Notice to all Regulating Authorities under the Laws of Duplicate Bridge 2007.

The WBF Laws Drafting Subcommittee notes that, following its decision not to include a definition of ‘convention’ in the Laws of Duplicate Bridge 2007, certain matters of regulation or law need to be brought up to date.

It will recommend to the WBF Laws Committee and the WBF Rules & Regulations Committee that it be agreed that an opening bid in a suit where the hand may contain fewer than three cards in the named suit is among those calls that are ‘artificial’. The rationale is that such calls do not express a willingness to play in the denomination named (see definition of ‘Artificial Call’).

It will recommend to the WBF Systems Committee that the definition in the Systems Policy that states “Natural: a call or play that is not a convention” be changed to “Natural: a call or play that does not have an artificial meaning.”

These recommendations will be presented to the respective committees at the World Mind Games in Beijing. As an interim measure and to maintain a consistent approach in these areas Regulating Authorities are invited to adopt the above interpretations in their regulations.

World Bridge Federation
Laws Drafting Subcommittee
Grattan Endicott, Coordinator
07 March 2008