PeterAlan, on May 6 2010, 04:39 PM, said:
It certainly seems clear that if a lead out of turn has taken place then declarer has no recourse under Law 53.
I'm not advocating the following position (which is not trick 13 specific either), but there does seem to be at least a point worth considering, namely what constitutes a lead out of turn from dummy. More than anything, it seems to be just another bit of the laws that could be clarified.
Under Laws 45B & 46B is it clear that a valid lead has taken place at all?
45B: Declarer plays a card from dummy by naming the card ...
So if declarer had called "diamond 7" it's clearly a call for the specific card, which is in dummy, and it's therefore been led.
But the call is not complete, so has there been a lead?
46B: In case of an incomplete or erroneous call by declarer of the card to be played from dummy, ...
Now declarer could advance the argument that 46B governs the case where "the card" was indeed "to be played from dummy", but that that's not the case here (or not without somewhat circular logic). So has the diamond in fact been played? Declarer's position would be that 46B is merely there to resolve ambiguities over the card specified, but not to resolve the issue of whether a lead has taken place at all.
A separate but related matter is to consider what would happen, assuming 46B is in point, if the declarer had named any other suit (without a rank; say "heart"):
46B4: If declarer calls a card which is not in dummy the call is void and declarer may designate any legal card.
Is everyone now confident that the declarer is nevertheless obliged to lead from dummy in these circumstances, when the call "is void"?
If Declarer calls a card from Dummy and the called card can be identified with the aid of Laws 45B, 45C and/or 46 then that card has been played.
If no such card can be identified in Dummy then the call is void (Law 46B4), consequently if the play should have been from declarer's own hand he must be allowed to play from his own hand and not be bound by his void attempt to play a card from Dummy.
One example of this last possibility that I have experienced more than once is Declarer naming a card from his own hand apparently to be called from Dummy.
I assume further comments will be superfluous?