The tournament will follow the WBF 2017 Laws of Duplicate Bridge as amended from time to time. The Applicable Supplemental Conditions of Contest shall be circulated before the start of the tournament.

Please note, everyone must have an active BFI player ID to participate.

Penalties

The schedule of penalties that follows is supplemental to the laws. All infringements of the law will be dealt with following the BFI handbook.

1. Lateness

Penalties will be imposed on teams not seated and ready to start play at the announced starting time of the session according to the following scale:

• 0+ to 5 minutes - late warning
• 5+ to 10 minutes – 1 VP
• 10+ to 15 minutes – 2 VPs
• 15+ to 20 minutes - 3 VPs
• A team may forfeit its match, if late by over 20 minutes at the discretion of the CTD / Chairman Tournament Committee.
• In KO matches after 5 minutes, a penalty of 1 Imp per minute will be imposed for up to 20 minutes and CTD may also reduce the number of boards. A team may forfeit its match, if late by over 20 minutes at the discretion of the CTD /Chairman Tournament Committee.

Slow play or late finish slow play is reported and the Director is convinced about it, the Director may impose a penalty on the offending side as per the late Start procedure. In case any match is not finished within the stipulated time, the Director may stop play after 5 minutes and declare results on the boards played.

2. Smoking

Smoking in the designated playing area is prohibited. Once the play starts no player shall leave the playing table to smoke. Any violation will be subject to penalties: 1 VP (3 IMPs/15% of a Board in Pairs) for the first offense, 2 VPs (6 IMPs/30% of a Board in Pairs) for the second offense, 3 VPs (9 IMPs/50% of a Board in Pairs) for the third offense. In case of further violation, the player / Pair may be suspended for the session at the discretion of the CTD and Chairman Tournament Committee.

3. Mobile Phones

Mobile Phones are required to be switched off during the play. The team from which a player is observed calling or receiving a call during the play will be penalized 1 VP or 3 Imps for the first offense and further additional penalties for any subsequent offense thereafter. In the case of a Pairs event, a penalty of 5 IMPs or 25% of the match points available in a board of the session will be imposed for the first offense.

Additional penalties will be imposed for a subsequent offense. Repeated violation by any player may mean suspension of that player / Pair by the CTD and Chairman Tournament Committee.

4. Alcoholic influence / Misbehaviour in the playing arena

Consumption of alcoholic beverages of any nature in the playing area is prohibited. Any player consuming alcohol before or during the session in this area or is observed to be under the alcoholic influence during the play will result in his team being penalized 2 VPS (6 Imps in KO match or 25% of the match points available on a board during the session in a Pairs event). However, further penalties or even suspension from further participation in the tournament may be imposed, by the CTD and Chairman Tournament Committee, depending on the condition and behaviour of the player at the table.