[blml] Clarification... [SEC=UNOFFICIAL]

[richard.hills at immi.gov.au]

Nigel Guthrie:

>a good idea to *simplify* the law to legalize a concealed
>partnership understanding on which partner *never* acts;
>because such a CPU would go undetected by normal
>"fielding" criteria

Richard Hills:

A bad idea.  The contract is 3NT.  Declarer needs two
stoppers in spades to make the game.  The lead is a fourth
best deuce of spades, promising an honour.

North (Dummy)

S QT

South (Declarer)

S A9

East-West have a concealed partnership understanding that
they never lead from a jack-empty suit (except when they
hold four jack-empty suits).

On this combination it is impossible for East to field,
since it is normal defence for East to cover a "misguessed"
ten with the jack.  East-West later boast to declarer how
useful their legal concealed agreement was, thanks to the
Laws of Guthrie Bridge in force at that club.  Declarer has
no hope of doing better in future, since the next time that
declarer meets those defenders there is a 50% chance that
their legal concealed agreement for the new session would
be to never lead from a king-empty suit.

:-(

Meanwhile, the Director would be too busy assessing the
facts on other boards (trying to discover if that legal
concealed agreement was perhaps sometimes illegally
fielded), to finish more boring tasks such as scoring the
session.


Best wishes

Richard James Hills, amicus curiae
Level 6 Aqua Training Suite, DIAC
02 6225 6776

Important Notice: If you have received this email by mistake, please advise
the sender and delete the message and attachments immediately.  This email,
including attachments, may contain confidential, sensitive, legally
privileged and/or copyright information.  Any review, retransmission,
dissemination or other use of this information by persons or entities other
than the intended recipient is prohibited. DIAC respects your privacy and
has obligations under the Privacy Act 1988. The official departmental
privacy policy can be viewed on the department's website at www.immi.gov.au
See: http://www.immi.gov.au/functional/privacy.htm