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

[richard.hills at immi.gov.au]

Alain Gottcheiner:

>A natural 2C opening (eg Blue Team) is alertable.

Richard Hills:

Yes and no.

In ideal alert system, common and general calls
(such as an artificial and strong 2C opening bid)
should not be alerted, and uncommon and special
calls (such as a natural 2C opening bid) should be
alerted.

Australia, however, has a compromise alert system.
The ABF primarily requires all conventional bids
at or below the level of 3NT to be alerted, and
only secondarily requires uncommon and special
bids to be alerted.

Since in Australia the common and general call of
an artificial and strong 2C opening bid is always
alerted, I do _not_ alert our uncommon and special
natural 2C opening bid.  Because of the unexpected
non-alert of 2C, my opponents are woken up to the
fact that it has an uncommon and special meaning
of being a natural call.

On the other hand, if _all_ 2C opening bids were
alerted (either because they were conventional,
or because they were abnormally non-conventional),
then the rationale of any alert system - to wake
up opponents to the fact that a call differs from
the general norm - would be nullified.


Best wishes

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