When does play finish? Poor dummy!
The laws use several expressions to refer to the end of play:
Play completed
Play ends
Play concluded
Play Ceases
Play Finished
There is only one definition:
The play period itself ends when the cards are removed from their slots on the subsequent board.
But but but... poor old dummy cannot draw attention to an irregularity until the play of the hand is concluded. If this is the same as the end of the play period (and why wouldn't it be?), then dummy can (for example) point to a revoke until the cards have been shuffled and returned to the wallet.
This is clearly ridiculous, but where in the laws does it say when play finishes?
Comments
then dummy cannot (for example) point to a revoke
From the definitions in the Laws:
Play
1. The contribution of a card from
one’s hand to a trick, including the
first card, which is the lead.
2. The aggregate of plays made.
3. The period during which the cards
are played.
4. The aggregate of the calls and
plays on a board.
Play period
commences when the opening lead
on a board is faced; contestants’
rights and powers in the play period
each expire as the relevant Law
provides. The play period itself ends
when the cards are removed from
their slots on the subsequent board
(or when the last board of a round is
quitted).
I think this means they are not the same thing and in this context the third definition of "play" is the relevant one, meaning that it is the period from when the first card is played until the final card has been played. As such it starts at the same time as the play period but ends sooner.
Similarly there is a difference between "auction" and "auction period", which was a change in the last laws and leaves a gap in Law 24 since it applies to cards exposed during the auction, but not the earlier auction period.
Intuitively this makes sense to me, there's a section of time when you've finished playing the hand for the agreeing / recording of scores, checking of other details, etc, which is after you've finished play but still within the play period for this board. And it makes sense that this is the time when dummy might be allowed to say "I think there might have been a revoke".
Although the law could make that clearer, something like "after play is concluded, even if still within the play period". I'm struggling to come up with a wording that doesn't make the end of the play period sound like an upper limit, which would clash with some other laws.
I agree with Gordon that most terms should mean from the first card played to the last (although some issues about trick 12 revokes corrected after the last card has been played).
The issue here is I think we need better consistency amongst terms used, and a definition of each term so used. Perhaps:
Now is the time to report all these inconsistencies and suggestions to the lawmakers. The problem that I see is that hitherto the laws have been written by the committee(s) (rather than by one author). A complete overhaul of the style of the language used in the law book is desperately needed. The law book needs modernising to better reflect today's technology and styles of bridge. If this is not addressed by the time next revision takes place in 2027, then one may need to wait until 2037 to see some improvements !!!!!? I have already flagged my views last week.
I agree with Jeremy, James and Gordon.
How do we do this?
http://www.worldbridge.org/2022/06/02/the-laws-of-duplicate-bridge-2027/
Although we are well past the time limit given, I think it likely that they will still be willing to consider sensible suggestions.
When it comes to the suggestion above for a complete overhaul, I know this has been considered on more than one occasion in the past but it has been thought it would produce more problems than it would solve. In particular, re-numbering would make things difficult for the many thousands of TDs across the world who have law numbers ingrained in their memories.