[McBruce]

It's almost 3:30 AM in the Vancouver area as I write this and it is 24 degrees Celsius with considerable humidity and the heat wave will be here for a few more days minimum. The local club has very good air conditioning. I think 14 teams for a club Swiss is a record for our Wednesday night game, but I also think that had I extended it from four to eight matches, well into Thursday morning, almost everyone would have stayed to avoid the sauna outside...


Ruling #1:

Scoring: IMP

---

West opened 1♠ in third seat, North overcalled 2♥, and East doubled, alerted by West. South asked and was told this was a "support double." Thinking E-W had a fit in spades and therefore North was short, South raised to 4♥. West bid 4♠, and South persisted with 5♣, North correcting to 5♥, doubled by East.

Before the opening lead, North asked again about the double, and now West admitted that it was a negative double, not a support double. The TD was called at this point.

Result: 2 down, 300 to E-W. Do you ad....oops, we have new Laws now: do you rectify?

Relevant facts to consider (if you wish):

--South is an experienced player getting back into duplicate after a long absence; relatively unfamiliar with support doubles and other newer conventions.
--All four are fairly good Flight B players
--result at the other table: 4♥ down 1, a swing of 5 IMPs unless the score here is rectified.



Ruling #2:

Scoring: IMP

---

This auction begins with a fourth-seat 1♣ opener by North. Two passes follow and West re-opens with 1♠. North doubles and East redoubles, showing a maximum passed hand with spade support. South bids 2♣, West bids 2♠, and North competes to 3♣. East breaks tempo and passes, South passes, and West bids 3♠, setting the "DIRECTOR!" sirens off. You say what you always say: play on and we'll make a judgment later. 3♠ is the final contract and makes eleven tricks for a push. Looks like 3♣ is probably two down if North gets to play there. Do you rectify this one?

Relevant facts:

--EW, as you will have guessed from the auction, are novices. Both agree on the meaning (shown above) of redouble in this auction.
--North is a local expert, South a decent but volatile client type. (It's anyone's guess who's paying and how much for a simple club game.)
--if you give some players the East hand and the auction without the tempo break, good players will pass, bad players will bid 3♠. Those whose status is, let us say, pending, are about 50-50.

[gordontd]

McBruce, on Jul 30 2009, 11:56 AM, said:

Ruling #1:

Scoring: IMP

---

West opened 1♠ in third seat, North overcalled 2♥, and East doubled, alerted by West. South asked and was told this was a "support double." Thinking E-W had a fit in spades and therefore North was short, South raised to 4♥. West bid 4♠, and South persisted with 5♣, North correcting to 5♥, doubled by East.

Before the opening lead, North asked again about the double, and now West admitted that it was a negative double, not a support double. The TD was called at this point.

Result: 2 down, 300 to E-W. Do you ad....oops, we have new Laws now: do you rectify?

The laws still talk of adjusted scores - rectification is used in place of what used to be called penalties.

I'd be interested in asking East why he doubled 5♥ - there might be some use of UI there and depending on East's response perhaps the double should be removed.

It does seem plausible that South might not have bid as much with the correct information, but what I'm not clear about is how NS have been damaged: isn't 5♥x a good sacrifice against 4♠? Or have I missed something?

[gordontd]

McBruce, on Jul 30 2009, 11:56 AM, said:

Ruling #2:

Scoring: IMP

---

This auction begins with a fourth-seat 1♣ opener by North. Two passes follow and West re-opens with 1♠. North doubles and East redoubles, showing a maximum passed hand with spade support. South bids 2♣, West bids 2♠, and North competes to 3♣. East breaks tempo and passes, South passes, and West bids 3♠, setting the "DIRECTOR!" sirens off. You say what you always say: play on and we'll make a judgment later. 3♠ is the final contract and makes eleven tricks for a push. Looks like 3♣ is probably two down if North gets to play there. Do you rectify this one?

West has one more spade and one fewer club than might be expected. I'm not convinced that Pass is a logical alternative.

[campboy]

McBruce, on Jul 30 2009, 05:56 AM, said:

--if you give some players the East hand and the auction without the tempo break, good players will pass, bad players will bid 3♠.  Those whose status is, let us say, pending, are about 50-50. 

Do you mean the West hand? If so, I don't understand why the good players are passing (though I don't claim to be one ). You have a 9-card fit (which you know about and your partner doesn't) and no-one's vulnerable.

[bluejak]

May I request that people with two problems start two threads? These type of queries on two hands always seem to get confused and we have no thread limit.

In the first case there seems no damage so no adjustment.

In the second case 3♠ seems evident so no adjustment.

[jeffford76]

gordontd, on Jul 30 2009, 04:40 AM, said:

I'd be interested in asking East why he doubled 5♥ - there might be some use of UI there and depending on East's response perhaps the double should be removed.

To follow up on this, I think you should give the east hand to some players without the mistaken explanation to see if they all double. But I suspect pass isn't a logical alternative.

[McBruce]

In the first case, I decided that the 4♥ was directly affected by the misinformation and concentrated on what would happen has South known that EW did not have a spade fit. South would certainly not have bid 4♥ and instead would have raised to 3♥ or perhaps tried 3♣. Either way, it seemed to me that West would introduce his second suit and East would get them to 5♦, which is a better bet than 4♠ on these cards--neither East nor West knows in a competitive auction that they're off the AK of diamonds and have a heart loser as well. So I ruled 5♦ down one, push.

In the second, I felt that although West had UI indicating that bidding on would be a good choice, he also had considerable AI indicating the same thing. Not just from the redouble: the auction (can't open or overcall 1♣, yet good enough to redouble) places East with a decent hand but no real suit to bid. No adjustment.

In the end, neither ruling meant much to the final outcome. Both parties ruled against said I was spending too much time in the sun...

[McBruce]

campboy, on Jul 30 2009, 04:23 AM, said:

Do you mean the West hand?

Yes. (oops)

[richlp]

[quote name='gordontd' date='Jul 30 2009, 06:40 AM'][quote name='McBruce' date='Jul 30 2009, 11:56 AM'] Ruling #1:


I'd be interested in asking East why he doubled 5[he] - there might be some use of UI there and depending on East's response perhaps the double should be removed.

[/QUOTE]
I think that, while the UI certainly suggests the double of 5[he], the AI should be sufficient to allow it. West bid 4[sp] at unfavorable and I have no fit and an Ace.

I don't think Pass is a LA. I don't think a poll would show enough of my peers bidding 5[sp] but if I'm wrong then I can accept an adjustment to that.

[Echognome]

24C = 75F which seems like a very comfortable temperature. I'm sure the humidity might make things a lot hotter, but I would hardly think of the words "heat wave".

Although I do note that you say it's 3:30AM. I imagine that it might stay above 90F in certain parts of the south well into the morning.

[jillybean]

Echognome, on Jul 30 2009, 02:44 PM, said:

24C = 75F which seems like a very comfortable temperature. I'm sure the humidity might make things a lot hotter, but I would hardly think of the words "heat wave".

Although I do note that you say it's 3:30AM. I imagine that it might stay above 90F in certain parts of the south well into the morning.

These 34+ day time temperatures + humidity are without doubt a heatwave for us Vancouverites. Even my Mexican student who is used to temperatures in the 40's is finding it hot.

[mycroft]

Well, in the south they expect it. So:

1) Many places have AC. In the house, in the car, in the office. And it works. Not so much here, we don't need it.
2) While Vancouver isn't Calgary (wetter, snootier, more hour-long backups at the bridges - yes, I'm joking about everything but the "wetter" bit), they still get these temperatures for only a week or two at a time. For several months of the year, the temperature is around zero at night, with wind and rain (and sometimes snow). So the houses are built to retain heat. In the South, winter temperatures are a cool summer day up here, so the houses are built to dissipate heat.

That makes hot, wet summer nights in Vancouver a little uglier than the numbers seem to say.

It's worse in Toronto and Chicago...where the summers get up to 90F/90% pretty regularly, but the winters get to 0F/100% pretty regularly, too. Houses are built *solid* out there, and summers can be lethal.

[axman]

McBruce, on Jul 30 2009, 05:56 AM, said:

Ruling #2:

Scoring: IMP

---

This auction begins with a fourth-seat 1♣ opener by North. Two passes follow and West re-opens with 1♠. North doubles and East redoubles, showing a maximum passed hand with spade support. South bids 2♣, West bids 2♠, and North competes to 3♣. East breaks tempo and passes, South passes, and West bids 3♠, setting the "DIRECTOR!" sirens off. You say what you always say: play on and we'll make a judgment later. 3♠ is the final contract and makes eleven tricks for a push. Looks like 3♣ is probably two down if North gets to play there. Do you rectify this one?

Relevant facts:

--EW, as you will have guessed from the auction, are novices. Both agree on the meaning (shown above) of redouble in this auction.
--North is a local expert, South a decent but volatile client type. (It's anyone's guess who's paying and how much for a simple club game.)
--if you give some players the East hand and the auction without the tempo break, good players will pass, bad players will bid 3♠. Those whose status is, let us say, pending, are about 50-50. :)

A few observations.

When giving hands it makes for tremendous confusion to not use the W N E S auction format.

It is useful to be advised as to what reason was given for the ruling request. Otherwise it is possible to be non responsive in a player's time of need.***

I don't know what a max [passed hand] is but for this pair it includes some pretty moth eaten holdings given W not taking a more constructive action after XX [as he has 5S and a D to contribute opposite a pard that promises a stronger hand than he has promised].

Apparently, overcalls don't promise much if E was unwilling to delay raise to 3S.

There are several inferences from the E pause.

[a] it suggests consideration for taking a piece out of 3C, but an unwillingness due to the undependable nature of overcalls by this pard
[b] it suggests quality honors that are often absent from such auctions
[c] it suggests spade support that might be considered anemic
[d] it does not suggest the inference of dubious values

Authorized inferences include the expectation of the maximum of one spade [trump] loser. The expectation that at minimum E can contribute a H ruff and a side winner/ additional H ruff.

So, if the limit of the hand is 2S then [a] 3S can not be hurt more than -100 [b] It is probable that NS will achieve at least +110 if left in clubs even while 3S makes +140 [c] if the limit in clubs is less than 9 tricks then it is near certainty that spades will produce at least 9 tricks

Under such conditions pass approaches unreasonable. I don't think that I could ague against an assertion that pass is not a LA, and if pressed to take a stand would so argue.

To complete the analysis inference [a] demonstrably suggests X over 3S [b] demonstrably suggests X and 4S over 3S [c] demonstrably suggests looking for another strain over 3S [d] demonstrably suggests pass over 3S

As an addendum, [a], [b], [c] demonstrably suggests that 3S won't get hurt [if for different reasons] which is the same as the inference [due to the playing strength held] from XX.

It therefore is reasonable to rule that no infraction of L16 occurred.

*** I point this out because, for instance, the TD was summoned before it was possible to know if an infraction occurred [no sensible judgment can be made before the hands are known]. In such a situation, the TD call has the effect of intimidation/ distraction and it is not lost on me the direction the fruit will fall because of it.

[McBruce]

N-S did call the TD at the correct time -- it would probably be even more intimidating to their novice opponents to call after the hesitation pass, and it would be quite frustrating to the E-W pair for N-S to wait until the contract was made and then call the TD to claim a hesitation.

Here in the ACBL we have only recently been given the 16B2 option of agreeing that there is a possibility of UI. Because it is new to us, nobody does it here: there are even some who don't feel it is the best solution.

However, this particular N-S pair had already called on another hesitation situation earlier that evening, and two calls per session is about average for them, where the average for most other pairs is two per year. On each occasion when they do call I am obliged to hear them recite the entire auction, which can be a two-minute process or longer. On this particular occasion, I tried to stop the charade:

NORTH: OK. We had this auction (pointing at the face up bid-box cards). Pass, Pass, Pass, 1♣...

TD: Excuse me. Do we have a break-in-tempo here?

NORTH: (short pause, shocked at the interruption). Pass, Pass, Pass, 1 ♣...

TD: Yes, I can see all this, I would like to save time by finding out the nature of the infraction.

NORTH: Look, I'm trying to tell you. The auction goes pass, pass, pass, 1♣...

TD: (walks away from the table in disgust)

SOUTH: Hey!

TD: Let's go back to my first question. Is there a break-in-tempo here?

NORTH: Yes, but...

TD: Which call or calls followed the break-in-tempo?

NORTH: Don't you want the whole auction?

TD: I can see the whole auction.

SOUTH: He paused before passing over 3♣.

NORTH: He took FOREVER before bidding 3♣.

WEST: I didn't even notice.

EAST: I was a little bit slow, but hardly forever.

You get the picture. North especially was enraged that I would not let him go through the motions of his passion play against the outrageous actions perpetrated against him, because he feels he has the right to act it all out in its full glory. From this incident (the ruling was completely irrelevant and separate) I have decided to affix a sheet of paper to the back of my Law book and bring it and a pencil with me to each call. If anyone tries to review the bidding while bid-cards are out I will stop it immediately and write the auction down myself.

[RMB1]

McBruce, on Aug 5 2009, 08:22 PM, said:

I have decided to affix a sheet of paper to the back of my Law book and bring it and a pencil with me to each call.  If anyone tries to review the bidding while bid-cards are out I will stop it immediately and write the auction down myself.

I'm not sure I really understand this. Don't you always take a pen and paper to all TD calls so you can write down auctions, etc.?

Robin

[McBruce]

We're all learning...

[Rossoneri]

First case - Yes, there was MI, one can now check to see if there was damage, which I agree there was.

Second case - Enough AI to bid on, no adjustment.