[blml] convention

[Sven Pran]

> On Behalf Of Tim West-Meads
> Sven,
> 
> Can you just confirm that in your interpretation a 2H opening bid which
> promises "two of the top three honours" (ie would not be opened with
> AJxxxx) is conventional, as is an agreement that the minimum suit
> quality requirement for a vulnerable 2H bid of KJTxxx (A76543 would not
> suffice) is also conventional?

If the 2H opening bid could be made based solely upon the high card
strength, i.e. for instance with AK and nothing more, then certainly it
would be conventional. But the 2H opening bid primarily shows a six card
suit with a certain strength. Showing the strength as such is not the
(primary) feature of that bid.

The 5H bid we are discussing is only showing the Ace of Hearts, the strength
and/or length of the heart suit is immaterial. THAT makes that bid
conventional to me.

> I think you need to understand that "specific high card strength" is not
> "other than high card strength".  

It certainly is. When the strength of a suit is not the objective of a call
but a side effect of that call there is a difference.

...........

> I think you are misreading the phrase in law "However, an agreement as
> to overall strength does not make a call a convention."  This phrase
> means that a call which is not conventional (by virtue of conveying
> willingness to play, length, or HCS) does not *become* conventional
> merely by the additional attachment of a value range.  Where a
> call carries none of the "natural" meanings it will be conventional
> regardless of whether a range of values is attached. (Precision 1C/1D,
> Acol2C etc are all conventional).

The existence of the single word "however" in this clause makes me believe
that the meaning is that the _otherwise_ "not conventional" call does not
become conventional just because it specifies an overall strength. It cannot
IMHO be taken to make an otherwise conventional call _not_ conventional
simply because it happens to indicate a particular overall strength level.

As all calls (by agreement or understanding) somehow indicate a particular
strength level or strength range the consequence of the latter understanding
above would be that any call can be claimed to be not conventional.

Sven