Posted 2015-September-30, 07:26
Now, you are probably in a mess. But don't worry, there is a way out.
Always assume that there was no infraction. This means that you should play your best bridge now, and assume that the information that you got from the opponents ("Dbl is not alertable and, hence, for penalties.") is correct. This means that East has a big hand, with about 4 clubs, and West has a singleton or void in clubs, a lot of spades and little else.
As soon as it becomes reasonably clear that the explanation was wrong (e.g. because East puts a 3=4=5=1 distribution in the dummy) you call the TD. You explain that there was no alert and that (e.g.) the dummy looks more like a support double than a penalty double to you. The TD will tell you to finish playing the hand and call him back if you think you have been damaged. So that is what you will do.
After the hand, you will see that West will be the one with the club length, instead of East. That means that:
East intended his double as support
West understood the double as support
This means that it is highly unlikely that EW are playing double as penalty.
When I am the TD, I typically weight this "the proof is in the pudding" evidence very heavily. You can write on a CC whatever you want, but at the table it becomes clear what your real agreements are. In such a case, I will not say that they don't play penalty doubles. I will just say that the evidence that they aren't is stronger.
So, if all this happens, I would rule MI. And if there is damage, I would adjust the score.
However, not all TDs are like me. So, I would do the above once. If the TD basically says that you are an idiot and you should have known, or that he doesn't rule in your favor for some other reason, then follow Lamford's advice and just ask.
Rik
I want my opponents to leave my table with a smile on their face and without matchpoints on their score card - in that order.
The most exciting phrase to hear in science, the one that heralds the new discoveries, is not “Eureka!” (I found it!), but “That’s funny…” – Isaac Asimov
The only reason God did not put "Thou shalt mind thine own business" in the Ten Commandments was that He thought that it was too obvious to need stating. - Kenberg