NOWHERE TO TURN    Originated by the Board of Unit 102

We were playing in the Club. An irregularity occurred, I would name it "alleged" only . Authorities were called. A ruling was made, going against us. It was unfair, it was incorrect. How do I know? Because (take your pick, or all of them) [1] ... the same thing happened to Milly a month ago in another club; [2] ... at the tournament in Orlando,  Bill was exactly in the same situation; [3] ... back in Minnesota I saw this happen twice; ... and they always ruled the other way.

I know was right, I know I was wronged. I'm so mad I could spit nails. For a night or two contemplated giving up bridge. Would I know a convenient local witch, I would contract for a small curse, an itching ague, or some such. Short of that, however, I have nowhere to turn for redress, a salve for my wound ... there is no one to appeal to in a club.

But wait, now there is one. Unit 102 presents a panacea to sufferers from maladies similar. It is called the Court of Last Resort. A panel of "Justices" will be "on call" to accept and review complaints for rulings on irregularities perceived not to be correct by those on the short end of the stick ... Hold it ! sometimes all parties involved feel to have been handed injustice. The Court upon receipt of a submission will collect all pertinent information available and bring a verdict in strict compliance with the Rules Of The Game.

Mechanics are simple. Anyone wishing to appeal a particular case / event to the Court of Last Resort can do so, by presenting the facts as perceived by the appellant, either in the form of a letter sent to the attention of the Court at Unit 102's address, or by E-Mail to Court@Unit102.com. The submission may contain everything the appellant(s) consider pertinent, but it must include the date, the location and the names of all four people at the table (if you plan to appeal, make note of the names the opponents respond to) ... it would be also nice, were a diagram of the hand and the bidding sequence included (when these have any bearing on the subject).

The Court and Unit 102 guarantees confidentiality: when the findings are published, none of the participants, nor the location / club will be identified in any way; the sole exception can be the successful appellant, but only if it was so specified (that is asking to be identified if a winner) at the time of the original submission. The incident will be investigated (the Court may even opt to invite the appellant to present the grievance in person), additional information will be acquired from the other parties involved: assuming, that they are willing to participate ... cooperation is to be absolutely voluntary, no taint attaches to those, who do not wish to.

After due deliberation the Justices (all appointed by the Unit 102 Board) render a verdict. This verdict is communicated to the appellant (same route as the submission, i.e.: E-mail or Snail-Mail), none else. Further, all successful appeals, plus any case of special interest or unique features (even, when rejected) will be published on the WebSite and if space constraints permit, in the SunCoast Bridge News.

The verdict carries no power to alter the results nor the results of the ruling, as that occurred. The purpose of the Court is different, but three-fold:

[1] … present object lessons about what to do and what not ! ... an interesting case-history is the best teaching tool about the rules and the proprieties of our beloved game;

[2] … provide a forum for presenting just grievances. The verdict will: either tell us to mend our ways or give proof, that we were right all along; will stop us from giving up bridge in sheer frustration; ... think of how much the satisfaction of having been found to be on the right side of the angels can mean.

[3] … offer a pleasing solution to any game-director ... an opportunity to avoid controversy by placing that burden on the Court. A closing statement at the table: "... and if you do not agree with my ruling, take it to the Court of Last Resort, and if they decide against me, I'll adjust your score ..." could have been uttered by me, were I directing. Then again, what do I know ? the last instance I was a director is half-a-century away in time. Conversely, the correctness rating of rulings is in the high nineties, thus my exposure would have been minimal.

Incidentally, the Justices of the Court will serve as standing Appeals Committee at all Unit 102 events, eliminating the eeny-meeny-miney-moo methodology committees are convoked with (to the dismay of all) at many a tournament, nowadays.

The Justices, appointed by the Board of Unit 102 are ...

B.Cohn, G.Geiger, M.Gilbert, J.Godefrin, M.Kassay, A.Malasky, B.McGinley, P.Samuels, H.Weinstein, J.Wicentowski