LAW 70 - CONTESTED CLAIM OR CONCESSION

A. General Objective

In ruling on a contested claim or concession, the Director adjudicates the result of the board as equitably as possible to both sides, but any doubtful point as to a claim shall be resolved against the claimer. The Director proceeds as follows.

B. Clarification Statement Repeated

1. The Director requires claimer to repeat the clarification statement he made at the time of his claim.

2. Next, the Director hears the opponents' objections to the claim (but the Director's considerations are not limited only to the opponents' objections).

3. The Director may require players to put their remaining cards face up on the table.

C. There Is an Outstanding Trump

When a trump remains in one of the opponents' hands, the Director shall award a trick or tricks to the opponents if:

1. claimer made no statement about that trump, and

2. it is at all likely that claimer at the time of his claim was unaware that a trump remained in an opponent's hand, and

3. a trick could be lost to that trump by any normal play.

D. Director's Considerations

1. The Director shall not accept from claimer any successful line of play not embraced in the original clarification statement if there is an alternative normal line of play that would be less successful.

2. The Director does not accept any part of a defender's claim that depends on his partner's selecting a particular play from among alternative normal plays.

3. In accordance with Law 68D play should have ceased, but if any play has occurred after the claim this may provide evidence to be deemed part of the clarification of the claim. The Director may accept it as evidence of the players' probable plays subsequent to the claim and/or of the accuracy of the claim.

E. Unstated Line of Play

1. The Director shall not accept from claimer any unstated line of play the success of which depends upon finding one opponent rather than the other with a particular card, unless an opponent failed to follow to the suit of that card before the claim was made, or would subsequently fail to follow to that suit on any normal line of play, or unless failure to adopt that line of play would be irrational.

2. The Regulating Authority may specify an order (e.g. "from the top down") in which the Director shall deem a suit played if this was not clarified in the statement of claim (but always subject to any other requirement of this Law).

   For the purposes of Laws 70 and 71, "normal" includes play that would be careless or inferior for the class of player involved.

Law 69 - AGREED CLAIM OR CONCESSION

Law 71 - CONCESSION CANCELLED