[blml] Illegal convention

[richard willey]

> Anyway, I tend to agree with you, except that if a pair is using an
> illegal convention because (1) the convention regulations or charts
> involved are ambiguous or difficult to understand, so that they might
> reasonably think they're using a legal convention, or (2) the
> convention used to be legal but was recently made illegal, then a PP
> might not be appropriate---some other solution is needed.
>
>                                 -- Adam

Adam brings up a very good point:  In many cases players have no idea
what is/is not legal to play at any given event.  I'd be very hesitant
about imposing proceedural penalties on players when the blame might
rightfully lie with the local regulatory structure.  Case in point  -
I am going to go out on a limb and assume that this infraction occured
at an ACBL game that, more likely than not, occured within District
25.

The ACBL is actually quite liberal regarding choice of methods that
can be used to defend against the opponent's NT openings.  However, a
few year back that ACBL made these defenses a bit more restrictive,
requiring that

"Direct calls, other than 2C or double must have at least one known suit"

As I recall, this change was somewhat controversial and the ACBL
meadered back and forth before finally writing things in stone.  This
change peeved a few people, some of whom had the political clout to be
able to get local exceptions carved into the rules.  For example,
within District 25, Howard Pitch was able to get an exception made
that permited players to play "Pitch" over NT opening in direct seat.
[The method is know as suction everywhere else in the world].

Unfortunately, these types of efforts create an awful lot of
confusion.  Admittedly, I haven't played in an ACBL event in five
years or so, however, I was never quite sure what was/was not legal at
any given tournament.  Accordingly, I'd have a fair amount of sympathy
for other players who don't understand what idiosyncratic version of
the GCC is being enforced at any given point in time.





-- 
"It's no disgrace not to be able to run a country nowadays, but it is
a disgrace to keep on trying when you know you can't"

Will Rogers