[blml] claim

[Tim West-Meads]

Alain wrote:

> Here, a rising inflection would mean "12 tricks unless the spades 
> aren't running".
> 
> They aren't.

Indeed, and so in that case I might award 12 tricks (certainly not 9).  
But the rising inflection might also mean "I can't be arsed to think 
about this hand and any squeeze possibilities if the spades are 
running".  It might mean "If spades aren't running but the DJ drops 
unexpectedly you are the type of opps I expect to concede 13".  One 
might dislike this style of making a claim while being in no doubt that 
declarer would have made 13 tricks.  All I'm asking is that the 
reasonableness of 9,12 and 13 tricks is acknowledged - given that we 
haven't a hope in hell of establishing the "facts" of a 12 month old case.

Tim