Changing your Call

If you accidentally make the wrong call (for example you simply pulled the wrong card out of your bidding box) then, until your partner calls, you have a right to change it provided you do so the moment you notice your mistake "without pause for thought".  If your Left Hand Opponent (LHO) has already called, he can change his call without penalty.  However, if your opponents don't accept that your original call was a simple mechanical mistake, you will have to call the director.

If it was anything other than a mechanical mistake (eg. you didn't notice someone else had bid) then you will just have to live with it. If your call was an insufficient bid (q.v.) then your opponents may require you to change it, but that's their decision and an entirely different matter. If you attempt to change a call, even an insufficient one, of your own volition then a visit from the tournament director, swiftly followed by some sort of penalty, is inevitable.

By the same token, if an opponent attempts to change his call (other than as outlined above) then you should call the director immediately.

Back Copyright © Keith Sheppard, 2001