From: tnh@sw.stratus.com (Tim Hill)
Newsgroups: rec.games.bridge
Subject: Re: What to do when the rules conflict?
Date: 22 Jan 1993 14:51:44 GMT
Organization: Stratus Computer, Inc.
Distribution: world
NNTP-Posting-Host: bigbootay.sw.stratus.com

I wrote:
> I suppose you have agreements concerning at least these three auctions:
> 
>      1C-2C(natural)-P
>      1C-2C(majors)-P
>      1C-2C(no agreement)-P
> 
> I also gather that the meanings of pass in those three auctions are
> overlapping but not identical.  If so, partner gave you the unauthorized
> information that he has a pass in any of these auctions, so your future
> bids and plays are restricted by Law 16A!

Matthew Merzbacher wrote:
> Not necessarily.  Partner may have read their card (more thoroughly) before 
> bidding and thus knew what their defense was to 1C.  Perhaps the opponents 
> had only filled out one card, and it was on partner's side of the table,
> and you were late for the round, and...

Rudy wrote:
> This is silly.  Partner gave no unauthorized information, except maybe that
> he knows what your opponents are playing, and you don't.  He might have
> played against them before, looked at their convention card while you 
> weren't looking or made some other assumption.

Certainly if responder might have known what the opponents' agreement was,
then opener is not burdened with any unauthorized information.  However, when
"Jeremy Mathers" set the scene, he wrote:
> ...  Now, experience has
> shown that on this auction, 75% of the time RHO doesn't know what the 2C
> bid is.  That is, either its Michaels and RHO thinks it is Natural, or
> vice versa.  In any case, ... they usually explain it wrong.

That suggests to me that responder did not know what the overcall meant,
that responder did not ask because he knew what his call would be in any case
and didn't want to give the opponents an opportunity to exchange unauthorized
information, and that opener KNEW that responder didn't know what the overcall
meant.

If that's right, then it was pointless for opener to insist on knowing the
opponents' agreement (if any) concerning the overcall before explaining
his side's agreement concerning responder's pass.  Opener should have given all
three explanations without a fuss.

I just wanted to make it clear that simply by taking a few seconds to check out
the 2C bid before passing, responder would have avoided the whole confrontation
between opener and opener's RHO, and would also have avoided giving opener
unauthorized information,

If responder has enough experience with this auction to know that "75% of the
time [LHO] doesn't know what the 2C bid is," then he should know how to check it
out while minimizing the opportunity for misinformation and unauthorized
information:  First check the convention card.  If it's inconclusive, ask LHO
"Have you discussed what 2C means in this auction?"  If the answer is "No, but
I think ...," interrupt quickly with "Thanks.  That's okay.  I just wanted to
know whether you have an agreement."
-- 
Tim Hill
Stratus Computer, Inc.                  tnh@vos.stratus.com
55 Fairbanks Boulevard                  508-460-2232
Marlborough, MA  01752                  fax 508-624-7488