[kb49]

EBU

Declarer, who was on lead from dummy, said 'Di' and then immediately said 'Club'. Their opponents insisted she played a Diamond. I have checked the law book and Law 46 B2 states that if declarer designates a suit but not a rank he is deemed to have called the lowest card of the suit indicated. Would that law apply in this case where the suit was not clearly stated and the correction made instantly?

[manudude03]

Law 45C4b:
Until his partner has played a card a player may change an
unintended designation if he does so without pause for thought. If an
opponent has, in turn, played a card that was legal before the change in
designation, that opponent may withdraw the card so played, return it to
his hand, and substitute another (see Laws 47D and 16D1).

[ahydra]

So two questions:
- was there a pause for thought
- does "Di", rather than "Diamond", actually count as a designation.

It sounds like we don't know the answer to the first - that's for the TD to judge. But I'd be happy to rule that "Di" does not count as a designation. So declarer is deemed to have called for a low club in this case, never a diamond.

ahydra

[dave251164]

He hasn't even finished designating a suit or rank when he says 'Di', so it's not a change of call as he never made a call in the first place, until that is he said 'Club', which means the lowest club as no rank was given.

For all we know his partner could be called 'Di' or even 'Dai' (pronounced the same and what lots of David's are known as in Wales) and it could have been 'Di a Club'!

And as for the opponents they shouldn't be insisting that he do anything - they should just call the TD if they have a problem.

[barmar]

dave251164, on 2014-May-09, 05:31, said:

For all we know his partner could be called 'Di' or even 'Dai' (pronounced the same and what lots of David's are known as in Wales) and it could have been 'Di a Club'!

Since this isn't one of Lamford's SB hypos, I think we can assume that the players know whether dummy's name is Di and can tell the difference between declarer addressing partner and starting to name a card. If that's how he asks dummy to play, it probably wouldn't be the first time, and the opponents would be used to it.

Damn, now I'm thinking of singing "Di, Di, Diamond" at my next Seder.

[pran]

Whatever it is the spoken syllable "Di" is not a designation for a card, not even an incomplete designation that can be subject to Law 46.

An analogy: If a player says "Two" and then corrects it to "No, Three Spades" would anybody rule insufficient bid (Law 27) or change of call (Law 25) when the last bid from RHO was for instance Three Diamonds? ("Two" is not a Call.)