ETHICS IN BRIDGE............ ( Article by Professor Hu Chi Ku Chi )

The word  " ethics " comes from the Greek word  " ethikos " , meaning character. Indeed , ethics have everything to do with what's " right " and " wrong ". Furthermore , ethics require  individuals to make certain choices with only their conscience to be accountable to. As bridge players we all need to refer to standards of conduct ,  which guide our decisions and behaviour towards constraining the pursuit of self-interest, especially when our actions are likely affect others in an adverse way.

However , my definition of ethics in the context of bridge is simply means  " playing  fair " and not resorting to dubious tactics , which set out to achieve an unfair or unjustified advantage over your opponents.

Therefore , to a very large extent being ethical means being honest , which in turn can be broken down into the following components :

- playing to the rules but never using or exploiting the rules to secure a favourable score

- playing to your agreed system card, never resorting to bluff bids in the form of opening psychs and  wildly off-centre deviations

- owning up to transgressions , even when opponents have nort spotted or perceived them

- switching off to comments made about hands on nearby tables , or alerting opponents to fact you have obtained unauthorized information , albeit in an innocent and inadvertant way

- having a system where all bids can be thoroughly and easily understood by your opponents

- when asked about bids always giving correct and full explanations

- refusing to take advantage of any mechanical errors made by opponents in circumstances where no damage has beeen incurred

- looking to forgive and overlook innocent transgressions committed by nervous and inexperienced opponents , again where no loss is likely to result

- playing the game in a spirit of openness and equality , always putting " sportsmanship " ahead of self-interest

Bridge , as most players would agree , is a most beautiful game , which should never be sullied by result merchants who resort to unehical tactics and behaviour in the pursuit of tops. In my view , far too many players claim to be ethical, when it is blatantly obvious they are not. This conflict of opinion simply stems from their definition of ethics falling well short of mine , which will always embrace every aspect of " honesty at the table ".