[blml] law 65A/Wayne Burrows/English language

[Wayne Burrows]

On 24/10/2007, Sven Pran <svenpran at online.no> wrote:
> > On Behalf Of Wayne Burrows
> .............
> > I am not talking about hastily turning down your card in order to try
> > and hide its value or suit from the opponents but a deliberate act at
> > the time 'when' the current trick has been completed.
>
> 'When' just denotes a particular time.

And the particular time denoted is when all four players have played
to the trick.  So that particular time is the appropriate time to turn
down your card.

> For instance 'should at once ....when' (see Law 9B1(a)) requires that a
> particular action shall take place without delay at the time denoted by
> 'when'.
>
> There has (AFAIK) been no problem with Law 65A during its at least 20 years
> unchanged existence so I do not see any reason why there should be any
> problem from now on?

I am fairly sure that I have argued this point before.  That it has
been unchanged suggests that the drafting committee are happy with, in
your words, the 'particular time' that a trick is required to be
turned down.  Roger Pewick has quoted in a parallel thread a previous
version of the laws in which this law begins 'After ...'.  This
suggests that there has been a clear change of intention from 'after'
meaning at 'some time later' to 'when' meaning 'as so as'.

> Any player may delay turning his last played card face down (and require the
> other players to keep their last played cards face up) for as long as he
> needs to digest the information from these cards and to plan his further
> play on that board.

I don't think you can find a law that allows such a delay.  Law 66
allows for a card that is turned down to be faced it does not require
that the player that faces it 'keeps' it faced.

> If your consideration is the player who delays turning his played card face
> down (and thereby deliberately delays the game) for no bridge reason then
> maybe you should consult Law 74B3 rather than discuss Law 65A?

My consideration is just that it is wrong to criticize a player who
has conformed with correct procedure and turn his card face down when
all four players have played to a trick and then having won the trick
leads to the next trick.  It is not that players issue that other
players are tardy in turning down their trick.

Wayne