Dubious Logic

The Last Days of Auction

On 1^st August the English Bridge Union adopted the World Bridge Federation 2007 Laws of Bridge. The WBF has a ten-year cycle to revise and release changes to the laws and each national controlling body has the first nine months of this year to implement them.

Those who have been playing the game awhile will remember the scoring changes that had a real impact back in 1987. However like the revision ten years ago, there are only minor changes this time around. There is a wealth of information on this: local clubs have been sent a copy of the 2007 Laws and many websites – clubs, county and EBU – have versions to download and explanatory texts. The EBU has a very helpful guide on its site.

Many of you who play at clubs will have heard your local director announce the most pertinent changes but here is an extract – but please note, this is not a comprehensive list (though there are not many more).

• The laws have returned to the 1987 position where the defence may ask each other if they have followed suit. Thus when partner shows out on a heart lead, you may say "No hearts partner?" If the answer is "No" play resumes, if the answer is "Yes…" then the director (or the law book) must be summoned.
• You are now allowed to ask about a specific call in the auction. Previously you were required to ask about all the calls but this was more honoured in the breach than the observance (and was hard to enforce). It should go without saying that you must not ask leading questions or phrase your enquiry in such a way as to suggest a call or play to partner (i.e. not "Does that show clubs…").

For duplicate players:

• Get Shuffling! Another chance to practise the best part of your game - you are now required to shuffle your thirteen cards after the play before you put them back into a duplicate board.
• Players are now allowed to direct attention to a quitted-trick-card pointing the wrong way. Declarer can do it at any time; dummy or defenders can do it only until the lead is made to the following trick.

And a historical note:

The distinction that the laws referred to 'Contract Bridge' has been lost - it's now just 'Bridge'. The last days of Auction Bridge are surely upon us.

In an effort to keep them going a little longer, I've been through my library looking for a hand of Auction. Despite more tomes on the subject than it might be sensible to possess, I found that deals played or examples form little part of the writing. One book, "Auction Bridge in a Nut Shell – Royal Spades", Butler and Brevitas (c. 1916?) contains many pithy aphorisms without a single hand of cards. Some, like "Keep your eye on the table. Watch the fall of the cards" have lasted, others, "Fluke not that ye fall not" have not.

"Royal Auction Bridge", Ernest Bergholt (1918) is a more complete exposition, this is a sample deal. The big difference to Contract is that at Auction you score bonuses for tricks made, without having to contract for them. So two diamonds making all the tricks is a grand slam but steady, it is a topsy-turvy world:

Yes, the suits are in a different order. In addition, compass directions were not used for partnerships and 'A and B' (West-East) opposed 'Y and Z' (North-South). Above, 'Z' dealt at love all, no score and opened one diamond, 'A' overcalled one spade and 'Y' supported with two diamonds concluding the auction.

For his lead, 'A' selected the club queen and this, they would say now, "did not terrify declarer". The lesson from the play was that after two rounds of clubs and two of diamonds, when 'A' leads the ♥7, declarer must spurn the finesse, lest the defence finally get around to playing spades. It will not have escaped your notice that 'Z's opening of one diamond was "quite unjustifiable" but then, as now, it was a bidder's game.

Published Saturday 2.Aug.2008