QUIZ 8:   Nov 2019

Sent in by Anonymous: South is playing in a contract of 3NT.   At a certain point in the proceedings West leads a diamond, dummy follows, East discards the 2 and South wins the trick. Before the cards are turned East apologises and produces a diamond.   The TD is called – what is the ruling? 

We need to concentrate on a few things: Is the revoke established?   No.   Law 63: A revoke becomes established: 1. when the offender or his partner leads or plays to the following trick (any such play, legal or illegal, establishes the revoke). Play will revert back to East, who will replace the 2 for a diamond. (Law 62A) No penalty. The 2 is now a major penalty card (Law 62B1). South who plays last to the trick can change his card if he wishes (Law 62C1). We need to advise the table about the penalty card. Law 50D i.e. to be played at the first legal opportunity; if offender's partner gains the lead, declarer my demand or forbid the suit of the penalty card. Well done to Ashton Emery, who got this spot on!

Excerpts from the relevant Laws: LAW 62 - CORRECTION OF A REVOKE A. Revoke Must Be Corrected - A player must correct his revoke if attention is drawn to the irregularity before it becomes established. B. Correcting a Revoke - To correct a revoke the offender withdraws the card he played and substitutes a legal card. 1. A card so withdrawn becomes a major penalty card (Law 50) if it was played from a defender’s unfaced hand. .. C. Subsequent Cards Played 1. Each member of the non-offending side may withdraw and return to his hand any card he may have played after the revoke but before attention was drawn to it Law 50D:   D. Disposition of Major Penalty Card When a defender has a major penalty card, both the offender and his partner may be subject to restriction, the offender whenever he is to play, the partner whenever he is to lead. 1. (a) Except as provided in (b) below, a major penalty card must be played at the first legal opportunity, whether in leading, following suit, discarding or trumping. and 2. When a defender has the lead while his partner has a major penalty card, he may not lead until declarer has stated which of the options below is selected (if the defender leads prematurely, he is subject to rectification under Law 49). Declarer may choose: (a) to require the defender to lead the suit of the penalty card, or to prohibit him from leading that suit for as long as he retains the lead (for two or more penalty cards, see Law 51); if declarer exercises either of these options, the card is no longer a penalty card and is picked up. (b) not to require or prohibit a lead, in which case the defender may lead any card and the penalty card remains on the table as a penalty card. If this option is selected Law 50D continues to apply for as long as the penalty card remains.