[blml] convention

[Wayne Burrows]

On 16/12/06, Sven Pran <svenpran at online.no> wrote:
> > On Behalf Of Wayne Burrows
> > On 16/12/06, Sven Pran <svenpran at online.no> wrote:
> > > > On Behalf Of John Probst
> > > > 4N P 5H.  4N is direct Ace ask, not Black
> > > >
> > > > Is 5H a conventional call? "...length or values...". The HA is values.
> > >
> > > Yes:
> > >
> > > Convention: 1. A call that, by partnership agreement, conveys a meaning
> > > other than willingness to play in the denomination named (or in the last
> > > denomination named), or high-card strength or length (three cards or
> > > more) there. However, an agreement as to overall strength does not make
> > > a call a convention.
> > >
> > > The 5H bid conveys a meaning other than willingness to play in Hearts.
> > >
> >
> > It shows high-card strength in hearts it is not conventional.
>
> No, that is precisely NOT what the 5H bid shows. A suit with KQJ is of 50%
> greater strength than a suit with only the Ace. What the 5H bid shows is
> exactly the Ace of Hearts, not the high card strength in Hearts.
>

Sven what you write implies that an Ace is not a high-card.

Who cares whether there is a stronger (in terms of high-cards) suit.
That does not detract from the fact that showing an ace is showing
high-card strength.

By your reasoning the only sorts opening bids that show length in a
suit are like short club or diamond openings that show 3+ cards in the
suit bid.  Other bids like five-card majors or six-card weak twos or
seven-card pre-empts do not show length they show 5+ cards or 6 cards
or 7 cards respectively.  Even a 3+ card club might not show length by
your reasoning since it might exclude 9-card suits that open something
else.

The definition says that if the bid shows high-card strength in the
suit then it is not conventional (unless there is some other meaning -
not willingness to play or length).  An ace is a particular sort of
high-card strength so showing that meets the requirement of a bid
showing high-card strength just as showing a five-card suit meets the
requirement of showing length.

Wayne