[blml] By the pricking of my thumbs

[Tim West-Meads]

Peter wrote:
> > Are you saying that for Law 25A to apply the offender should have
> > changed his inadvertent call immediately when noticing his error and
> > before the Director arrived?
> 
> yes, sure!
> Read the law ...
> 
> > IMO this would have been a clear violation of Law 9B2, and the
> > offender should not lose any of his rights under Law 25A by delaying
> > his "immediate" correction of the call until the Director had 
> > arrived
> > at the table? 
> 
> Offender only has rights under Law 25A, if he
> changes or tries to change his call immediately.

I have read the law.  The word "immediately" is not used.  The words 
"without pause for thought" are used.  A player who is waiting for the 
director to arrive should not automatically be deemed to have paused for 
thought.  If, when the TD does arrive, the player says to the TD "I 
didn't realise my mistake until my partner called you - I meant to bid 
1N - am I allowed to change my call?" Then it is a perfectly reasonable 
TD judgement to say that the player has not paused "for thought" but has 
merely waited in attempted compliance with 9b2.

Note attempted.  IMO an immediate correction (or attempted correction) 
is not actually a breach of L9b2 given the context of the heading (but 
that's an interpretation also open to debate).

Tim