[Fluffy]

Literarilly forbidden to have an agreement or system that allows you to open at the 1 level with less than 10 hcp.

[mr1303]

The rule is less than Rule of 18, not 10 HCP

[Free]

I also like opening 1♠ (especially with those 3 ♥s), but I think I'd just open 4♠... 5♣ cue or 4NT blacky seem both good choices to continue the bidding.

[Fluffy]

mr1303, on Mar 19 2005, 11:45 AM, said:

The rule is less than Rule of 18, not 10 HCP

I actually doubt you have such deep knowlegde about spanish rules, but if you do correct me please.

[Cascade]

Gerben47, on Mar 19 2005, 02:35 AM, said:

Forbidden to bid or forbidden to agree?
If the latter I explain that I normally do not hold an 8-card suit and we do not have agreements about 1-bids and 8-card suits.

If when you open this hand and hands like it you open at the one-level then you have an agreement that you will open some hands with fewer than ten points at the one level.

Agreements are not only explicit they can be implicit.

So if the rule says you may not have an agreement to open with fewer than ten points then you cannot open hands like this one at the one level.

However it is illegal for a Sponsoring Organization to have a rule that restricts natural (actually non-conventional) opening bids at the the one level that are within a King of average strength.

The Sponsoring Organization is restricted by Law 40D in this matter:

"The sponsoring organisation may regulate the use of bidding or play conventions. Zonal organisations may, in addition, regulate partnership understandings (even if not conventional) that permit the partnership’s initial actions at the one level to be made with a hand of a King or more below average strength. Zonal organisations may delegate this responsibility." L40D - Laws of Duplicate Contract Bridge – 1997.

Nevertheless it is or has been relatively common that National Organizations have disregarded this law. My National association wrote the following when I questioned their regulations on this type of matter:

"When this law was drafted it was NEVER intended to constrain NCBOs." The capitals and bold were their emphasis not mine.

In my opinion this type of attitude by National Associations is unbelievably arrogant. I do not think that I would get very far if I justed announced for example that the revoke law was never intended to constrain me.