Ethics
All of us enjoy the informal and relaxed atmosphere in which we play our bridge in the Bankers’ Club. 
However, we must always ensure that this doesn’t become TOO relaxed, and that we don’t lose sight of the desirability of proper attitude and etiquette at the bridge table – and in particular, how important it is to avoid any action, however inadvertent, that could be construed as unethical.

It is a basic principle of bridge that the only way partners should exchange information with each other during the
game is by WHAT bids or plays they make and not by HOW those bids or plays are made, or indeed by any other means.  Of course, the idea that someone would deliberately agree to convey unauthorised information in any way - whether by agreed secret gestures or signals or whatever, or agreed variations in tempo - appals us all (as it is, in effect, cheating) and thankfully has never had any place in our club ;  but even innocent and inadvertent actions can convey unauthorised information and thus can cause problems at the table. Law 16 of the Laws of Duplicate Bridge covers this topic, and we’ll come to it later.

But in the meantime, here are a few simple ‘do’s and don’ts’ that should help to minimise problems.

• DO strive to make all your bids and plays in as even a tempo as possible.
• Even if you have to take time over a bidding decision,
  DO have your mind made up before you reach for the bidding box
  – DON’T  finger several different bids, or a pass card and then a bid. Also, the ‘stop’ card  means  your opponents pause, not you! – placing the ‘stop’ card on the table and then making the bid
  should be essentially the one action.
• When opponents use the ‘stop’card,
   ALWAYS  wait  the required time, no matter how unlikely it might seem to everyone that
  you would consider bidding.
• Except for the few cases required currently by the CBAI,
   DON’T volunteer information about any of your partner’s bids during the auction – only explain when asked to do so by the appropriate opponent.
• When asking the opponents for information about their bids:
   (i) Always wait until it’s your own  turn – NEVER ask ‘ on behalf’ of your partner
  (ii) AVOID where possible asking ‘pointed’ questions, e.g. concentrating on whether an artificial bid may or may not show a particular suit 
    (iii) REMEMBER that you are only entitled to know what their agreements are – if they don’t have one in a particular situation, you are NOT entitled to know what they think a bid might mean. 
       
• Then, when you’re the one answering the questions :
  (i) DO give as complete an explanation as possible.
  (ii) if you’re not sure of the meaning of a bid, or there is no partnership agreement for it,
  say just that – NEVER reply by saying ‘ I’m taking it as .....’
  

Of course, all of us are human and none of us play bridge like computers or robots, so even with the best
will in the world situations arise where unauthorised information is available from something we or partner did
– but in that case we MUST be aware that it puts us in a potentially awkward position.
Here are the relevant sections of Law 16, mentioned above

LAW 16 AUTHORIZED AND UNAUTHORIZED INFORMATION

A. Players’ Use of Information
1. A player may use information in the auction or play if:
(a) it derives from the legal calls and plays of the current board (including illegal calls and plays that are accepted)
and is unaffected by unauthorized information from another source……. 

2. Players may also take account of their estimate of their own score, of the traits of their opponents,
and any requirement of the tournament regulations.

3. No player may base a call or play on other information (such information being designated extraneous).

B. Extraneous Information from Partner
1. (a) After a player makes available to his partner extraneous information that may suggest a call or play,
as for example by a remark, a question, a reply to a question, an unexpected alert or failure to alert,
or by unmistakable hesitation, unwonted speed, special emphasis, tone, gesture, movement,
or mannerism, the partner MAY NOT choose from among logical alternatives one that could demonstrably have been suggested over another by the extraneous information.

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Section B (highlighted for emphasis) covers the situations that most commonly occur at the table, namely, hesitations during the bidding or play, failures to alert, and incorrect explanations of bids. In all these situations the law is quite clear
.

If the opponents feel that a player HAS chosen an action that could have beensuggested by partner’s unauthorised information, and that they have been damaged as a result, the Director may be called and may have to give
an adjusted score.

IMPORTANT POINT
The key word in all this is ‘COULD’ - if a player chooses an action that COULD have been suggested by unauthorised information, then Law 16 can be invoked. The Law DOES NOT say anything about the player’s intentions or thought processes, but simply judges events on how they look ‘from the outside’. This has two important implications:

(1) If the Director rules against you and/or your partner in an ‘unauthorised-information’ situation it
DOES NOT mean you have been found guilty of anything underhand. 
Like, for example, the laws on insufficient bids, leads out of turn etc, the penalties have to be applied even when there is no intention of wrongdoing – because otherwise the way would be open for all kinds of mischief.

(2) Similarly, if you are the ‘non-offending side’ and call the Director in an ‘unauthorised-information’ situation,
you should simply ask if Law 16 needs to be applied, and you must NEVER imply any intention by your
opponents to do wrong or act unethically. Nothing is more likely to lead to unnecessary unpleasantness at the table.

In addition.....

A few more habits that should be avoided either because of the possibility of conveying unauthorised information or because they are discourteous to the opponents – or both !

• As a defender, DON’T automatically re-arrange the cards in your hand once you are out of a suit.
• NEVER detach a card from your hand until is it is actually your turn to play.
• AVOID making inappropriate gestures, body movements or remarks that could indicate your satisfaction or otherwise concerning your partner’s bids or plays.
• As dummy, NEVER reach for a card until declarer has clearly indicated which one to play, and NEVER question his/her designation of which card to play.

And finally..
Back to the beginning!  
  Remember that bridge is only a game, and above all let’s keep that relaxed atmosphere at the club
. (Experienced players could consider whether to overlook, or waive penalties for, minor infringements by newer
or less experienced members.)  

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