DUMMY'S RIGHTS AND OBLIGATIONS

Dummy’s rights are mostly described by laws 42A, 42B and 43 of “The Laws of Duplicate Bridge 2007”. Dummy's obligations are additionally covered within Law 20F5

LAW 42: DUMMY’S RIGHTS

A. Absolute Rights

1. Dummy is entitled to give information, in the Director’s presence, as to fact or law.

2. He may keep count of tricks won and lost.

3. He plays the cards of the dummy as declarer’s agent as directed (see Law 45F if dummy suggests a play).

B. Qualified Rights

Dummy may exercise other rights subject to the limitations stated in Law 43.

1. Dummy may ask declarer (but not a defender) when he has failed to follow suit to a trick whether he has a card of the suit led.

2. He may try to prevent any irregularity by declarer.

3. He may draw attention to any irregularity, but only after play of the hand is concluded.

LAW 43: DUMMY’S LIMITATIONS

Except as Law 42 allows:

A. Limitations on Dummy

1 (a) Unless attention has been drawn to an irregularity by another player, Dummy should not initiate a call for the Director during play.

(b) Dummy may not call attention to an irregularity during play.

(c) Dummy must not participate in the play, nor may he communicate anything about the play to Declarer

2 (a) Dummy may not exchange hands with Declarer

(b) Dummy may not leave his seat to watch Declarer’s play of the hand

(c) Dummy may not, on his own initiative, look at the face of a card in either defender’s hand

LAW 20F5: DUMMY'S OBLIGATIONS

(b) (ii): Dummy should call Director and inform the opponents if in his opinion partner has given a mistaken explanation of a call, but only after the auction has finished and before the opening lead has been selected [same for Declarer]