Just checking

[Chris]

I received a request for a decision from another club on the following incident.

E S W N
1c 2c 3c P
P* 3h P P
P
* East asks the meaning of the 2c bid and is told it is 5+ clubs and 5+ spades and then passes.

The lead is a small club from East, small club North, A of clubs West, trumped by South.

N/S players are both Life Masters (silver and bronze) who have played together for some time - their agreement is Michaels cue bid, with the 2c bid showing 5+ of both majors. The bid was correct - the explanation was wrong.

The following is my email reply -


Hi Elizabeth,

The first thing the Director should have established was whether this was a mistaken call or a mistaken explanation.

What is their agreement ? Is the agreement that 2C over 1C shows 5+ clubs and 5+ spades ? In that case the bid was wrong but the explanation was correct - and regardless of damage the Director shall allow the result to stand.

If their agreement is that 2C over 1C is Michaels cue bid showing 5+ in both majors, then the bid was correct but the explanation was wrong. This is an infraction of Law since the opposition are entitled to an accurate description of the N/S agreement. When this infraction results in damage to E/W the Director shall award an adjusted score - in this case I would adjust the score 5C making 11 tricks.

If the partnership have no system card and/or disagree on what their actual agreement is, the Director shall assume mistaken explanation and award an adjusted score if there is damage.

The other thing is did South correct the explanation before the opening lead?

Chris
----- Original Message -----
From: B+E MORRISH
To: 'Christine Heesom'
Sent: Wednesday, September 30, 2009 4:45 PM
Subject: director


Hello Chris



Would you give me your opinion on this please as it happened today and Jeanne and I discussed it.



East. s AKJT h8 D KT6 CAQ842 OPENED 1 CLUB

SOUTH; s87543 H AQT93 D AQ5 NOW BIDS 2 CLUBS

WEST S Q6 H KJ76 D 7 C KJT965 NOW BIDS 3 CLUBS AND NORTH PASSES.

EAST THE OPENER NOW ENQUIRES AS TO THE MEANING OF THE 2C BID AND IS TOLD IT IS 5 SPADES AND 5 CLUBS. EAST THEN PASSES AND SOUTH BIDS 3 H AND THEN IT WENT PASS, PASS, PASS.

A SMALL CLUB IS LED AND DUMMY GOES DOWN WITH S 92 H 542 D J98432 C 73

WEST NOW PLAYS CA AND IT IS TRUMPED IN DECLARER’S HAND. EAST CALLS THE DIRECTOR AND LET THE PLAY CONTINUE AND PROMISED TO CHECK AT THE END OF PLAY. NEARLY EVERYONE ELSE WAS IN 5 CLUBS OR 3NT MAKING. I must add that ns is a silver life master and a bronze life master.



Thanks Elizabeth

[Ed Reppert]

If North "knows" that 2C shows spades and clubs, then whyinhell is he passing 3H? Whatever it means, if 2C shows the blacks, 3H is forcing (and presumably artificial). If N passes it, it's either because he has UI, or it's because his partner has done this before, in which case they have a CPU, and his explanation was at best incomplete (and at worst, deliberate cheating).

NS might, I suppose, argue that 2C was a psych, and that East's 3C, presumably natural, exposed it, and that's why N passed 3H, but I don't see that argument in the evidence presented.

Even if it was a psych, there's the question whether it was legal under NZ regs.

[bluejak]

North's pass of 3H suggests to me that he was unsure of his original explanation, and should now say so.

But what of South's 3H bid? Disgraceful! We have a term in England "unauthorised panic" which means that when partner describes your bid wrongly players have a habit of immediately bidding their longest suit to clarify it. This is clear use of unauthorised information.

Give the South hand to people as a poll, and having shown the majors but holding three diamonds, the choice will be between double and pass. 3H is highly illegal and totally unacceptable, and South should get a lecture on the ethics of being in receipt of unauthorised information.

Suppose South did double: what then? Well, if North believed he had clubs and spades, would he not take this is a penalties and pass? So I wonder whether the adjustment should include some percentage of 3C* +2.

These days, weighted scores are the norm. Disallowing 3H, but noting that a pass of 3C is possible comes to a weighting of 3C* +2, 5C= and 3C +2. However, it might be argued that East would always bid again with his hand so South will not get the chance.

Nevertheless, I think we might make some allowance based on him passing, so I rule:

. 10% of 3C +2, NS -150
+ 70% of 5C =, NS -400
+ 20% of 3C* +2, NS -670