[blml] How do you deal with this mess?

[Guthrie]

  [Paul Lamford]
If the next person bids over it, then it has to be treated as 
condoned. The board could easily have been set aside and a referee 
telephoned during the break  for refreshments (I hope these were being 
provided) or at the end of the match.  Or even there and then in the 
middle of the auction.

To amend the result now would, in my view, be no different to a recent
Crockfords match at a London Club, where a team, trailing by 64 IMPs 
at  half-time, wanted the first 16 boards replayed as they had not 
been hand-dealt  at the  table, as required by the rules. Instead the 
club's duplimated boards had  been  used. They were given short shrift 
by a referee, but were allowed to hand deal the remaining 16 boards.

[nige1]
IMO opener's LHO was trying to say ...

[A] I'm unsure of the law but ...

[B] If a director were available, I'd call him.

[C] If opener's 2C rebid was intended then the attempted change is 
subject to penalty. If opener's 2C was inadvertent then the change to 
XX is OK. That is a matter of contention but ...

[D] I won't hold up the game. I'll just reserve my rights because I 
don't want to appear to condone the change of call."

The laws are so complex and sophisticated that they are hard for 
directors to understand. Director's interpretations sometimes differ
and their judgements often differ. It is even harder for ordinary 
players. In the absence of a director, an occasional mistake in legal 
procedure is inevitable.

I've suffered in similar incidents in home matches: After a few 
tricks, declarer put his cards back in the slot and wrote down the 
score for contract made. In spite of repeated requests he refused to 
face his hand or declare a line of play. Declarer habitually used this 
tactic to waste time and disconcert opponents. It was quite effective. 
We had no idea what to do and we were working the next day. 
Eventually, we "reserved out rights" and got on with the next board.
We lost a match that we should have won.