Laws 41–71 · Everyday Language edition
Once a bid, double, or redouble has been followed by three passes in rotation, the defender to presumed declarer’s left makes the opening lead face down. That face-down lead may only be withdrawn on the Director’s instruction, after an irregularity (see Laws 47E and 54); the withdrawn card goes back to the defender’s hand.
Before the opening lead is faced, the leader’s partner and the presumed declarer (not the presumed dummy) may each ask for a review of the auction, or an explanation of an opponent’s call (see Law 20F2 and 20F3). Declarer or either defender may ask for a review of the auction at their first turn to play a card; this right ends once that hand plays a card. Defenders (subject to Law 16) and declarer keep the right to ask for explanations throughout the play period, each at their own turn to play.
After this Clarification Period, the opening lead is faced, the play period begins and can’t be undone, and dummy’s hand is spread (but see Law 54A for a faced opening lead out of turn). Once it’s too late to have previous calls restated (see B), declarer or either defender is entitled to be told what the contract is, and whether — but not by whom — it was doubled or redoubled, at their turn to play.
After the opening lead is faced, dummy spreads their hand face up directly in front of them on the table, sorted into suits, cards ranked with the lowest toward declarer, in separate columns pointing lengthwise toward declarer. Trumps go to dummy’s right. Declarer then plays both hands.
1. Dummy may give information about fact or law, in the Director’s presence.
2. Dummy may keep count of tricks won and lost.
3. Dummy plays dummy’s cards as declarer’s agent, as directed, and makes sure dummy follows suit (see Law 45F if dummy suggests a play).
Dummy may exercise other rights, subject to the limits in Law 43.
1. If declarer (not a defender) fails to follow suit to a trick, dummy may ask whether that hand has a card of the suit led.
2. Dummy may try to prevent any irregularity.
3. Dummy may point out an irregularity, but only after play of the hand has ended.
Except as Law 42 allows:
1. (a) Dummy may not call for the Director during play, unless another player has already drawn attention to an irregularity.
(b) Dummy may not point out an irregularity during play.
(c) Dummy must not take part in the play, or tell declarer anything about it.
2. (a) Dummy may not swap hands with declarer.
(b) Dummy may not stand up to watch declarer play the hand.
(c) Dummy may not look at the face of a card in either defender’s hand.
3. A defender may not show their hand to dummy.
1. Dummy is liable to a penalty under Law 90 for breaking any limit listed in A1 or A2.
2. If dummy, after breaking a limit listed in A2:
(a) warns declarer not to lead from the wrong hand, either defender may choose which hand declarer leads from;
(b) is the first to ask declarer whether a play from declarer’s hand is a revoke, declarer must substitute a correct card if the play was illegal, and Law 64 then applies as though the revoke had been established.
3. If dummy, after breaking a limit listed in A2, is the first to point out a defender’s irregularity, there’s no immediate rectification — play continues as if nothing happened. If the defending side gained from its irregularity by the end of play, the Director adjusts only its score, removing that advantage. The declaring side keeps the score achieved at the table.
Whoever leads to a trick may play any card from hand (unless that side committed an irregularity and is now under restriction).
After the lead, each other player plays a card in turn; the four cards played make up a trick. (For how cards are played and tricks arranged, see Laws 45 and 65.)
Each player must follow suit if possible when playing to a trick. This takes priority over every other requirement in these Laws.
If a player can’t follow suit, they may play any card (unless that side committed an irregularity and is now under restriction).
A trick containing a trump is won by whoever played the highest trump to it.
A trick with no trump is won by whoever played the highest card of the suit led.
The lead to the next trick comes from whoever won the last one.
Every player except dummy plays a card by taking it from their hand and placing it face up on the table right in front of them.
Declarer plays a card from dummy by naming it; dummy then picks it up and faces it on the table. Declarer may pick up the desired card themselves if needed.
1. A defender’s card counts as played to the current trick if it’s held so partner could see its face (if the defender has already legally played to the current trick, see Law 45E instead).
2. Declarer’s card from hand counts as played if it’s either:
(a) held face up, touching or nearly touching the table, or
(b) held in a position that shows it’s been played.
3. A dummy card counts as played if declarer deliberately touches it — except when arranging dummy’s cards, or reaching past it for a card above or below.
4. A card counts as played if a player names or otherwise indicates it as the one they intend to play (but see Law 47).
(a) Declarer may correct an unintended designation of a dummy card, up until the next card is played from hand or dummy. A correction is allowed for a slip of the tongue, but not for a change of mind or loss of concentration. If an opponent has already played a card that was legal before the correction, that opponent may withdraw it, return it to hand, and play something else instead (see Laws 47D and 16C1).
5. A penalty card, major or minor, may have to be played instead (see Law 50).
1. If dummy plays a card declarer didn’t name, it must be withdrawn if this is noticed before both sides have played to the next trick. A defender may withdraw and take back a card played after the error but before it was noticed; if declarer’s RHO changes their play, declarer may withdraw a card they played after that to the same trick. (See Law 16C.)
2. Once it’s too late to fix dummy’s misplaced card, play continues normally with no change to the cards already played to this or any later trick. If the misplaced card was the trick’s first card, failing to follow suit to it may now count as a revoke (see Laws 64A, 64B7, and 64C). If it was played into a trick already in progress and caused dummy to revoke, see Laws 64B3 and 64C.
1. A defender’s fifth card to a trick becomes a penalty card, subject to Law 50 — unless the Director judges it was led, in which case Law 53 or 56 applies instead.
2. Declarer’s fifth card to a trick, from hand or dummy, goes back with no further rectification — unless the Director judges it was led, in which case Law 55 applies.
Once dummy’s hand is faced, dummy may not touch or point at any card (except to arrange them) without declarer’s instruction. If dummy does, the Director should be called right away and told what happened; play continues. At the end of play, the Director is required to award an adjusted score if dummy is judged to have suggested a play to declarer, and the defenders were damaged by it.
No player should turn a card face down until all four players have played to the trick.
When calling for a card from dummy, declarer should clearly state both its suit and rank.
With an incomplete or invalid designation, these rules apply (unless declarer’s real intention is beyond doubt):
1. (a) If declarer says ‘high’ (or similar) when playing from dummy, the highest card of the suit led is deemed called.
(b) If declarer tells dummy to ‘win’ the trick, the lowest card known to win it is deemed called.
(c) If declarer says ‘low’ (or similar), the lowest card of the suit led is deemed called.
2. If declarer names a suit but not a rank, the lowest card of that suit is deemed called.
3. If declarer names a rank but not a suit:
(a) when leading, declarer is deemed to have continued the suit dummy won the last trick with, provided dummy holds a card of that rank in that suit;
(b) otherwise, declarer must play a dummy card of that rank if legally able — and if more than one such card could legally be played, declarer must specify which.
4. If declarer calls for a card dummy doesn’t hold, the call is invalid, and declarer may designate any legal card instead.
5. If declarer indicates a play without naming a suit or rank (e.g. ‘play anything’), either defender may choose the card played from dummy.
A played card may be withdrawn when a rectification after an irregularity requires it (but a defender’s withdrawn card may become a penalty card, see Law 49).
A played card may be withdrawn to correct an illegal play (for defenders, see Law 49’s penalty-card rule, except where this Law says otherwise). For simultaneous plays, see Law 58.
A played card may be withdrawn and returned to hand, with no further rectification, following a change of designation Law 45C4(b) allows.
After an opponent changes their play, a played card may be withdrawn and returned to hand, with no further rectification, and another card substituted. (Laws 16C and 62C2 may apply.)
1. A lead or play out of turn is retracted with no further rectification if the player was misled by an opponent about whose turn it was (see Law 16C). LHO may not accept that lead or play in this case, and Law 63A1 doesn’t apply.
2. (a) A player may retract a card played because of a mistaken explanation of an opponent’s call or play, with no further rectification, if this happens before the explanation is corrected and no card has since been played (see Law 16C). An opening lead can’t be retracted once dummy has faced any card.
(b) If it’s too late to correct a play under (a), the Director may award an adjusted score.
1. A card may be withdrawn as Law 53B allows.
2. Outside what this Law specifies, a played card may not be withdrawn.
Declarer faces no restriction for exposing a card (but see Law 45C2), and no card of declarer’s or dummy’s hand ever becomes a penalty card. Declarer isn’t required to play a card dropped by accident.
1. If declarer faces cards right after an opening lead out of turn, Law 54 applies.
2. If declarer faces cards at any other time, it may be treated as a claim or concession of tricks (unless there’s clearly no intention to claim), and Law 68 then applies.
Outside the normal course of play or applying the Law (see e.g. Law 47E), if a defender’s card is positioned so partner could see its face, or a defender names a card as being in their hand, that card becomes a penalty card (Law 50). But see Law 68 if a defender has made a statement about an unfinished trick in progress, and Law 68B2 if partner objects to a defender’s concession.
A card a defender exposes prematurely (but doesn’t lead — see Law 57) is a penalty card, unless the Director rules otherwise (see Law 49; Law 72C may apply).
A penalty card must stay face up on the table, right in front of the player it belongs to, until a rectification is chosen.
A single card below honour rank, exposed by accident (say, playing two cards to a trick, or dropping one), becomes a minor penalty card. Any honour card, or any card exposed through a deliberate act (like leading out of turn, or revoking and then fixing it), becomes a major penalty card. If one defender has two or more penalty cards, all of them become major.
A defender holding a minor penalty card may not play any other below-honour card of that suit until the penalty card has been played, though an honour card may be played instead. The offender’s partner faces no lead restriction (but see E).
While a defender has a major penalty card, both that defender and their partner may face restrictions: the offender at each turn to play, the partner whenever on lead.
1. (a) Except as (b) allows, a major penalty card must be played at the first legal chance — leading, following suit, discarding, or trumping. If a defender has two or more playable penalty cards, declarer chooses which is played.
(b) Following suit, or obeying a lead or play restriction, comes before the duty to play a major penalty card — but the penalty card still stays face up on the table and must be played at the next legal chance.
2. A defender on lead while partner holds a major penalty card may not lead until declarer states which option below they’re choosing (leading prematurely is subject to rectification under Law 49). Declarer may:
(a) require the defender to lead the penalty card’s suit, or forbid leading that suit for as long as that defender holds the lead (for two or more penalty cards, see Law 51) — either way, the card stops being a penalty card and is picked up; or
(b) neither require nor forbid a lead, in which case the defender may lead anything, and the penalty card stays on the table as a penalty card. If declarer picks this option, Law 50D keeps applying for as long as the card remains.
1. Information from a penalty card, and from the requirements for playing it, is authorized for everyone for as long as the card stays on the table.
2. Information from a penalty card that’s been returned to hand [under Law 50D2(a)] is unauthorized for the partner of the player who had it (see Law 16C), but authorized for declarer.
3. Once a penalty card has been played, information from how it came about is unauthorized for the partner of the player who had it. (For one not yet played, see E1.)
4. If, after E1 applies, the Director judges at the end of play that the board’s outcome could well have been different without the benefit of the exposed card, and the non-offending side was damaged as a result (see Law 12B1), an adjusted score is required to be awarded. The adjustment should aim to recreate, as closely as possible, the likely outcome without the penalty card’s effect.
If it’s a defender’s turn to play, and that defender has two or more legally playable penalty cards, declarer chooses which is played.
1. (a) If a defender has two or more penalty cards in one suit, and declarer requires the defender’s partner to lead that suit, those cards stop being penalty cards and are picked up; the defender may then make any legal play to the trick.
(b) If a defender has two or more penalty cards in one suit, and declarer forbids the defender’s partner from leading that suit, the defender picks up every penalty card in that suit and may make any legal play to the trick. The prohibition lasts until that player loses the lead.
2. (a) If a defender has penalty cards in more than one suit [see Law 50D2(a)] and partner is to lead, declarer may require the defender’s partner to lead a specific suit where the defender holds a penalty card [B1(a) above then applies].
(b) If a defender has penalty cards in more than one suit and partner is to lead, declarer may forbid the defender’s partner from leading one or more of those suits; the defender then picks up every penalty card in every forbidden suit and may make any legal play to the trick. The prohibition lasts until that player loses the lead.
(c) If a defender has penalty cards in more than one suit and partner is to lead, declarer may choose to neither require nor forbid a lead — the defender’s partner may then lead anything, and the penalty cards stay on the table. If declarer picks this option, Laws 50 and 51 keep applying for as long as the cards remain.
A defender who doesn’t lead or play a penalty card as Law 50 or 51 requires may not, on their own, withdraw any other card already played.
1. (a) If a defender leads or plays a different card when required to play a penalty card, declarer may accept that lead or play.
(b) If declarer has since played from hand or dummy, they must accept it.
(c) If the card is accepted under (a) or (b), any still-unplayed penalty card remains a penalty card.
2. If declarer doesn’t accept the illegal lead or play, the defender must substitute the penalty card for it. Every card the defender illegally led or played while committing the irregularity becomes a major penalty card.
Before the thirteenth trick, any lead faced out of turn may be treated as correct (but see Law 47E1). It becomes correct if declarer or either defender (whichever applies) says they accept it, or if the hand next in rotation plays to it (but see B). Otherwise, the Director requires the lead to come from the correct hand instead (see Law 47B).
Under Law 53A, if it was actually an opponent of the out-of-turn leader’s turn to lead, that opponent may make their own proper lead to the trick, without it counting as a play to the irregular lead. If they do, the proper lead stands, and any cards mistakenly played to this trick may be withdrawn (Law 16C applies).
If declarer leads out of turn from hand or dummy, and the defender to the right of that lead plays a card (but see B), the lead stands, and Law 57 applies.
If an opening lead out of turn is faced, and the offender’s partner then leads face down, the Director requires that face- down lead to be retracted. Also:
After a faced opening lead out of turn, declarer may spread their hand, becoming dummy instead. If declarer starts spreading their hand and exposes any card in doing so, the whole hand must be spread — and dummy becomes declarer.
If a defender faces the opening lead out of turn, declarer may accept it under Law 53, and dummy is spread as Law 41 sets out.
1. The trick’s second card is played from declarer’s hand.
2. If declarer instead plays the second card from dummy, that card may not be withdrawn except to correct a revoke.
A declarer who could have seen any of dummy’s cards (other than cards dummy exposed during the auction under Law 24) must accept the lead, and the presumed declarer then becomes declarer.
Declarer may require a defender to retract a faced opening lead out of turn. The withdrawn card becomes a major penalty card, and Law 50D applies.
If a player on the declaring side tries to make the opening lead, Law 24 applies.
If declarer leads out of turn from hand or dummy, either defender may accept it under Law 53, or require it to be retracted (for misinformation, see Law 47E1). If the defenders disagree, whichever option the player next in turn to the irregular lead chooses wins out.
1. If declarer led from hand or dummy when it was a defender’s turn, and is required to retract it under Law 55A, declarer returns the wrongly led card to the correct hand — with no further rectification.
2. If declarer led from the wrong hand when the lead should have come from the other, and is required to retract it under Law 55A, the wrongly led card is withdrawn, and the lead must come from the correct hand.
If declarer’s chosen line of play could have been influenced by information from their own infraction, Law 16 applies.
When a lead out of turn is faced, declarer may either:
A. accept the irregular lead under Law 53, or
B. require the defender to retract it. The withdrawn card becomes a major penalty card, and Law 50D applies.
If a defender leads to the next trick before partner has played to the current one, or plays out of turn before partner has played, that card becomes a major penalty card, and declarer picks one of:
1. requiring the offender’s partner to play the highest card of the suit led;
2. requiring the lowest card of the suit led;
3. requiring a card of another suit declarer specifies;
4. forbidding a card of another suit declarer specifies.
If the offender’s partner can’t follow declarer’s chosen rectification (see A), they may play any card, as Law 59 provides.
1. A defender faces no rectification for playing before partner if declarer has already played from both hands. But a dummy card doesn’t count as played until declarer has instructed (or otherwise indicated) the play.
2. A defender faces no rectification for playing before partner if dummy chose a card prematurely, on their own, before RHO — or illegally suggested one.
3. A premature play (not a lead) by declarer from either hand counts as played, and if legal, can’t be withdrawn.
If a defender tries to play (not lead) to a trick at RHO’s turn, Law 16 may apply. If that card could legally be played to the trick, it must be played in its proper turn — otherwise, it becomes a major penalty card.
A lead or play made at the same time as another player’s legal lead or play counts as coming after it.
If a player leads or plays several cards at once:
1. If only one card’s face is visible, that one is played; the rest are picked up with no further rectification (see Law 47F).
2. If more than one face is visible, the offending player chooses which card is played; for a defender, every other exposed card becomes a penalty card (see Law 50).
3. After an offending player withdraws a visible card, an opponent who’d already played to that trick may withdraw and substitute another card, with no further rectification (but see Law 16C).
4. If this isn’t discovered until both sides have played to the next trick, Law 67 applies.
If a player can’t lead or play as a rectification requires — because they hold no card of the required suit, only cards of a forbidden suit, or must follow suit instead — they may play any otherwise legal card.
1. If a member of the non-offending side plays after RHO has led or played out of turn or prematurely, and before the Director has ruled, they forfeit their side’s right to rectification for that offence.
2. Once that right is forfeited, the illegal play is treated as though it were in turn (except where Law 53B applies).
3. If the offending side already owed a penalty-card obligation, or had to follow a lead or play restriction, that obligation carries over to later turns.
If a defender plays after declarer has been required to retract an out-of-turn lead, but before declarer has led from the correct hand, the defender’s card becomes a major penalty card (Law 50).
A play by the offending side before the Director has ruled on rectification doesn’t affect the opponents’ rights, and may itself need rectifying.
Failing to follow suit as Law 44 requires, or failing to lead or play a required card or suit when able to — whether the Law requires it, or an opponent specified it while exercising a rectification option — is a revoke. (If unable to comply, see Law 59.)
1. Declarer may ask a defender who failed to follow suit whether their hand holds a card of the suit led.
2. (a) Dummy may ask declarer [but see Law 43B2(b)].
(b) Dummy may not ask a defender — Law 16B may apply.
3. Defenders may ask declarer and each other (though this risks creating unauthorized information).
Claiming a revoke doesn’t automatically allow inspecting quitted tricks (see Law 66C).
A player must correct a revoke if it’s pointed out before it becomes established.
To correct a revoke, the offender withdraws the played card and substitutes a legal one.
1. The withdrawn card becomes a major penalty card (Law 50) if it came from a defender’s unfaced hand.
2. It’s replaced with no further rectification if it came from declarer’s hand [subject to Law 43B2(b)], from dummy, or was a defender’s faced card.
1. Any non-offending player may withdraw and take back a card they played after the revoke but before it was noticed (see Law 16C).
2. Once a non-offender does this, the next offending-side player in rotation may withdraw their played card too — which becomes a penalty card if they’re a defender (see Law 16C).
3. If both sides revoke on the same trick, and only one side has played to the next trick, both revokes must be corrected (see Law 16C2). Every card the defending side withdraws becomes a penalty card.
1. A revoke on the twelfth trick must be corrected if it’s found before all four hands go back in the board — even if it would otherwise already be established.
2. If a defender revokes on the twelfth trick before partner’s turn to play to it, Law 16C applies.
A revoke becomes established when:
1. the offender or their partner leads or plays to the next trick (any such play, legal or not, establishes it);
2. the offender or their partner names or otherwise indicates a card to be played to the next trick;
3. a member of the offending side claims or concedes tricks, whether by saying so, facing their hand, or any other way;
4. agreement is reached (per Law 69A) to an opponent’s claim or concession, with the offending side raising no objection before the round ends or before calling on a later board.
Once established, a revoke can no longer be corrected (except as Law 62D allows for a twelfth-trick revoke, or Law 62C3) — the trick where it happened stands as played.
Once a revoke is established:
1. if the offending player won the revoke trick, then at the end of play that trick transfers to the non-offending side, along with one later trick the offending side won (if any).
2. if the offending player didn’t win the revoke trick, but the offending side won that trick or a later one, then at the end of play one trick transfers to the non-offending side.
No automatic trick transfer follows an established revoke (but see C) if:
1. the offending side won neither the revoke trick nor any later one;
2. it’s a later revoke in the same suit by the same player, after an earlier one in that suit was already established;
3. the revoke happened by failing to play a penalty card or a dummy card;
4. it wasn’t noticed until a non-offending player had already called on the next board;
5. it wasn’t noticed until after the round ended;
6. it’s a revoke on the twelfth trick;
7. both sides revoked on the same board and both revokes became established;
8. the revoke was corrected under Law 62C3.
1. After any established revoke — including one with no automatic trick transfer — if the Director judges this Law hasn’t sufficiently compensated the non-offending side for the damage caused, an adjusted score is required to be assigned.
2. (a) After repeated revokes in the same suit by the same player (see B2), the Director adjusts the score if the non- offending side would likely have won more tricks without the later revoke(s).
(b) If both sides revoked on the same board (see B7) and the Director judges a contestant was damaged, an adjusted score based on the likely result without any revokes is required to be assigned.
Once four cards have been played to a trick, each player turns their own card face down on the table.
1. If the player’s own side won the trick, they point their card lengthwise toward their partner.
2. If the opponents won it, they point it lengthwise toward the opponents.
3. A player may point out a card that’s pointed the wrong way, but only until that side leads or plays to the next trick. After that, Law 16B may apply instead.
Each player arranges their own cards in a neat, overlapping row, in the order played, so the play can be reviewed afterward if needed — to settle how many tricks each side won, or the order cards were played in.
A player should not disturb the order of played cards until everyone agrees on the number of tricks won. Not following this Law risks a player’s right to claim a doubtful trick, or to claim (or deny) a revoke.
Until their own card is turned face down, declarer or either defender may ask for all cards just played to the trick to be faced — as long as their side hasn’t yet led or played to the next trick.
Declarer or either defender may look at (but not show) their own last card played, until their side has led or played to the next trick.
After that, and until play ends, quitted tricks may not be inspected — except on the Director’s specific instruction (for example, to verify a claimed revoke).
Once play ends, played and unplayed cards may be inspected to settle a claimed revoke, or a dispute about tricks won or lost — but no player should handle cards other than their own. If the Director can no longer establish the facts after such a claim, and only one side had mixed up its cards, the Director is required to rule in the other side’s favour.
If a player missed playing to a trick, or played too many cards to one, the error must be fixed if it’s noticed before a player on each side has played to the next trick.
1. To fix a missed play, the offender supplies a legal card.
2. To fix too many cards played, Law 45E (Fifth Card Played to a Trick) or Law 58B (Simultaneous Cards From One Hand) applies.
If the Director finds there was a defective trick (because a player’s hand has too few or too many cards, and correspondingly the wrong number of played cards) — and both sides have already played to the next trick — the Director proceeds as follows:
1. If the offender failed to play a card to the defective trick, the Director requires them to immediately expose a card face up and place it correctly among their played cards (this doesn’t affect who won the trick):
(a) if the offender holds a card of the suit led to that trick, they must choose one of those to place among the played cards — they’re deemed to have revoked on the defective trick, losing one trick under Law 64A2;
(b) if the offender holds no card of that suit, they choose any card to place there — again deemed to have revoked, losing one trick under Law 64A2.
2. (a) If the offender played more than one card to the defective trick, the Director inspects the played cards and has the offender restore all extra cards to their hand, leaving among the played cards whichever one was actually faced (if the Director can’t tell which, the offender leaves the highest-ranking card that could legally have been played). Who won the defective trick doesn’t change. (The Director should avoid exposing a defender’s played cards where possible — but an extra card exposed while being restored to a defender’s hand becomes a penalty card, see Law 50.)
(b) A restored card is treated as having always belonged to the offender’s hand — not having played it to an earlier trick may count as a revoke.
3. If the Director finds the offender did play a card to the trick, but it wasn’t placed among the quitted tricks, the Director locates it and places it correctly among the offender’s played cards. The Director is required to award an adjusted score if that same card was also played to a later trick and it’s too late to fix the illegal play.
For a statement or action to count as a claim or concession under these Laws, it must refer to tricks other than the one currently in progress. If it only concerns winning or losing the trick currently underway, play just continues normally; a defender’s exposed or revealed cards don’t become penalty cards, though Laws 16 and 57A may apply.
Any statement by declarer or a defender that a side will win a specific number of tricks is a claim of those tricks. A player also claims by suggesting play be cut short, or by showing their cards — unless there’s clearly no intention to claim (for instance, if declarer faces their cards after an opening lead out of turn, Law 54 applies instead of this one).
1. Any statement by declarer or a defender that a side will lose a specific number of tricks is a concession of those tricks; claiming some number of tricks concedes the rest, if any. A player who abandons their hand concedes every remaining trick.
2. Despite B1, if a defender tries to concede tricks and their partner immediately objects, neither a concession nor a claim has happened. This may create unauthorized information, so the Director should be called right away; play continues. Any card the defender exposed in doing so isn’t a penalty card, but Law 16C governs the information it revealed — which the defender’s partner may not use.
A claim should come with an immediate, clear statement of how the claimer plans to win the claimed tricks — including the order cards will be played in. Whoever claims or concedes then faces their hand.
Play stops after any claim or concession.
1. If everyone agrees to it, Law 69 applies.
2. If any player (dummy included) doubts it, then either:
(a) the Director may be called immediately, with no action taken until they arrive — Law 70 then applies; or
(b) at the request of the side that didn’t claim or concede, play may continue instead, subject to:
(i) all four players agreeing to this — otherwise the Director is called, and (a) applies;
(ii) the earlier claim or concession becoming void and not open to a ruling. Laws 16 and 50 don’t apply, and whatever score results from play stands.
Agreement is reached when a side accepts an opponent’s claim or concession and raises no objection before either calling on the next board or the round ending, whichever comes first. The board is scored as if the claimed or conceded tricks had actually been won or lost in play.
Agreement with a claim or concession (see A) can be withdrawn within the Correction Period set by Law 79C, if:
1. a player agreed to lose a trick their side had actually won; or
2. a player agreed to lose a trick their side would likely have won had play continued.
The board is then rescored, awarding that trick to that side.
When ruling on a contested claim or concession, the Director settles the board’s result as fairly as possible to both sides — but resolves any doubtful point against the claimer. The Director proceeds as follows.
1. The Director has the claimer repeat the clarification statement made at the time of the claim.
2. The Director then hears the opponents’ objections (though isn’t limited to only what they raise).
3. The Director may require players to put their remaining cards face up on the table.
If a trump remains in an opponent’s hand, the Director is required to award them a trick or tricks if:
1. the claimer said nothing about that trump, and
2. it’s at all likely the claimer didn’t realize, at the time of the claim, that the opponent still held a trump, and
3. any normal line of play could lose a trick to it.
1. The Director is not to accept a successful line of play from the claimer that wasn’t part of the original clarification statement, if a normal alternative line would have been less successful.
2. The Director won’t accept any part of a defender’s claim that depends on their partner choosing one particular normal play over other normal alternatives.
1. The Director is not to accept an unstated line of play from the claimer that only works by guessing correctly which opponent holds a particular card — unless an opponent already failed to follow suit to that card before the claim, or would fail to follow suit to it under any normal line of play.
2. The Regulating Authority may set a default order (e.g. ‘top down’) for the Director to assume a suit was played in, if the claim statement didn’t specify — subject always to the rest of this Law.
A concession stands once made, except that within the Correction Period set by Law 79C, the Director is required to cancel it if:
A. a player conceded a trick their side had actually won; or
B. a player conceded a trick that no normal play of the remaining cards could have lost.
The board is then rescored, awarding that trick to that side.