[blml] adjudication

[Robert Geller]

Nigel writes:
>Everyone else seems loyal to John Probst's Ministry of Truth. Few 
>appear willing to read let alone address the basic arguments.

Why don't you try the following experiment.  Go to the BBO archives
http://bridgebase04.bridgebase.com:81/vug/
and look at the files for semi-randomly selected major national
and international events.  I don't have the time to do a detailed analysis,
but I'm sure (based on the kibitzing I've done) if you analyze the
actual records from top-level play you'll find that almost all good players
are upgrading like crazy (and maybe even once in a while downgrading).
That's the way top-level bridge is today.   When Meckstroth and Rodwell
say 14-16 (or whatever) and open 1NT with a good 13, Zia isn't calling 
the cops; he's doing the same himself.  I don't see any problem with this
at all.

If there is a problem somewhere, it's in the fact that in some
countries the wording of regulations is a bit outdated and fails to
reflect the fact that hand evaluation is an essential skill for winning
bridge.  The wording of the "orange book" regulation is just silly; someone
should rewrite it to bring it up to date in the real world, as it exists today.
And instructional material for beginning/intermediate players should explain
this, so that they don't feel aggrieved when their opponents upgrade and 
downgrade.

The argument that someone who doesn't open 1NT on QJx QJx QJxx KQJ
(because he has "15 HCP") or does open 1NT on A1098  A1098  K10 K109
"with only 14 points" is committing a violation of some rule or other and
should be punished is ridiculous and would destroy the game of bridge
as we know it.  Theoretically there needs to be a disclosure mechanism for
how the adjustments are being made, but in a match with only reasonable 
players this isn't a serious problem because everyone is making more
or less the same type of adjustments.   So the only thing that may be needed
is an effort to educate beginning/intermediate players that this is part of the
game.  The exact details of each player's adjustments may vary slightly, but
everybody reasonable is more or less doing the same thing.

-Bob  

-----------------------------------------------------
Robert (Bob) Geller,     Tokyo, Japan        geller at nifty.com