Browse around to search for help with anything needed with being a Tournament Director at Droitwich Bridge Club. If you would like EBU training to become a club director this will normally be sponsored by the club in return for your services at the club on the Director's Rota.

A few unusual rulings are included on this page that made the TD dig a little deeper into the books and are intended for all to know the Laws a little better. If anyone has any comments, or wishes to enqure about being a TD, please contact the club.

A conventional bid at the 2 level for a game going hand or 8 'clear cut' tricks in a unspecified suit, and 2 level bids announced as strong must conform to certain rules.The EBU has clarified the meaning of “clear-cut tricks” in the “Extended Rule of 25” which was introduced into the Orange Book in 2007 to specify a “strong” hand. Such hands must have, as a minimum (OB 10.B.4):-

• 16 High Card Points                                                              AKQx AKx xxx xxxx (16 HCPs) 
• 25 Opening Points (HCPs + cards in two longest suits) or         AQxxxxx AQxx Qx (25 HCP) 
• 8 Clear-cut Tricks with the high card strength of a one-level opening  AKQJxxxxxxx xx (eight clear-cut tricks) 

The clear-cut tricks in a suit are now defined as the number that could be made “opposite a void in partner’s hand and the second best suit break”. 

Benjamised Acol 2C/2D purporting to show a good hand and 8 highly probable playing tricks but only with reasonable breaks is not a natural bid and it would be illegal to agree to use such a bid not conforming strictly to the extended rule of 25.

e.g KQT8765 T83 K4 A is only 7 playing tricks against the second unfavourable break of 5/1 and hence an illegal bid.

An illegal bid is subject to penalty of A- (or less if the score achieved was lower than 40%), A+ to non-offenders, as described in the White Book WB 40.1.6.

Here's an unusual one from a recent pairs event. Defenders noticed part way through play that a revoke had occurred a few tricks earlier at some disadvantage to defenders. Declarer, and agreed by both sides, was not aware of the revoke at the time as dummy had placed the cards in such a way that the card was concealed from view. Usually in an established revoke situation Law 61 - 64 the questions a TD must ask is:-

Do you all agree the revoke occurred - Play the hand out and check if disagreement.

Was the trick won by the revoke hand - One trick transferred to non-offenders if it was.

Did the revoke side win a subsequent trick - One further trick transferred.

Were non-offenders further damaged by the revoke - Adjust if necessary.

However, EBU TD training encourages you to read ALL the relevent law. Law 64B3 states clearly that dummy's revoke is not penalised. The TD should restore equity to defenders by assigning an adjusted score and dealing with the irregularity by dummy in the placing of the cards, Law 41D,which should usually be a warning in the first instance and a penalty if the player has history.