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It's a Director's life

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.