[blml] Profit from irregularites

[Grattan Endicott]

from Grattan Endicott
grandeval at vejez.fsnet.co.uk
[also gesta at tiscali.co.uk]
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"Never laugh at live dragons."
                     'The Hobbit'
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----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Nigel" <Guthrie at NTLworld.com>
To: "BLML" <blml at rtflb.org>
Sent: Thursday, December 07, 2006 2:43 AM
Subject: [blml] Profit from irregularites


> On RGB, there is a debate about article by John Shuster, in the ACBL
> district 9 Journal, describing a convention that assigns different
> meanings to your bids, depending on whether or not you accept an
> opponent's insufficient bid.  Currently players like David Stevenson who
> believe that such agreements are legal have a considerable advantage.
>
> I seem to remember Grattan Endicott insisting that, without specific
> permission, you must not employ agreements that are geared to taking
> advantage of irregularities by opponents. What is the WBF position? and
> the position under local jurisdictions?
>
+=+ It may be that discussion has modified my opinion. What I believe
currently is that there is no authorization in the laws for basing a call on
an illegal call (see Law 16). The effect of the laws is obscure, even
murky, when under Law 27 an insufficient bid is "treated as legal". This
does not make it a legal call but it is treated as though it were. So how,
I ask myself, does the statement in Law 16 cope with this? I suggest
that, whether from John Shuster,  David Stevenson, or from a member
of the WBF Laws Committee, no assertion on the legality of the method
carries authority. For the time being the solution rests with subordinate
regulation.
      In drafting a new code of laws I argue that a clearer authority should
be established for regulation of such agreements. As to the policy, I am
opposed to exposure of players of lesser experience to such methods;
I am neutral on its desirability in the upper echelons of the game.
     The WBF Systems Policy is silent on the matter; in WBF events the
question reduces to the fundamental problem "do the laws authorize it?"

                                                       ~ Grattan ~   +=+