[VixTD]

South was declarer in 3♦X. The heart suit was distributed thus:

.........♥AJ75
..♥9643......♥KQ8
.........♥102

At trick two, West led ♥6. Declarer called for "eight" and East, assuming he had heard "ace", followed with the ♥8 before dummy had time to move the card. Dummy asked for clarification of the card called for and was told again "eight". She said, "you haven't got the eight". Declarer studied dummy's cards a little more closely and said "then I'll play the seven".

East protested that she had called for the ace. "No I didn't, I called for the eight" said declarer. West called the director.

North-South are a pair of elderly ladies, both as ethical as the day is long, incapable of any sort of skulduggery. They don't have the excuse of poor eyesight.

How should the TD rule?

[bluejak]

I know that some disagree, but I have always said that playing a card, per Law, is a two part operation, and players who play before the second part are not playing in turn. If East wishes to play out of turn, fine, but he does not get to change his card.

[mgoetze]

Law 46B3(b) states rather clearly that no play from dummy has been made yet. I would like to let East withdraw his play out of turn via Law 47E1.

[blackshoe]

Perhaps so, but you cannot. Law 47E1 applies when a player was mistakenly informed by an opponent that it was his turn to play. That didn't happen, so 47E1 doesn't apply.

[mgoetze]

Right, the misinformation was only indirectly caused by declarer and a strict reading of Law 47E1 doesn't really allow this, but in a club game, if I felt it was an honest mistake, I might consider it within the spirit of the laws. Even if I agree East should be admonished not to play before dummy has actually moved the card, forcing him to drop his queen or king under the ace is not very equitable for the other tables.

[bluejak]

Rulings are given on what is right for this table: you do not consider "protecting the field", which was an invention of certain American professionals to justify some of their unsavoury practices.

Club or no club, the correct ruling is that the card is played, so be it. If you rule wrong, you upset the other side, and they have a justified grievance.

[qwery_hi]

 bluejak, on 2011-June-07, 08:50, said:

which was an invention of certain American professionals to justify some of their unsavoury practices.

References?