[blml] claim

[Eric Landau]

On Dec 11, 2007, at 6:55 AM, Koen Grauwels wrote:

> Yesterday I was called at the table for the case described below.  
> Both West and I are (inexpereinced and playing) Club directors.  
> West did send me a mail to ask to review my decision. West is the  
> best player at the table, the other 3 players are at best  
> intermediate.
> Mail be West:
> "These were the hands when North plays a small club in a NT  
> contract. South (dummy) has only small cards left, but no Clubs.
> North       East       South      West
> C:Jxxx      C:Q10      dummy      H: A
>             H:xx                  D: 1098
> North plays a small Club and East shows his cards and says: "Two  
> clubs for me and the rest is for you". West immediatly protests  
> because he still has Heart Ace and 3 free diamonds (all higher  
> diamonds are gone).
> Now there follows a lot of rumour/discussion at the table because  
> of the protest of West (unauthorized information?), after which  
> some of the cards come on the table. West is not sure in which  
> sequence the cards come on the table; according to North first club  
> Queen and then Club Ten, so North now asks 3 tricks. The sequence  
> of club Queen followed by the Ten is not important because further  
> play after the claim should be cancelled.
> The Tournement director now has to decide how many tricks E-W make  
> in case of normal completion of the play. It is clear that East  
> will make his 2 tricks (club Ten followed by the Queen) in case of  
> normal play. Other play by East would be unrealistic and should  
> therefor not be taken into account according the rules. Because  
> East now has left only Hearts, West will make the remaining tricks.  
> There are no other possibilities.
> I rememeber that some years ago there was a similar case at a World  
> championship. Declarer claimed and would make his contract. The  
> opps protest and demand to continue the play. When continuing the  
> play the declarer makes an error (caused by the rumour at the  
> table) and goes down. The TD has given the claimed tricks to the  
> declarer as normal play and has cancelled the play and error that  
> happened after the claim at the table."
> My comments:
> - East confirmed that he did first Club Q on the table (that was  
> after the claim and after the dicussions at the table).
> - If East does not know that North still has Club J then it is not  
> unrealistic that we would play Club Q instead of club T? I agree  
> that play can not continue after cards are shown, but the 'play' of  
> the club Q indicates that it is a possibility? Also the claim in  
> itself indicates it because East did not know that West could still  
> have Heart Ace.
> - I ruled 3 tricks for N-S (Club Q followed by club T). I'm not  
> 100% happy with that ruling as I don't want to discourage claims  
> and probably West has a point that the 'play' of club Q can have  
> been caused by the rumours at the table.
> Your comments?

I'd have awarded the remaining four tricks to E-W.  The table action  
after the claim is irrelevant.  E claimed two club tricks and gets  
them.  It would not be "normal" (i.e. it would be "irrational", per  
the 1997 footnote) for W to throw the HA to keep more than one  
diamond, and he will thus take the last two tricks perforce.

It would be a different story had E claimed three tricks holding -/ 
x/-/KQ10, as it would probably not be "irrational" for W to pitch the  
HA from -/A/10/- at trick 12.


Eric Landau
1107 Dale Drive
Silver Spring MD 20910
ehaa at starpower.net