By Richard Grenside, World Bridge
Federation Tournament Director
A director's job is not altogether
what it seems; there are players whose impression is that of a power
wielding individual ready to penalise, admonish at the drop of a
hat. Always either sitting down at a faraway table or deep in conversation
with contemporaries, without any regard or interest in what's going
on. A director call may raise an eyebrow and a leisurely strut to
the offending table with a 'what's the problem' attitude.
In reality one hopes that this is
an unrealistic view. A director's job is indeed very varied with
a lot of work put in behind the scenes, leaving session times free
to attend to players' needs. Every call for the director requires
a decision with the tone of the call generally being a good indication
as to the seriousness of the problem! We have all heard the indignant
DIRECTOR call, generally in regard to either table manners, or from
a bridge pro protecting his investment!
The Laws are there as a reference,
defining correct procedure and attempting to cover every conceivable
situation with a suitable remedy (note remedy rather than penalty).
However an experienced director will not slavishly adhere to the
strict letter of the law, as there are situations where common sense
and ingenuity will be more appropriate. Directors can fall into
a simple trap of not ensuring that a player fully understands an
instruction with all the various aspects.
Take the following scenario:
I will long remember being called
because the wrong defender had made a lead about half way through
the play of a hand. I carefully explained all the options to Declarer,
and his eventual selection of insisting on a lead of the suit that
had been led by partner, brought forth an amazing reaction from
the defender. The player shoved the cards back in the pocket, burst
into tears and fled the room. Everybody was stunned; I followed
the player out and expressed my concern over the departure.In-between
sobs she said that I had told her to lead a Spade but she couldn't
because she didn't have any! A new player, she had been admonished
earlier for failing to comply with a director's instruction and
was fearful that punishment was imminent.
|
