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| A card prematurely exposed (but not led,
see Law 57) by a defender is a penalty
card unless the Director designates otherwise. The Director shall
award an adjusted score, in lieu of the rectifications below, when
he deems that Law 72B1 applies. |
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| A. |
Penalty Card Remains
Exposed |
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A penalty card must be left face up on the table immediately
before the player to whom it belongs, until an alternate penalty has
been selected. |
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| B. |
Major or Minor
Penalty Card? |
|
A single card below the rank of an honour and exposed
inadvertently (as in playing two cards to a trick, or in dropping
a card accidentally) becomes a minor penalty card. Any card of honour
rank, or any card exposed through deliberate play (as in leading out
of turn, or in revoking and then correcting), becomes a major penalty
card; when one defender has two or more penalty cards, all such cards
become major penalty cards. |
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| C. |
Disposition of
Minor Penalty Card |
|
When a defender has a minor penalty card, he may not
play any other card of the same suit below the rank of an honour until
he has first played the penalty card (however, he is entitled to play
an honour card instead). Offender’s partner is not subject to
lead penalty, but information gained through seeing the penalty card
is extraneous, unauthorised (see Law 16A). |
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|
| D. |
Disposition of
Major Penalty Card |
|
When a defender has a major penalty card, both the
offender and his partner may be subject to restriction, the offender
whenever he is to play, the partner when he is to lead. |
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1. |
Offender to Play |
|
|
A major penalty card must be played at the first legal
opportunity, whether in leading, following suit, discarding or trumping
(the requirement that offender must play the card is authorised information
for his partner; however, other information arising from facing of
the penalty card is unauthorised for partner). If a defender has two
or more penalty cards that can legally be played, declarer designates
which is to be played. The obligation to follow suit, or to comply
with a lead or play penalty, takes precedence over the obligation
to play a major penalty card, but the penalty card must still be left
face up on the table and played at the next legal opportunity. |
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2. |
Offender’s Partner to Lead |
|
|
When a defender has the lead while his partner has
a major penalty card, he may not lead until declarer has stated which
of the options below is selected (if the defender leads prematurely,
he is subject to penalty under Law 49). Declarer
may choose: |
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(a) |
Require or Forbid Lead of Suit |
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to require (15) the defender
to lead the suit of the penalty card, or to prohibit (15)
him from leading that suit for as long as he retains the lead
(for two or more penalty cards, see Law 51);
if declarer exercises this option, the card is no longer a penalty
card and is picked up. |
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(b) |
No Lead Restriction |
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not to require or prohibit a lead, in which case the
defender may lead any card; the penalty card remains a penalty card. |
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(15) If the player is unable to lead
as required, see Law 59 |
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