[blml] Clubbed Queen

[Sven Pran]

> On Behalf Of Tim West-Meads
.............
> > If Dummy takes any action whatsoever indicating that he is selecting a
> > particular card in response to something declarer says I rule that he
> > is actually "playing" that card.
> 
> Under which law?  Dummy will tell you that he was reaching for the C5
> and only touched the 9 briefly when he realised it wasn't there (or to
> look for the C5 underneath it).  Please don't tell me it is an
> irregularity for dummy to try and find the card declarer has requested.

In which case I expect Dummy to terminate his action with a request to
Declarer for clarification. 

> 
> > In the case we are discussing Dummy has not taken any action of any
> > kind.
> 
> So sometimes the ploy works without any assistance from dummy.  The fact
> remains that declarer has committed an irregularity in a situation I
> know (and he can know) may prove advantageous.  You want to let declarer
> get away with it, I don't.

If the circumstances make me judge that Declarer acted deliberately I shall
come down on him like a ton of bricks. However, my experience is that such
cases almost always are accidental.

> 
> BTW, we were *not* told that dummy had "done nothing", albeit we have
> discovered that dummy has not played a card.  

I do not know what you have read on this thread, I have read that East
played his QC to the trick immediately after Declarer called the 5C (which
was not in Dummy at all) without awaiting any action by Dummy.

We have to investigate
> whether dummy did anything (such as reaching for the club suit, or
> touching a card there).  An alternative tactic is for dummy to knock his
> pen onto the floor and say "hang on, on it's way" while retrieving it -
> giving ample scope for the next player to be misled.

Please spare me intricate speculations. Any activity that positively
indicates Declarer and Dummy are engaged in some kind of a deliberate plot
will just bounce back on them. Without such indications I shall assume a
misnomer by Declarer being void under Law 46B4 and hold East responsible for
his own failure in playing to the trick before a lead has been made from
Dummy.

Sven