example, opening no-trump ranges are announced. That means unprovoked, on hearing (or seeing) the opening bid of 1NT, the partner of the bidder says out loud the numerical range before the next player makes a call. There is a minor clause that, if the opening may by agreement contain a singleton, comment to that effect must be made.
The Ipswich and Kesgrave club are approaching this matter very sensibly and have been phasing in the new directives over the last few weeks, briefly explaining the principles before play, gradually adding to complete the introduction by August. Last Thursday was announcements of 1NT as above and also opening two-level bids. Maybe the first experiences are not indicative of how regular players will absorb these obligations but there was a certain amount of comedy. One no-trump overcalls, do they merit announcing? What about two no-trump openings? No to both, by the way. The admission "..and may contain a singleton" prompted suspicious interrogation. I'm not sure if you can add ".. very rare, in fact, it's never happened" so I didn't and the game stopped again.
As I said, I'm sure it will settle down but at the moment announcements are encouraging more talk and distraction at the table. Some of the measures to simplify alerting have met with approval, most notably that no bids and almost all passes, doubles and redoubles, above 3NT have to be alerted. There has been simplification of the rules on alerting doubles too: as the clear majority of those are not penalty, take-out doubles go quietly and penalty doubles of natural bids require an alert. That's got to be sensible for the experienced duplicate player but I can see the disbelief of those from social and rubber circles that the most 'natural' of actions now requires the derided table-tap. Well, they say you can't stop progress – we'll just have to wait and see.
Published Saturday 15.Jul.2006