[blml] GK&E (was: alertability)

[Eric Landau]

At 03:50 PM 1/16/07, Jerry wrote:

>None vulnerable, West opens 1C precision, North, my partner, doubles,
>which I alert "at least 4-4 in the majors with any HCP, but probably
>balanced because other calls are available to show better
>distribution."  This is a long description, but my question is whether
>I need to add more to it, and also how North should alert my advance
>to1H.
>
>East passes, alerted, showing a game forcing hand with values in one
>or both majors.
>
>I have xxxx-Ax-xx-xxxxx.  Rather than just bidding 1 or 2 spades now,
>I might try 1H first to encourage a heart lead, and then if it is
>doubled, revert to spades.  It seems obvious that South is the captain
>here, and North will abide by South's decision or decisions.  When
>North alerts 1H, can his alert simply be "Willing to play 1H if
>undoubled, and maybe doubled as well." Or is it important to try to
>convey something more complex?---I.e., that 1H is either South's final
>decision, or just a temporary decision, or maybe even an inferior suit
>bid with a hope to get a favorable lead or to trick the opponents into
>penalty doubling us in spades.
>
>Or maybe 1H needs no alert given the meaning of double and the
>resulting obvious captaincy of South.  Given the "inferences from
>GK&E" clause of L75C, what would you say the two alerts should be (for
>North's double and for South's 1H)?

The explanation Jerry offers for North's double sounds sufficient to 
me; I would expect that if the opponents want more info than that, they 
will ask for it.  There is no clear-cut rule as to how much to include 
in a reply to "please explain" (sufficiency of explanation being, like 
pornography, inherently subjective), but nothing you know about your 
agreements may be withheld if the opponents express a desire to be 
given all the details you are aware of.

If North is aware from either explicit agreement or past experience 
with this partner that South's 1H bid may be a lead-director, from 
which he intends to run if doubled, it must be alerted and the 
possibility disclosed.  But if North has no absolutely reason to 
suspect that South might do this *other than that North might do it 
himself in this situation*, then whatever suspicion he might harbor is 
based solely on an inference from his GK&E, and an alert would be 
inappropriate, even potentially misleading.


Eric Landau                     ehaa at starpower.net
1107 Dale Drive                 (301) 608-0347
Silver Spring MD 20910-1607