Partner faces hand after dummy has done likewise

[Keith Keith]

RHO, dealer: 1N, me( E) Double, LHO Pass, Patner Pass. I put opening lead
on table, face down and ask "any questions", as there were none I faced my
lead and dummy laid down their hand. Whilst writing the contract on my score
card partner also faced their hand. What is the ruling?

[Adam Lea]

Post by Keith Keith
RHO, dealer: 1N, me( E) Double, LHO Pass, Patner Pass. I put opening
lead on table, face down and ask "any questions", as there were none I
faced my lead and dummy laid down their hand. Whilst writing the
contract on my score card partner also faced their hand. What is the
ruling?

This happened once when I was directing on the novice evening at my
local club. I'm not sure if I correctly remember what I did (I did look
up the ruling), but it was something like this:

The cards incorrectly laid down by your partner become penalty cards.
Whenever you are on lead, declarer has the following options:

1) Asking for the lead of one of the suits with a penalty card;
2) Forbid the lead of a suit with penalty cards.
3) allow you to lead what you like.

In the first two cases, the penalty cards in that suit are picked up and
cease to be penalty cards. In the third option, the cards remain penalty
cards. When it is your partners turn to play to a trick and has to
follow in a suit with penalty cards, or has to discard, declarer can
designate which penalty card must be played. If your partner gains the
lead, declarer can designate which penalty card he must lead. If your
partner managed to put his/her entire hand on the table then declarer is
effectively playing your partners hand as a second dummy.

[Co Wiersma]

Post by Adam Lea

Post by Keith Keith
RHO, dealer: 1N, me( E) Double, LHO Pass, Patner Pass. I put opening
lead on table, face down and ask "any questions", as there were none I
faced my lead and dummy laid down their hand. Whilst writing the
contract on my score card partner also faced their hand. What is the
ruling?

This happened once when I was directing on the novice evening at my
local club. I'm not sure if I correctly remember what I did (I did look
The cards incorrectly laid down by your partner become penalty cards.
1) Asking for the lead of one of the suits with a penalty card;
2) Forbid the lead of a suit with penalty cards.
3) allow you to lead what you like.
In the first two cases, the penalty cards in that suit are picked up and
cease to be penalty cards. In the third option, the cards remain penalty
cards. When it is your partners turn to play to a trick and has to
follow in a suit with penalty cards, or has to discard, declarer can
designate which penalty card must be played. If your partner gains the
lead, declarer can designate which penalty card he must lead. If your
partner managed to put his/her entire hand on the table then declarer is
effectively playing your partners hand as a second dummy.

Is the face-down card not already considered the lead?

[Lorne Anderson]

Post by Co Wiersma

Post by Adam Lea

Post by Keith Keith
RHO, dealer: 1N, me( E) Double, LHO Pass, Patner Pass. I put opening
lead on table, face down and ask "any questions", as there were none I
faced my lead and dummy laid down their hand. Whilst writing the
contract on my score card partner also faced their hand. What is the
ruling?

This happened once when I was directing on the novice evening at my
local club. I'm not sure if I correctly remember what I did (I did look
The cards incorrectly laid down by your partner become penalty cards.
1) Asking for the lead of one of the suits with a penalty card;
2) Forbid the lead of a suit with penalty cards.
3) allow you to lead what you like.
In the first two cases, the penalty cards in that suit are picked up and
cease to be penalty cards. In the third option, the cards remain penalty
cards. When it is your partners turn to play to a trick and has to
follow in a suit with penalty cards, or has to discard, declarer can
designate which penalty card must be played. If your partner gains the
lead, declarer can designate which penalty card he must lead. If your
partner managed to put his/her entire hand on the table then declarer is
effectively playing your partners hand as a second dummy.

Is the face-down card not already considered the lead?

The lead was faced before partner exposed his hand so I think it has to
stand since it was visible to all but I do not think this specific
situation is covered by the laws (ie major penalty card after a lead is
made but nobody has followed to the lead). My guess is that you play to
this trick and then invoke the lead penalties, and partner can choose
which card to play to this trick, but I would not be surprised if there
was some hidden comment somewhere in the law book to cover it.

Interestingly if the lead had been left face down partner would have
exposed his hand during the auction period which ends only when the lead
is faced and a different rule applies.

[Adam Lea]

Post by Lorne Anderson

Post by Co Wiersma

Post by Adam Lea

Post by Keith Keith
RHO, dealer: 1N, me( E) Double, LHO Pass, Patner Pass. I put opening
lead on table, face down and ask "any questions", as there were none I
faced my lead and dummy laid down their hand. Whilst writing the
contract on my score card partner also faced their hand. What is the
ruling?

This happened once when I was directing on the novice evening at my
local club. I'm not sure if I correctly remember what I did (I did look
The cards incorrectly laid down by your partner become penalty cards.
1) Asking for the lead of one of the suits with a penalty card;
2) Forbid the lead of a suit with penalty cards.
3) allow you to lead what you like.
In the first two cases, the penalty cards in that suit are picked up and
cease to be penalty cards. In the third option, the cards remain penalty
cards. When it is your partners turn to play to a trick and has to
follow in a suit with penalty cards, or has to discard, declarer can
designate which penalty card must be played. If your partner gains the
lead, declarer can designate which penalty card he must lead. If your
partner managed to put his/her entire hand on the table then declarer is
effectively playing your partners hand as a second dummy.

Is the face-down card not already considered the lead?

The lead was faced before partner exposed his hand so I think it has to
stand since it was visible to all but I do not think this specific
situation is covered by the laws (ie major penalty card after a lead is
made but nobody has followed to the lead). My guess is that you play to
this trick and then invoke the lead penalties, and partner can choose
which card to play to this trick, but I would not be surprised if there
was some hidden comment somewhere in the law book to cover it.
Interestingly if the lead had been left face down partner would have
exposed his hand during the auction period which ends only when the lead
is faced and a different rule applies.

My guess is the lead stands but if the exposed cards are in the same
suit declarer can choose which penalty card to play. I'm happy to be
corrected if this is not the case.

[Steve Willner]

Post by Lorne Anderson

I put opening lead on table, face down and ask "any questions", as
there were none I faced my lead and dummy laid down their hand.
Whilst writing the contract on my score card partner also faced
their hand.

The lead was faced before partner exposed his hand so I think it has
to stand

Yes, there's no provision for changing a legal lead.

Post by Lorne Anderson
I do not think this specific situation is covered by the laws (ie
major penalty card after a lead is made but nobody has followed to
the lead).

I don't see that the Laws dealing with penalty cards make any
distinction about when the penalty cards were exposed so long as it was
during the play period. Legal plays before the exposure of penalty
card(s) stand as played, and subsequent plays are according to the
rectifications provided in Laws 50 and 51.

When there are multiple penalty cards, declarer gets to specify which of
the legal ones is played to each trick (Law 51A). In the OP case, this
would start at trick 1. As Adam wrote, declarer is in effect playing
two dummy hands.

Post by Lorne Anderson
Interestingly if the lead had been left face down partner would have
exposed his hand during the auction period which ends only when the
lead is faced and a different rule applies.

Indeed so. In that case, the lead restrictions apply to the opening
lead. That seems unfair -- the lead wasn't affected by the sight of
partner's cards -- but I don't see any way around it.

There's also the issue that the exposed cards are UI for some purposes
but AI for others (Law 50E), but nobody knows what this means. (Many
people have opinions.)

[a***@hotmail.com]

Post by Keith Keith
RHO, dealer: 1N, me( E) Double, LHO Pass, Patner Pass. I put opening lead
on table, face down and ask "any questions", as there were none I faced my
lead and dummy laid down their hand. Whilst writing the contract on my score
card partner also faced their hand. What is the ruling?

E exposed a card during the auction, S 13 cards during the auction, as well as W. South's exposed cards enforce an auction ending pass upon N ending the auction and require N be declarer. South's cards are spread as dummy. The 14 EW cards are PCs, 50D1b overrides the requirement that E must lead the PC if declarer desires to instead enforce a lead restriction from W's PCs.etc...As long as W has multiple PCs declarer has the choice of which (legal) is played to a trick.

axman