[blml] By the pricking of my thumbs [SEC=UNOFFICIAL]

[Ed Reppert]

On Mar 10, 2007, at 7:59 AM, Tim West-Meads wrote:

> Ed wrote:
>
>> Was the question resolved? I'm with Richard - if the inadvertent call
>>  is cancelled, then in effect it never happened. How can something
>> that never happened be an irregularity?
>
> Dealer (North) opens 1D.  East overcalls 1H.  North then says "That's
> insufficient - I opened 1S..oh my!.. I meant 1S".  The TD is called  
> and
> establishes that the 1D was inadvertent and allows a correction to 1S.
>
> If we say an inadvertent bid is NOT an irregularity then 1H is now  
> an IB
> and East is OS.  The info from the 1H bid is AI to NS and UI to W, EW
> will face penalties if 1H is not corrected to 2H.
>
> If we say that an inadvertent bid IS an irregularity the 1H may be
> withdrawn but the information is now AI to EW and UI to NS.
>
> The situation is similar if East reaches into the bidding box to  
> make an
> overcall and, at that point, North notices and corrects - East now
> passes 1S.
>
> At no point has East done anything wrong - he is acting in tempo over
> the apparent call.  To me it seems insane that anybody suggests that
> East be treated as OS (or that NS should have as AI the fact that East
> was prepared to overcall 1D but not 1S).  We *need* an inadvertent  
> bid to
> be an irregularity in order to be fair to the opponents.
>
> Obviously if the irregularity is noticed and corrected before East
> reaches/bids/otherwise gives away info there will be no UI, no  
> penalty,
> no problem.

Good point. But... I must be getting senile. I've always accepted  
that if a player's RHO makes a Law 25A change to his call after the  
player has called (but before LHO has called, of course) the player  
may change his own call without penalty. But I just spent a few  
minutes looking for the law that says so, and I can't find it. Can't  
find a general one that says a player may change his call after an  
irregularity, either. Help!