Blum on Bridge Rules of the Road (Part 2 of 2)
	As stated last week, whether you are enjoying an afternoon of party bridge or more serious duplicate there are common threads. Though it is true many more rules apply to duplicate, there are a number of "laws" that must be followed by both. Last week we covered half of those laws. Today we will complete the rest with the hope that they might alleviate some of the problems that occur during play. If a player faces (exposes) a card during the auction it stays on the table until the auction is closed. If it was an honor card, or a premature opening lead, the offender's partner must pass when it is his next turn to call. If the offender becomes declarer or dummy, the card is picked up without penalty. If the offender becomes a defender, the card is a "penalty card." There are two types of penalty cards - major and minor. Major is a card of honor rank, or any card exposed during an irregularity (as in leading out of turn, or in revoking and then correcting). Also when one defender has two or more penalty cards, all such cards become major penalty cards. When a player has a major penalty card, it must be played at the first legal opportunity. If a player has two or more penalty cards that can legally be played, declarer may designate which one is played first. A minor penalty card is below the rank of an honor and exposed inadvertently (as in playing two cards to a trick or dropping a card accidentally). When a defender has a minor penalty card, he may not play any other card of the same suit below the rank of an honor until he has first played the penalty card. He is allowed, however, to play an honor card instead of the penalty card. He is not forced to discard or play the minor card at his first opportunity. When a defender has the lead while his partner has a major penalty card, declarer may: (a) require or prohibit the lead of the exposed suit (for as long as the lead is retained); (b) allow the defender to lead any suit. Major penalty card provisions continue to apply. When a defender first has the lead after his partner has made a bid out of turn or an insufficient bid and then changed the call by bidding another suit, no-trump, doubling or redoubling, declarer may: (a) require the lead of the suit not repeated; (b) prohibit the lead of the suit not repeated for as long as he retains the lead; (c) require or prohibit the lead of any one specified suit if no-trump, double, or redouble was the call not repeated. If a defender leads out of turn when it was the offending partner's turn to lead, declarer may (a) accept the lead from the wrong hand and the dummy is tabled. Declarer plays next (clockwise) to the trick from his hand; (b) spread his hand on the table and becomes dummy. His partner becomes declarer. There is no penalty if an opponent implied in any way that the wrong hand should lead. When declarer leads out of turn from his hand or dummy, the lead may be accepted by either defender making a statement to that effect, or by the next defender in turn playing a card to the irregular lead. Or the lead may be rejected by either defender if it was a defender's turn to lead or the declarer led from the wrong hand. In either case, he restores the card led in error to his or dummy's hand, and plays a card from the right hand without penalty. Declarer or either defender may inspect the first trick until his side has led or played to the following trick. Thereafter, until play ceases, tricks may be inspected face down only to account for a missing or surplus card. If a trick with the wrong number of cards is discovered, it is inspected face up. The player having the wrong number of cards is held responsible. Any active player may ask someone who has failed to follow suit whether he has a card in the suit led in order to prevent a revoke. Dummy may ask only declarer. If a player withdraws a played card to follow suit, thus correcting a potential revoke, the withdrawn card becomes a penalty card. Other players in turn may change cards played after the retraction. Declarer's withdrawn card is never a penalty card. A revoke becomes established when the offending side plays to the next trick. If the offending side won the trick on which the revoke occurred, that trick and one more trick (if a subsequent trick was won), will be transferred to the other side. If the non-offending side won the revoke trick and the offending side won any more tricks after the revoke, one trick is transferred. In addition, if a trick is won after the revoke by the offending side with a card he could have legally played to the revoke trick, an additional trick is transferred. If the revoke penalty fails to transfer the number of tricks that would have been won had the revoke not occurred, the non-offending side shall receive those tricks. There is no penalty for a revoke if: (a) the offending side did not win the revoke trick or any trick thereafter; (b) the revoke was made by failing to play a card from dummy or a penalty card; (c) The revoke occurred on the 12th trick. Correct it without penalty; (d) attention was first called to the revoke after the cards were mixed together.