[blml] Clubbed Queen

[Tim West-Meads]

Sven wrote:

> Law 46B4: If declarer calls a card that is not in dummy, the call is 
> void and declarer may designate any legal card.
> 
> So east has actually "led" his Queen of clubs out of turn, declarer 
> may accept this "lead", or the Queen becomes a major penalty card.

There are other possibilities.  Did dummy (hearing the "clubs" part of 
the call) place a club in the played position?  The Q may be withdrawn 
without penalty (L45D).

Did declarer articulate carelessly such that his opponent might easily 
have heard 9/8/small/top rather than 5?  (afraid my Dutch isn't up to 
that one).

Could declarer have known, at the time of his irregularity, that calling 
for a non-existent club would likely induce RHO to produce a penalty 
card?  Generally I'd expect a declarer who wasn't trying it on to 
request a waiver of the penalty card provisions.

In the latter two cases (and assuming no request for a penalty waiver) 
the CQ becomes an MPc but we adjust the result after the hand to that 
which would likely have been obtained had the irregularity not occurred 
(L72b1).

There are also possibilities relating to the defender having exposed the 
CQ deliberately in an attempt to avoid his partner crashing it under the 
A/K next round but these are more remote.

Tim