Monday, August 4, 2008

Attention Law Nerds

If you're like me, the Laws, ethics, and proprieties are one of the most interesting parts of the game. Every good player should have at least a general knowledge of the Laws of the game, and every club-level player and higher should know their rights and responsibilities when Unauthorized Information abounds.

The World Bridge Federation Laws Committee has put together and published the 2007 Laws of Duplicate Bridge. This lawbook, which went into effect January 1, replaces (but mainly just refines) the 1997 Laws. The WBF allowed its member organizations (like the ACBL) to start its use any time between January 1 and September 30. Surprisingly, the ACBL only dragged its feet 92% of the way, and agreed to put the laws in place starting September 8. Wanting to learn more about the changes in the new Laws, I did quite a bit of online research. The most interesting thing I ran across in my wanderings was the Bridge Laws Mailing List. This is a great meeting of the minds of some of the best directors and players from around the world. You can read archives here and subscribe to the list here.

1 comment:

Memphis MOJO said...

I typically go to two of the three NABCs each year. When I stay home, I read the Daily Bulletins online and the first thing I look for are the Appeals Cases. I obviously find them interesting.

Besides the Laws that are involved, I like to reflect on what players are thinking when they do something "wrong." It's amazing how often the offending side (has no shame and) is the side who appeals.