[blml] 3NT or 4S

[Harald Skjæran]

On 13/04/07, Wayne Burrows <wjburrows at gmail.com> wrote:
> Screens in use.
>
> Uncontested auction.
>
> West North East South
>                 1S    Pass
> 2D     Pass 3NT  Pass
> 4S     All Pass
>
> This was how the auction was intended but things did not quite happen this way.
>
> As the tray was being passed through the screen after the 4S bid the
> 4S card fell off the tray.  South who was responsible for moving the
> tray replaced the 4S card on the tray.  However somehow the 4S card
> still did not make it to the other side of the screen.
>
> Neither North nor East noticed that West had not passed (nor bid 4S or
> any other bid).  North passed thinking he was passing out 3NT.
>
> The tray was passed through to the other side of the screen where now
> neither South nor West noticed that East had not passed or bid.  South
> passed thinking she was passing out 4S.
>
> I suspect that the 4S card had been caught in the screen and was
> somehow picked up by the tray as it returned.
>
> South now brilliantly underled her diamond ace against 4S and partner
> won the singleton queen.  The play continues until about trick 8 or 9
> when declarer claimed pitching his spades on his established winners.
> This was a novel idea for South who believed that spades were trumps.
>
> In reality the auction had gone:
>
> West North East South
>                 1S    Pass
> 2D     Pass 3NT  Pass
> ---      Pass
>
> on one side of the screen and
>
> West North East South
>                 1S    Pass
> 2D     Pass 3NT  Pass
> 4S     Pass ---     Pass
>
> on the other side of the screen.
>
> How would you rule?
>
> 3NT had made an overtrick with one defender defending that contract
> and the other defending 4S.
>
> 4S would most likely have failed especially after the underlead of the
> diamond - the underleader did think she was defending 4S.

If normal rules for use of screens apply, south is responsible for
pushing the tray over to the other side afte west's 4S bid. If the 4S
bid didn't pass through the screen, then south is at fault. When that
is said, both south and west should have been aware that something
strange was going on, since there was a missing bid from east when the
tray returned with 4S - pass - nothing.

But it seems to me that neither of these players were familiar with
the use of screens. The normal practise when a final bid has been
passed out at one side of the screen is for those two players to
remove all their bidding cards from the tray before passing it over to
the other side.

As the case stand, I'd resolve the rest of the tricks from the claim
after 8-9 tricks, ruling in favour of the defending side at any point
of doubt.

-- 
Kind regards,
Harald Skjæran

>
> Wayne
>
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