Code of Conduct

Code of Conduct

Queenstown Bridge Club

1. The Club fosters the best possible environment for players to enjoy the game, socialise with their fellow members and have fun. This means we expect respectful behaviour at all times.
2. Players should maintain a courteous attitude at all times and carefully avoid any remark or action that might cause annoyance or embarrassment to another player or might interfere with the enjoyment of the game. 
3. Mobile telephones should be on silent or turned off during play, unless you have permission from the Director (for emergencies only).
4. Section 10 of the Club's Constitution covers discipline and/or suspension of members. 
5. At all times members are expected to dress to a reasonable standard.
6. A player should conform to correct procedure in calling and playing. 
7. A player should:

• warmly welcome opponents when arriving at a table
• pay sufficient attention to the game
• not make gratuitous comments during the auction and play
• not detach a card before it is his/her turn to play
• not prolong play unnecessarily for the purpose of disconcerting an opponent
• summon and address the Director in a manner that is courteous to him/her or to other contestants
• not gloat
• not play slowly and hold up the table and other players
• not continue to discuss a previous hand once the next hand has started
• call the Director promptly to help resolve an issue.

There may be a natural reluctance to complain about fellow players. Should it become necessary to call the Director, ask to talk to them away from the table

Partnerships:

Please do not use different meanings between the partners for the same bid in the same situation (e.g. you play weak 1NT openers and your partner plays strong 1NT openers) 

Bidding: 

The tone and speed of your bidding must be consistent so that you give partner information based only on the bids you make, not the way you make them. Bidding in tempo all the time is hard, since some hands are more difficult than others, but the longer you take to decide, the clearer it becomes to everyone, especially your partner, that you must have something of interest in your hand. 

Defending: 

If you are defending, you should look carefully at the Dummy when it goes down and think about how you may play cards from your hand in each suit based on what you see.  This may save you making an embarrassing hesitation later during play.

Dummy:

• must not play a card in Dummy until told to do so by their partner.  Please do not hover your hand over a card you think they should play !
• should be silent throughout the hand, but can draw attention to their partner when it looks like they are about to play from the wrong hand BUT not before.  You must not indicate to partner if they are in Dummy at each trick.
• can only correct a trick turned the wrong way at the time and not after subsequent tricks have been played

Hesitations, slow play:

• Please do not take a long time to play a singleton, thereby giving the impression that you have more cards than you hold.  There is no thinking required !
• You may draw inferences from the opponents’ hesitations (at your own risk), but it is not accepted to draw inference from your partner’s hesitation or manner

The Director:

The Director is part of the game and their role is to keep things equitable at the table, so please call them whenever something goes wrong. If it is not obvious to the opponents why you are calling the Director, it is courteous to explain to them why you are making the call.

• When the Director calls the move, please do so immediately unless you are still playing. East may remain to check a score, but West must move.
• Please remain silent when the Director is giving instructions

General play:

• Please do not indicate approval or disapproval of a call or play
• Please do not look intently at any other player during the auction and play, or another player’s hand as for the purpose of seeing his/her cards or of observing the place from which he/she draws a card (but it is appropriate to act on information acquired by inadvertently seeing opponent’s card)
• Please do not show an obvious lack of further interest in a deal (folding cards)
• Please do not leave the table needlessly before the round is called

Dummy must not play a card in Dummy until told to do so by their partner.  Please do not hover your hand over a card you think they should play !

Dummy should be silent throughout the hand, but can draw attention to their partner when it looks like they are about to play from the wrong hand BUT not before.  

You must not indicate to partner if they are in Dummy at each trick !

The Director is part of the game and their role is to keep things equitable at the table, so please call them whenever something goes wrong. If it is not obvious to the opponents why you are calling the Director, it is courteous to explain to them why you are making the call.