AK10
and claim, saying "I'll lose a club", but then see that an opponent
holds QJ doubleton.
Your "normal" line of play -- cashing the AK
-- would have resulted in no club losers, so you're entitled to three club
tricks. If you've ever played in or kibitzed a high-level, expert event, you might have noticed that the declarers tend to claim as often and as early in the hand as possible. These claims are rarely contested, even when the declarer fails to state a full line of play. Declarer shows his hand, everyone gives it a quick look and then puts their cards back into the board. A typical exchange:
Declarer:
"Club finesse."
Defender: "Loses."
Declarer: "Making 4."
You may even hear:
Declarer:
"Double squeeze for the rest."
Defenders: "Yup."
Ideally, this is how claims would be handled at our clubs and local tournaments. Unfortunately, some players are automatically suspicious when an opponent claims. They'll ask a dozen questions ("What about my ten of clubs?"), and it sometimes takes a visit from the director to convince them that declarer isn't trying to pull a fast one.
In other scenarios, a defender may have trouble understanding the claim and insist on seeing it played out card by card, even though this is not a legal option (see "Here are the basics" below).
The result is that a practice that was supposed to save time for everyone does just the opposite. Capricious challenges also discourage players from attempting future claims, which can slow down the entire game.
Claiming is actually a courtesy to your opponents, and most players are happy for you to put a quick end to a hand where they have no further decisions to make. A little knowledge about the process can help you take advantage of more of these opportunities and make claims that are more readily accepted by your opponents.
A claim is legally deemed to have occurred if you face your hand, announce that you will win a certain number of tricks, or make any suggestion that play be curtailed.
A concession has occurred if you announce that you will lose a certain number of tricks or if you abandon your hand (by putting it back into the board, for example).
You can claim as declarer or defender.
You do not have to be on lead to claim.
You do not have to have the rest of the tricks. You can claim or concede all the tricks, or just some of them.
A claim doesn't even have to be for a specific number of tricks. Your statement can specify that you'll make a certain number of tricks only if a suit breaks or if a finesse wins. It can also include contingency lines -- "Run the clubs. If the jack doesn't drop, take the spade finesse."
The claimer should face his hand and immediately state his line of play. The statement may be as simple as "Drawing trumps", or it may involve a sequence of plays -- "Cash the trump queen, pitch my heart on the good club, ruff dummy's heart".
Once a claim is made by declarer or a defender, all play ceases. There can be no more "played" cards. If any tricks have been played after the claim, they'll be cancelled. The director, though, may consider these cancelled tricks as evidence to support or refute the claimer's stated line of play.
If you question a claim, call the director immediately. The director will ask the claimer to repeat his statement and then ask everyone to put their remaining cards face-up on the table. He'll then hear your objections.
If the claimer has not yet stated a complete line of play, he's allowed to do so when the director arrives. He cannot make any changes to a previous statement, but he can add to it if you interrupted his original explanation.
One of the most common reasons for contesting a claim is an outstanding trump that wasn't mentioned by the claimer. The director will award the defenders a trick if he's convinced that the claimer wasn't aware of the trump at the time of his first statement and if he could have lost a trick to it by a normal line of play.
A "normal" line of play is defined as one that could be imperfect or careless for a player of the claimer's skill level, but not irrational. Leading low from A2 of trumps would be irrational. Failing to lead the suit might be deemed careless.
The bridge laws specify that in ruling on a contested claim, the director should adjust the result as equitably as possible for both sides, but that "any doubtful points should be resolved against the claimer". In practice, especially at local club games, directors will bend this a bit. Directors want to encourage claiming (and just about anything else that speeds up the play), so they will tend to accept any reasonable claim, even if it doesn't conform to the absolute letter of the law.
There are some situations where a claim or concession, even if accepted, is not final.
(1) You concede a trick you've already won. For example, you claim stating, "You get the heart ace", but you already took a trick with that card.
(2) You make a claim for fewer tricks than you've already taken. For example, you've won ten tricks so far, but claim for taking only nine.
(3)
You concede a trick, but then realize that it would have been impossible to
lose it through your stated line or any normal play of the remaining cards. For
example, you hold AK10
and claim, saying "I'll lose a club", but then see that an opponent
holds QJ doubleton.
Your "normal" line of play -- cashing the AK
-- would have resulted in no club losers, so you're entitled to three club
tricks.
In any of these cases, it doesn't matter if the opponents have accepted your claim and scored the board. The director will cancel your concession and change the score.
The deadline for changing an incorrect trick score -- (1) and (2) above -- is usually 30 minutes after the session ends or scores are posted. The time limit for canceling a concession of an unplayed trick (3) is usually until the conceding side makes a call on the next board, or until the round ends. Sportsmanlike opponents, though, will usually agree to obvious changes like these after the time limit, and game directors may choose to extend the deadlines.
If you're a defender, you can also overrule your partner's concession. If partner concedes one or more of the remaining tricks and you disagree, speak up immediately and call the director. Play will stop, the concession will be cancelled and the director will determine the result. Note, though, that partner's concession is unauthorized information, so make sure you have a solid objection. Your defense cannot be based on any knowledge suggested by partner's statement.
Even though you don't have to be on lead to claim, it's a good idea to wait until the end of a trick to make your statement. A claim announcement should refer to tricks other than the one currently in progress.
When claiming, train yourself to always start your statement with what you plan to do with your remaining trumps.
Face your hand and make a complete statement. If the opponents interrupt, call the director.
If the opponents raise an objection after your statement but fail to call the director, make the call for them.
If you're playing against beginners or known skeptics, it may save time to actually play out a few extra tricks before you make your "obvious" claim. Choose a point where the end position will be clear and simple and, best, all the trumps have been drawn.
Don't insult your opponents' intelligence by running an Idiot Squeeze, where you have an obvious-to-everyone loser, but you play out all 13 tricks in the hope that the defenders will make a bonehead discard or, even less sportsmanlike, that one will revoke. Accept that they aren't going to pitch their ace and just concede the trick. You may need the time for a tougher problem on the next board.
Never play out all the tricks when you know you have the rest. This is actually a violation of bridge proprieties. According to Law 74, a player should refrain from "prolonging play unnecessarily (as in playing on although he knows that all the tricks are surely his) for the purpose of disconcerting an opponent".
If you're playing in an online club, saving time is even more important, so always claim or concede as early as possible. Your cyber opponents and your partner expect you to click the "Claim" button as soon as you know the likely result, even in cases where there may be a chance for an overtrick.
Never interrupt the claimer while he's explaining his line of play. Make sure he's finished his entire statement before you take any action.
If you question the statement, call the director immediately. Don't engage in any "what-if" discussions about the claimer's line of play.
If the claimer made a simple error that will result in only one sure trick for your side -- and if that trick doesn't affect the rest of his claim -- you may want to save the director call and just agree on the correct result among yourselves. However, if your trick isn't obvious -- or if winning your trick might change the claimer's subsequent plays -- it's always best to let the director settle it.
Never, ever say "play it out" or, worse, "What about my trump?" This tells the claimer that he's missed something, and that may be the wake-up call he needs to make sure you don't win the trick you thought you had. The director will do his best to determine a fair result, but it's a risk you don't want to take.
If you simply don't understand the stated line of play, don't grill the claimer. Ask the director to explain it.
Finally, be generous in accepting claims. If the claimer's intentions are clear, don't nitpick about his language or try to get a trick that you wouldn't have won if the hand had been played out normally. You may want him to do the same for you someday.
The official rules for claims and concessions are included in Laws 68-71 in ACBL's Laws of Duplicate Bridge.
If you're a director, the Duplicate Decisions handbook is a good source of practical advice and examples of how to apply the laws.