Contract bridge

Contract bridge

Contract bridge, usually known simply as bridge, is a trick-taking card game using a standard deck of 52 playing cards played by four players in two competing partnerships with partners sitting opposite each other around a small table...

is at a same time a social game intended for all ages, and a competitive mind-sport. As such, while streaming for success, players are expected to conduct ethically

Ethics

Ethics, also known as moral philosophy, is a branch of philosophy that addresses questions about morality—that is, concepts such as good and evil, right and wrong, virtue and vice, justice and crime, etc.Major branches of ethics include:...

 and courteously towards each other. One significant part of bridge ethics is codified in the official and worldwide accepted Laws of Duplicate Contract Bridge

Laws of Duplicate Contract Bridge

The Laws of Duplicate Bridge, formerly known as the Laws of Duplicate Contract Bridge, is the official rule book of duplicate bridge promulgated by the World Bridge Federation. The first Laws of Duplicate Contract Bridge were published in 1928. They were successively revised in 1933, 1935, 1943,...

, as the rules which define which actions at the table are acceptable, and what kind of penalty for their infraction. On the other hand, bridge players are also expected to respect the norms of social courtesy

Courtesy

Courtesy comes from old french 'courteis' is gentle politeness and courtly manners. In the Middle Ages in Europe, the behaviour expected of the gentry was compiled in courtesy books...

 and behavior; duplicate bridge sponsoring organizations (clubs, regional, national, zonal and world organizations) can define additional standards for player's conduct, including the penalties for violation of conduct such as breaches of discipline not covered by applicable civil law

Civil law (common law)

Civil law, as opposed to criminal law, is the branch of law dealing with disputes between individuals or organizations, in which compensation may be awarded to the victim...

s.

Laws of Duplicate Contract Bridge

The following aspects of conduct in game play are covered in the Laws of Duplicate Contract Bridge.

General points

Any contestant remaining at a table throughout a session is primarily responsible for maintaining proper conditions of play at the table. (Law 7D)

Procedure following an irregularity

Unless prohibited by Law, any player may call attention to an irregularity during the auction, whether or not it is his turn to call. (the dummy is subject to restrictions to this rule during play) and The Director must be summoned at once when attention is drawn to an irregularity.

Tempo

Hesitation (break in tempo) during bidding and play. Players are supposed to make their bids and plays in a tempo as even as possible;
Players are expected to bid and play 'in tempo'. There are obviously times during the auction and play which makes this impossible, but players are not allowed to draw inferences based on their partners' hesitations. Doing so may draw a penalty.

In duplicate play, "stop" cards are commonly used during auctions to notify the opponents of a skip bid. After the bid is made, the next player is expected to wait 10 seconds before bidding. A quick Pass after an opponent bids 2S, for example, strongly implies a lack of card values.

Unauthorized information

(Law 16).

Players are authorized to base their calls and plays on information from legal calls and plays and from mannerisms of opponents. To base a call or play on other extraneous information may be an infraction of law.

When a player accidentally receives unauthorized information about a board he is playing or has yet to play, as by looking at the wrong hand; by overhearing calls, results or remarks; by seeing cards at another table; or by seeing a card belonging to another player at his own table before the auction begins, the Director should be notified forthwith, preferably by the recipient of the information. If the Director considers that the information could interfere with normal play, he may:

1. Adjust Positions

   if the type of contest and scoring permit, adjust the players' positions at the table, so that the player with information about one hand will hold that hand; or,

2. Appoint Substitute

   with the concurrence of all four players, appoint a temporary substitute to replace the player who received the unauthorized information; or,

3. Award an Adjusted Score

   forthwith award an artificial adjusted score.