July 2020 - 26

Ruling the Game
rulings@acbl.org
MODERATOR: MATT KOLTNOW
NATIONAL TOURNAMENT DIRECTOR

I have been playing
online bridge the past few
months. It's been great
playing against familiar friends in
our virtual ACBL club on BBO. I
loved playing in the Stay at Home
Regional as well. Both events have
helped me continue my progress
toward my next masterpoint rank.
At our virtual club, I know all of my
opponents. Players who normally do
poorly aren't suddenly having 75+%
games, but at the regional, which
attracts people from all over, how
can I be sure people are not cheating,
especially when such large masterpoint awards are available?

First, thank you for giving us the chance to remind
everyone that the Laws of
Duplicate Bridge still apply online. In
an environment where it is impossible
to bid out of turn, make an insufficient
bid, lead out of turn or revoke, it can
be tempting to think the rules do not
matter. Law 72A reminds us all that
"duplicate bridge tournaments should
be played in strict accordance with the
Laws ... whilst complying with the lawful procedures and ethical standards
set out in these laws." One of the attractions of organized duplicate bridge
is taking comfort in knowing that your
opponents play by the rules. When
there is a problem at the table, you can
call the director to sort things out.
There are several sorts of problematic behaviors that you might encounter online. You can make playing

26 Bridge Bulletin July 2020

online bridge more enjoyable for your
partners and opponents if you consider
these situations before sitting down
to play. That way, you can be better
prepared if something should arise.
We hope you will never play against
a pair who is committing (per Law
73B2) the "gravest possible offense"
by "exchang[ing] information through
prearranged methods of communication other than those sanctioned by
[the] Laws." You and your opponents
would never be allowed to tell partner
about cards in your hands, the meaning of a bid, or anything else about the
current board in a live bridge game.
You are prohibited from any sort of
communication outside of the online
bridge interface. There are prescribed
procedures for Alerting and Announcing and for asking questions about or
explaining your methods. Remember,
in online bridge, you Alert and explain
your own bids. Part of duplicate bridge
is the concept that contestants should
compete under conditions that are as
similar as possible at all tables. Most
of the time, the members of a partnership will be in different locations.
If you and your partner are playing
online bridge from the same location,
the best practice would be for each to
be in a separate room, unable to see or
hear each other. Law 16B1 says that
"extraneous information from partner that might suggest a call or play is
unauthorized." In face-to-face play,
your opponents could call the director to describe conditions at the table
where one partner might have received

unauthorized information. Your online
opponents cannot report behavior they
cannot observe. Playing in different
rooms makes it easier for you to avoid
allegations of impropriety.
ACBL standards of behavior still
apply online. It is even more important to "Play Nice" when some of the
pleasantries of face-to-face bridge,
such as smiles, are impossible. Greet
the opponents. Introduce yourself and
your partner. Post a complete convention card with both partners' names.
Compliment the opponents on good
bids and plays. Learn common online
abbreviations. Assume that what appears to be terse rudeness is merely
friendly brevity. If you find out you
were mistaken, call the director. There
is no place for rudeness in live bridge;
online is no different.
If you have a problem with behavior
or think you see something suspicious,
you may bring it to the attention of the
ACBL Recorder at recorder@acbl.org.
BBO's software is capable of tracking anomalies related to contestants
who continually produce suspiciously
good results. Also, remember that in an
18-board session, it is mathematically
more likely for a pair to have a really
great (or really terrible) percentage
score than in a longer event. There are
going to be more big games than you
are accustomed to seeing, and some of
them will be achieved by less-experienced pairs. Always remember to be
polite. What seems suspicious to you
may simply be the action of a player
whose choice was lucky this time.
◾

July 2020

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of July 2020