“If the other team has already withdrawn from the auction, a Pass by the captain is the conversion of the last bid by the crew into a contract to play, but if the other team has not withdrawn from the auction, Pass is a request to withdraw from it.

“In either case, the captain makes a decision and the crew is advised to respect that decision unless he/she had not disclosed his/her hand totally, either in points or in shape.

“By passing, the captain also gives up his/her captainship. If the auction is re-launched by the crew, the crew will then become the new captain for the team and the ex-captain demoted to the rank of crew.

“The captain may pass at any time during an auction, including in the first round of auction except if the opening statement is artificial, in which case he must ask for details about the crew’s hand before taking the proper decision step.”