[blml] why ask ? [SEC=UNOFFICIAL]

[Guthrie]

[Ed Reppert]
> I cannot conceive of any situation in which I
> would believe a player who told me that [he'd
> forgotten the meaning of Stayman]- unless he
also
> forgot to put his pants on before coming to the
> game.

[nige1]
I've played bridge for several years but I often
have to ask what opponents mean by Stayman. 90% of
the time, the reply is "Standard"; and I have to
follow with "Sorry I've forgotten it, if I ever
knew it."
I feel that you should try to avoid more detailed
questions e.g. "promissory?" "may you just have
long clubs?", "garbage?" "what do you reply with
both majors?" and so on because such questions may
provide unauthorised information to partner. Faced
with a determined prevaricator, however, even such
questions seem justifiable.

Hence I am also in sympathy is with the expert's
suspected "pro-question". IMO, in spite of BLML
efforts to distinguish them, there is little
practical difference between a "Kaplan" question
and "Pro" a question -- in both cases the
questioner fears that opponents may have been
economical with the truth; in neither case, does
the questioner stop to examine his conscience on
the precise reason for his question.