[blml] EBL 2004 appeal number 10 [SEC=UNOFFICIAL]

[richard.hills at immi.gov.au]

Sven Pran:

>I am puzzled. Can we assume that East/West use some kind of negative
>doubles? Would a Double from West as his first call have shown 4 spades?
>Should not in such cases the _first_ pass from West be alerted? ("It can
>show interest for a penalty double of the 2H bid").

Richard Hills:

Although a negative double is a convention, it seems to me that a trap
pass is not a convention, since a trap pass shows "willingness to play
..... in the last denomination named" (see the Chapter 1 Definitions).

Unless, of course, you rule that a trap pass is a convention because what
willingness it actually shows is willingness to play in the last
denomination named only if that last denomination is subsequently doubled
by partner.

If a trap pass is not a convention, then a trap pass need not be alerted
as an unusual natural call, since negative double agreements are now much
more generally in use than the old-fashioned (but effective) agreements
to play penalty doubles of overcalls.

Sven Pran:

>The consequence of the Director's and AC's rulings must IMO be (if we
>shall be consistent) that also all passes in response to takeout doubles
>must be alerted, is anybody practicing that?
>
>Example:
>1H - Dble - Pass - Pass(*)  (*)is this Pass alertable? Not in my book.

Richard Hills:

Wrong example.  Try this one:

WEST      NORTH     EAST      SOUTH
          Cummings            Seres
1H        X         XX        Pass(1)
Pass      Pass

(1) Shows a penalty pass of hearts, not alerted.

About four decades ago, the world-class Australian partnership of Seres-
Cummings gained a big number in an international championship when
South's pass was not alerted.  East-West complained that the almost
universal meaning of South's pass was that it showed equal preference
between the unbid suits and was forcing on North to bid their longest
suit.  At that time Seres-Cummings won the appeal on the grounds that it
was not necessary to alert a natural call.

Alert regulations are more sophisticated nowadays, as they now require
the alerting of natural calls with unexpected meanings.

Of course, for the 2004 case the penalty meaning of the second pass is
somewhat more expected since the first pass by general bridge knowledge
could be a trap pass awaiting an reopening double.

The famous American partnership of Berkowitz - Cohen lost a World Pairs
championship because that had an illogical agreement that a possible
trap pass of a partscore transmogrified into a forcing pass once an
opponent redoubled to show strength.


Best wishes

Richard James Hills, amicus curiae
National Training Branch
02 6225 6285