The threat of going in the psyche book

At the national level, the EBU has a procedure for recording psyches: they are classified by the tournament director and a form goes back to the EBU. If a pair is thought to have developed a parthnership understanding that is not permitted or is not being properly disclosed, then the record of the pair can be investigated from the forms. The coverage of suspicious auctions is very patchy but the process of recording the hands by the tournament director can be relatively non-confrontational.

At lower levels, the procedures are usually less well defined, even if they exist. The procedure usually involve a “psyche book”, even if such a book does not actually exist. The notional purpose of the psyche book is to record psyches, but as I have discovered, its main purpose if for established players to intimidate their opponents by threating to put them in the book.

Long ago – and far away

Playing in a league match, I psyched 1♠ – presumably I was third in hand, not vulnerable against vulnerable, with not many points and not many spades (two, I think). Partner dutifly raised to 3♠ ahd we played there, drifting a few off. As soon as it became clear I had fewer spades than I was supposed to, LHO (with the big hand) started to erupt. At the end of the hand, players from other tables assembled to help with the situation and soon it felt like all the players in the teams-of-eight match were gathered round the table – except for my partner and me, who were sent to the far end of the room (in disgrace?). I am sure that there was much discussion of putting me “in the psyche book”, although given that the sponsoring organisation was the league, it probably did not have such a book. Eventually play resumed, with no adjustment, although I am sure the opponents (and some of my team) thought I had cheated.

Years ago – but not so far away

My first introduction to the local concept of the pysche book occurred when a player talked to me for advice. Apparently a hand they had bid had been recorded in the psyche book but the player only learned of this after the event, and the pair had not been given a chance to explain their actions. I looked at the hand and it did not look like a psyche and certainly nothing that looked like a concealed partnership understanding. It turned out that the TD's reasons for recording the hand had nothing to do with psyches and “recorded in the psyche book” was a bit of smoke screen.

More recently and not far away

As TD, I was asked for a bid to be recorded “in the psyche book”; since the player who asked was also a TD (and had directed at this club far more ofthen than me), I presumed he knew what he was talking about. I duly took a note of the hand on an EBU “report of hand” form. After the event, I got in touch with the powers that be, only to discover that there is not psyche book and no procedures. Again, this appeared to be sabre rattling, and totally lost of the player complained of.