[blml] nearest card

[Peter Eidt]

> From: Alain Gottcheiner 
> Any discard denies interest in the suit (like when playing lavinthal
> discards) ;
> the play of a high / low card suggests the farther / closer suit as
> they are placed on the table.
> Which isn't a relevant factor of the deal.
> 
> Legal or not ?

IMHO legal.

Although the cards of dummy (or the placement of the
cards) are not a relevant factor of the board, it is a
visible information for every player at the table.

Law 40B states:
"A player may not make a call or play based on a 
special partnership understanding unless an 
opposing pair may reasonably be expected to
understand its meaning, or unless his side 
discloses the use of such call or play in accordance 
with the regulations of the sponsoring organisation."

The relevant part of the EBL regulations (for instance)
reads:
"[...] players may not use signalling methods by which 
the message or messages conveyed by the signals 
are hidden from the declarer because of some key 
available only to the defenders (i.e. encrypted signals 
are not allowed)"

So, I believe this to be a mere problem of appropriate
and timely disclosing such method.

Regards
Peter