Chapters and Laws CHAPTER I - DEFINITIONS CHAPTER II - PRELIMINARIES Law 1 - The Pack - Rank of Cards an Suits Law 2 - The Duplicate Boards Law 3 - Arrangements of Table Law 4 - Partnerships Law 5 - Assignment of Seats CHAPTER III - PREPARATION AND PROGRESSION Law 6 - The Shuffle and Deal Law 7 - Control of Boards and Cards Law 8 - Sequence of Rounds CHAPTER IV - GENERAL LAWS GOVERNING IRREGULARITIES Law 9 - Procedure Following an Irregularity Law 10 - Assessment of a Penalty Law 11 - Forfeiture of the Right to Penalize Law 12 - Director's Discretionary Powers Law 13 - Incorrect Number of Cards Law 14 - Missing Card Law 15 - Play of a Wrong Board Law 16 - Unauthorized Information CHAPTER V - THE AUCTION Law 17 - Duration of the Auction Law 18 - Bids Law 19 - Doubles and Redoubles Law 20 - Review and Explanation of Calls Law 21 - Call Based on Misinformation Law 22 - Procedure after the Auction Has Ended Law 23 - Damaging Enforced Pass Law 24 - Card Exposed or Led During Auction Law 25 - Legal and Illegal Changes of Call Law 26 - Call Withdrawn, Lead Penalties Law 27 - Insufficient Bid Law 28 - Calls Considered to Be in Rotation Law 29 - Procedure after a Call out of Rotation Law 30 - Pass out of Rotation Law 31 - Bid out of Rotation Law 32 - Double or Redouble out of Rotation Law 33 - Simultaneous Calls Law 34 - Retention of Right to Call Law 35 - Inadmissible Call Condoned Law 36 - Inadmissible Double or Redouble Law 37 - Action Violating Obligation to Pass Law 38 - Bid of More than Seven Law 39 - Call after Final Pass Law 40 - Partnership Understandings CHAPTER VI - THE PLAY Law 41 - Commencement of Play Law 42 - Dummy's Rights Law 43 - Dummy's Limitations Law 44 - Sequence and Procedure of Play Law 45 - Card Played Law 46 - Incomplete or Erroneous Call of Card from Dummy Law 47 - Retraction of Card Played Law 48 - Exposure of Declarer's Cards Law 49 - Exposure of a Defender's Cards Law 50 - Disposition of Penalty Card Law 51 - Two or More Penalty Cards Law 52 - Failure to Lead or Play a Penalty Card Law 53 - Lead out of Turn Accepted Law 54 - Faced Opening Lead out of Turn Law 55 - Declarer's Lead out of Turn Law 56 - Defender's Lead out of Turn Law 57 - Premature Lead or Play by Defender Law 58 - Simultaneous Leads or Plays Law 59 - Inability to Lead or Play as Required Law 60 - Play after an Illegal Play Law 61 - Failure to Follow Suit - Inquiries Concerning a Revoke Law 62 - Correction of a Revoke Law 63 - Establishment of a Revoke Law 64 - Procedure after Establishment of a Revoke Law 65 - Arrangement of Tricks Law 66 - Inspection of Tricks Law 67 - Defective Trick Law 68 - Claim or Concession of Tricks Law 69 - Acquiescence in Claim or Concession Law 70 - Contested Claims Law 71 - Concession Canceled CHAPTER VII - PROPRIETIES Law 72 - General Principles Law 73 - Communication Law 74 - Conduct and Etiquette Law 75 - Partnership Agreements Law 76 - Spectators CHAPTER VIII - THE SCORE Law 77 - Duplicate Bridge Scoring Table Law 78 - Methods of Scoring Law 79 - Tricks Won CHAPTER IX - TOURNAMENT SPONSORSHIP Law 80 - Sponsoring Organization CHAPTER X - TOURNAMENT DIRECTOR Law 81 - Duties and Powers Law 82 - Rectification of Errors of Procedure Law 83 - Notification of the Right to Appeal Law 84 - Rulings on Agreed Facts Law 85 - Rulings on Disputed Facts Law 86 - In Team Play Law 87 - Fouled Board Law 88 - Award of Indemnity Points Law 89 - Penalties in Individual Events Law 90 - Procedural Penalties Law 91 - Penalize or Suspend CHAPTER XI - APPEALS Law 92 - Right to Appeal Law 93 - Procedures of Appeal

This document contains the North American version of the Laws of Duplicate Contract Bridge - 1997. It has been made from the English WWW versions of The Laws of Duplicate Contract Bridge 1997 and the paper edition of The Laws of Duplicate Contract Bridge 1997 published by the American Contract Bridge League (May, 1997). The lay-out and the spelling are as in the printed American edition, and the special ACBL regulations are included.

The work with these 1997 Laws for WWW began long before the final versions af the 1997 Laws were available. During this period - and later on - David Stevenson's comments on and proof-reading of the law text - and especially the Index to the English version - were an invaluable help.

Also thanks to David for getting permission from The Portland Club to make the English version of the 1997 Laws available on WWW.

If you find errors in this document - or just have some suggestions on how to make it better, please send an e-mail with your comments to .

He received permission from the copyright holders to make an electronic copy of the 1987 Laws on WWW.

The ACBL supplied him with the Laws in electronic form. The text was extracted from the WordPerfect version of the Laws, converted to LaTeX and made into HTML by means of the translator LaTeX2HTML by Nicolas Drakos.

The first version of the 1987 Laws appeared on WWW at "Bridge on the Web" - the world-famous bridge page of Hans van Staveren - in the middle of 1995.

The 1987 version of the Laws on Bridge on the Web was a mixed version with the same lay-out as the English paper edition and with British spelling, but with supplementary notes on the special regulations of the ACBL.

On the ACBL Web-pages you can find the American version of the 1987 Laws with the same lay-out as the paper edition published by the ACBL (including the special ACBL regulations) and with American spelling (available since January 1996).

There also exists an English version of the 1987 Laws on WWW (January 1997) with the same lay-out as the paper edition published by the English Bridge Union and with British spelling.