[blml] By the pricking of my thumbs

[Sven Pran]

> On Behalf Of Peter Eidt
...............
> > The sequence of events described was:
> > 1: Offender's partner opened the auction with a 1S bid.
> > 2: Offender bid 1S, insufficient and apparently (according to the
> > description given) an inadvertent call where 1NT was intended.
> > 3: Offender's partner immediately summoned the Director without first
> > explicitly calling attention to the irregularity.
> > 4: The offender now noticed his error. According to the description
> > given his attitude clearly confirms that his insufficient bid was
> > inadvertent.
> >
> > 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 ...

Indeed.
Law 25A:
Until his partner makes a call, a player may substitute his intended call
for an inadvertent call but only if he does so, or attempts to do so,
without pause for thought. If legal, his last call stands without penalty;
if illegal, it is subject to the applicable Law.
And from Maastricht, August 30th 2000 - 6
When bidding boxes are in use the attempt to correct an inadvertent call
(Law 25A) must follow instantaneously upon the player's discovery of his
mistake.

So "immediately" is to be "measured" from the moment offender discovers his
mistake (within the time limit "until his partner makes a call"), not from
the moment he actually made his mistake.
 
> > 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.

In direct violation of Law 9B2 ! ????

Law 9B2:
No player shall take any action until the Director has explained all matters
in regard to rectification and to the assessment of a penalty.

See also Law 9B1(c):
Summoning the Director does not cause a player to forfeit any rights to
which he might otherwise be entitled.

Please do not forget that according to the facts as they have been presented
to us there is no doubt that the offender's call was inadvertent and that he
intended to bid 1NT.
 
Sven