Help

ACBL Duplicate Laws
Chapter 10, Laws 81-91
Tournament Director

A. Official Status

The Director is the official representative of the sponsoring organization.

 

B. Restrictions and Responsibilities

1. Technical Management

The Director is responsible for the technical management of the tournament.

2. Observance of Laws and Regulations

The Director is bound by these Laws and by supplementary regulations announced by the sponsoring organization.

 

 

C. Director's Duties and Powers

The Director's duties and powers normally include the following:

1. Assistants

to appoint assistants, as required, to perform his duties.

2. Entries

to accept and list entries.

3. Conditions of Play

to establish suitable conditions of play and to announce them to the contestants.

4. Discipline

to maintain discipline and to insure the orderly progress of the game.

5. Law

to administer and interpret these Laws and to advise the players of their rights and responsibilities thereunder.

6. Errors

to rectify an error or irregularity of which he becomes aware in any manner, within the correction period established in accordance with Law 79C.

7. Penalties

to assess penalties when applicable.

8.  Waiver of Penalties

to waive penalties for cause, at his discretion, upon the request of the non-offending side.

9. Disputes

to adjust disputes; to refer a matter to the appropriate committee.

10. Scores

to collect scores and tabulate results.

11. Reports

to report results to the sponsoring organization for official record.

 

 

D. Delegation of Duties

The Director may delegate any of the duties listed in `C' to assistants, but he is not thereby relieved of responsibility for their correct performance.

See Duplicate Decisions

A. Director's Duty

It is the duty of the Director to rectify errors of procedure and to maintain the progress of the game in a manner that is not contrary to these Laws.

 

B. Rectification of Error

To rectify an error in procedure the Director may:

1. Award of Adjusted Score

award an adjusted score as permitted by these Laws.

2. Specify Time of Play

require or postpone the play of a board.

 

 

C. Director's Error

If the Director has given a ruling that he or the Chief Director subsequently determines to be incorrect, and if no rectification will allow the board to be scored normally, he shall award an adjusted score, considering both sides as non-offending for that purpose.

See Duplicate Decisions

If the Director believes that a review of his decision on a point of fact or exercise of his discretionary power might be in order (as when he awards an adjusted score under Law 12), he shall advise a contestant of his right to appeal or may refer the matter to an appropriate committee.

See Duplicate Decisions

 

When the Director is called to rule on a point of Law or regulation in which the facts are agreed upon, he shall rule as follows:

A. No Penalty

If no penalty is prescribed by law, and there is no occasion for him to exercise his discretionary powers, he directs the players to proceed with the auction or play.

 

B. Penalty under Law

If a case is clearly covered by a Law that specifies a penalty for the irregularity, he assesses that penalty and sees that it is paid.

 

C. Player's Option

If a Law gives a player a choice among penalties, the Director explains the options and sees that a penalty is selected and paid.

 

D. Director's Option

If the Law gives the Director a choice between a specified penalty and the award of an adjusted score, he attempts to restore equity, resolving any doubtful point in favor of the non-offending side.

 

E. Discretionary Penalty

If an irregularity has occurred for which no penalty is provided by law, the Director awards an adjusted score if there is even a reasonable possibility that the non-offending side was damaged, notifying the offending side of its right to appeal (see Law 81C9).

See Duplicate Decisions

When the Director is called upon to rule on a point of law or regulation in which the facts are not agreed upon, he shall proceed as follows:

A. Director's Assessment

If the Director is satisfied that he has ascertained the facts, he rules as in Law 84.

 

B. Facts Not Determined

If the Director is unable to determine the facts to his satisfaction, he shall make a ruling that will permit play to continue, and notify the players of their right to appeal.

See Duplicate Decisions

 

A. Average Score at IMP Play

When the Director chooses to award an artificial adjusted score of average plus or average minus in IMP play, that score is +3 IMPs or -3 IMPs respectively.

 

B. Non-balancing Adjustments, Knockout Play

When the Director assigns non-balancing adjusted scores (see Law 12C) in knockout play, each contestant's score on the board is calculated separately. The average of the two scores is then assigned to both contestants.

 

C. Substitute Board

The Director shall not exercise his Law 6 authority to order one board redealt when the final result of a match without that board could be known to a contestant. Instead, he awards an adjusted score.

See Duplicate Decisions

See Director Tech File

A. Definition

A board is considered to be "fouled'' if the Director determines that one or more cards were misplaced in the board, in such manner that contestants who should have had a direct score comparison did not play the board in identical form.

 

B. Scoring the Fouled Board

In scoring a fouled board the Director determines as closely as possible which scores were made on the board in its correct form, and which in the changed form. He divides the score on that basis into two groups, and rates each group separately as provided in the regulations of the sponsoring organization.

 

In some forms of team contests, the sponsoring organization may prescribe a redeal (see Law 6)

See Duplicate Decisions
 

In a pair or individual event, when a non-offending contestant is required to take an artificial adjusted score through no fault or choice of his own, such contestant shall be awarded a minimum of 60% of the matchpoints available to him on that board, or the percentage of matchpoints he earned on boards actually played during the session if that percentage was greater than 60%.

See Duplicate Decisions

In individual events, the Director shall enforce the penalty provisions of these Laws, and the provisions requiring the award of adjusted scores, equally against both members of the offending side, even though only one of them may be responsible for the irregularity. But the Director, in awarding adjusted scores, shall not assess procedural penalty points against the offender's partner, if, in the Director's opinion, he is in no way responsible for the violation.

See Duplicate Decisions

A. Director's Authority

The Director, in addition to enforcing the penalty provisions of these Laws, may also assess penalties for any offense that unduly delays or obstructs the game, inconveniences other contestants, violates correct procedure, or requires the award of an adjusted score at another table.

 

B. Offenses Subject to Penalty

Offenses subject to penalty include but are not limited to:

1. Tardiness

arrival of a contestant after the specified starting time.

2. Slow Play

unduly slow play by a contestant.

3. Loud Discussion

discussion of the bidding, play or result of a board, which may be overheard at another table.

4. Comparing Scores

unauthorized comparison of scores with another contestant.

5. Touching Another's Cards

touching or handling of cards belonging to another player (Law 7).

6. Misplacing Cards in Board

placing one or more cards in an incorrect pocket of the board.

7. Errors in Procedure

errors in procedure (such as failure to count cards in one's hand, playing the wrong board, etc.) that require an adjusted score for any contestant.

8. Failure to Comply

failure to comply promptly with tournament regulations or with any instruction of the Director.

See Duplicate Decisions

A. Director's Power

In performing his duty to maintain order and discipline, the Director is specifically empowered to assess disciplinary penalties in points or to suspend a contestant for the current session or any part thereof (the Director's decision under this clause is final).

 

B. Right to Disqualify

The Director is specifically empowered to disqualify a contestant for cause, subject to approval by the Tournament Committee or sponsoring organization.