[blml] Re: who should know which rules? [ was: Atlanta NABC AppealN-03]

[Adam Beneschan]

David Grabiner wrote:
 
> Guthrie writes:
> 
> > Almost all rules are of practical concern to the
> > player. For example, under current law, a player
> > may decide not to draw attention to an infraction
> > because he judges that the likely ruling by a
> > director will not be as favourable as the result
> > he can expect without the director's intervention.
> 
> This is unlikely, since the player can always waive the penalty or accept an 
> illegal play.  A player needs to know that he should call the TD when there 
> is an insufficient bid; after he calls the TD and is told, "If you don't 
> accept the insufficient 3S bid, he can make any bid or pass which is legal, 
> but if he does anything other than 4S, his partner is barred from the rest 
> of the auction," the player who called the TD can still elect to accept the 
> insufficient bid and double it.

Yes, I think the Laws' drafters have been careful to ensure that
calling the Director for the opponents' infraction cannot possibly
leave the non-offenders in a worse position.  This may not have been
the case with previous versions of the Laws---I don't know for sure.

Some years ago, at a sectional, when my RHO made an insufficient bid,
I called the TD.  The TD, who I'd guess had been directing for quite a
long time but had not reached a high level, then explained my options.
He started with, "You have the right to accept the insufficient
bid"---and then he added, "which I assume you don't plan to do since
you called me".  He was later quite surprised when, after having all
my options explained, I did accept the insufficient bid.  But I
wonder: apparently back in the "old days", it was perhaps more common
for players to simply ignore an irregularity if they wanted to accept
it, while now I think players are encouraged to call the TD any time
there is an infraction.  So maybe in the old days, it *was* possible
that a TD call would remove your ability to accept an infraction and
benefit from it, pre-1987.

                                -- Adam