WHATEVER NEXT..... A WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP WON BY CHEATING !                           ( Article by Carp )

What a pair of conniving Germans they must have been. The damage they must have done to the image of this beautiful and sacred game doesn't bear thinking about. Cheating at this level or indeed at any other level needs to be stamped out. The fact that the two culprits were highly respected German doctors just goes to show how difficult it is to judge character........until of course they push their luck and allow their dishonest signalling system to be exposed by an alert ,  highly suspicious , eagle-eyed , or should I say sharp-eared opponent. Once the video evidence produced a correlation between their " carefully timed coughs " to particular short suit holdings and preferred leads , the WBF had every right to strip them of their gold medals , and impose a 10 year ban. 
But part of me believes this story can't be true given that the illegal signalling system , based on coded coughs , is both ridiculously crude and naive.....not to mention absurd and obscene. Not only would constant bouts of coughing irritate those at the table, but attention is bound to be drawn to them should these coughs come across as unnatural and artificial.  However , amazing coincidences were observed when these artificial coughs happened to precede spectacular leads and inspired reading of the cards, and so the culprits' defence to the charges ( falling foul of the humid Balinese weather and an ineffectual air-conditioning unit ) seems very flimsy indeed . Yet remnants of doubt about their guilt are still lodged in my mind. Bridge at that level requires participants to possess genius , logic, precision of thought , subtlety , intelligence , inspiration , and an analytical mind capable of solving highly complex problems. Therefore,   one would expect cheating to be incredibly subtle and wickedly ingenious,  so devious in fact that no-one had a cat-in-hell's chance of ever recognising  , let alone , proving how it was done. If it is true that  the two German doctors did foolishly sell their souls to the devil ,  then they were numpties in the dark art of cheating. Their dishonest system was not only detected but conclusively proved by video evidence.

Yet , this is not my point of my article. For me cheating is not a rare occurance. It is commonplace. Of course their form of cheating represents " reprehensible conduct " as it is deliberate , planned , and no doubt well practised. It involves going out into the competitive arena with intent.  It involves taking calculated risks in the pursuit of the ultimate prize, where the desire to earn glory and adulation instantly over-rides conscience and integrity . Yet , in clubs all over the world low level cheating goes on to such an extent that many cynics have considered redefined their clubs as centres of " approved cheating " .....which in essence is soft cheating.
Regular partnerships can't help but develop a level of understanding , which assists their ability to consciously and even subconsciously communicate, receive and process unauthorised information. This happens because in the absence of screens players instinctively read the nuances and habits of their expressive partners. Often it is a one-way situation where one player is oblivious to the fact he is sending out body language signals to his/her partner, who of course can't help but read the signs. 
Therefore at club venues a startling reality exists. Players find themselves reading the signs , either consciously or subconsciously : the senses of sight and sound work endlessly and automatically.   A hint of a smile on an opening lead against no trumps is just as much as an encouraging signal as the play of a high card. Players of course will deny their " dishonesty " on the grounds that ( a)  there was no intent to pass over unauthorised information or commands, and (b ) what prompted any inspired decision was nothing more than gut feeling and/or instinct. If crucial albeit extraneous information gets absorbed into our sub-conscious , then it often triggers some inspired decisions at the table , without us ever knowing how or why that happened. Soft cheating is often completely unintentional but that doesn't stop it undermining the sanctity of this game..
The two Germans were condemned as " scoundrels who took deception and cheating to a new horrendous low " , but who are we to sit in judgement when we have our own demons to deal with. Let he who is without sin cast the first stone. Most bridge commentators believe that the gravity of their offence required the WBF to throw the rule book....and what a hefty rule book it is..... at them , in an attempt to rebuild the game's tarnished image. But can anyone out there tell me,  what can be done to tackle all the other " dodgy stuff " that goes on in these centres of approved cheating ?