[blml] Another Law that players need to know

[Guthrie]

David Grabiner wrote:
> We have had previous discussions on BLML about which Laws players 
> actually need to know. They need to know the basic rules of the game, 
> the Proprieties, and fundamental principles such as what to do about 
> UI and that the Director should be called when anything goes wrong.  
> They don't need to know the penalty for an opening bid out of turn or 
> a conventional insufficient bid, since the Director will make sure 
> that the proper penalty is enforced.
>
> However, I encountered a new situation in which the player does need 
> to know the penalty: the revoke, because the penalty is imposed only 
> later.
>   
[nige1]
IMO players need know and understand Bridge rules better than direcotors.
Luckily many do.

Players must rely on memory. Directors can (should) consult the law book.

Take David's examples: (when an opponent's bid is insufficient or out of 
turn).
The legally naive player waits for the director to arrive to inform him 
of his options
and then often chooses an inferior option because he has to make a complex
real-time decision. The secretary bird considers his options while 
waiting for the
director. He can rule out inferior options quickly.

Suppose aplayer is unsure whether his "mechanical mistake" is a slip of the
mind or a slip of the hand? How often have you heard a secretary bird admit
to a slip of the mind? :)

Directors sometimes rule wrongly. For example, in a national tournament, a
director ruled "declarer cannot revoke"! :)

In more subtle cases, director mistakes are more frequent.
Read any random BLM:L thread to confirm this.

Thus, in-depth knowledge of the rules is vital for any serious player.
Whereas directors need only an up-to-date law-book.

Unecessary incompete fragmented unclear sophisticated and subjective laws
make the directors life more interesting but increase the burden on players.