Dear Martin,

If your opponent reneges and the renege is caught on the next trick, what is the proper procedure for handling this situation?

Thanks, Jan Albritton,

Reply Martin Sinot

Dear Jan,

You are asking for the proper procedure of a revoke (the term you use is very unfamiliar to me and I had to look it up).
As soon as the revoke is discovered, the Tournament Director must be summoned, who will handle the case. There are two situations:

1. The revoking side did not play to the next trick (the revoke is not established).
In this case, the revoker supplies a card of the required suit. If he is a defender, the card he revoked with becomes a major penalty card; it is placed face up on the table and must be played as soon as it is legally possible (i.e. when he cannot follow, or when he is on lead). Also, if the partner of the revoker is on lead with the penalty card face up, declarer may request or forbid him to play the suit of the penalty card. Declarer or dummy never have penalty cards; if they revoke, they simply replace the card with a legal one without rectification.

2. The revoking side has played to the next trick (the revoke is established).
In this case, play simply continues to the end and nothing is done at that point. As soon as play has finished, the deal is evaluated:
- If the revoker has won the trick in which he revoked, that trick is transferred to the opponents, plus an additional trick if the revoking side made any of the following tricks.
- If the revoker did not win the trick in which he revoked, but the revoking side won that trick or any later trick, one trick is transferred to the opponents.

For application of this article, dummy and declarer are two separate persons: if declarer revokes, but dummy wins the trick, then declarer did not win the trick in which he revoked.

Exception:
A revoke at the twelfth trick is always restored if discovered before the hands are returned to the board.
After the following revokes no tricks are to be transferred:
- When the revoke is with a card that is already visible (such as dummy)
- A second revoke in the same suit by the same player
- If both sides revoke on the same trick (yes, that can happen!)
- If the revoke is not discovered until the non-offending side has bid on the next deal
- If the revoke is discovered after the end of the round
- A revoke at the twelfth trick
- If the revoking side did not win either the revoke trick or any later trick.

In addition, the TD will determine whether the compensation, if any, is sufficient. He will try to find out what would have happened had the revoke not occurred. If the revoke costs the non-offending side more than is compensated for by these laws, the TD adjusts the score to restore equity.

An example of this last one: Suppose declarer plays a 3NT contract. An opponent revokes, so that declarer is now two down. Since the revoker did not make the trick in which he revoked, one trick is transferred, so that means one down. However, without the revoke, declarer would have made an overtrick. The compensation is therefore insufficient, so TD will adjust the score to 3NT+1, restoring the result as if the revoke had not occurred.