[blml] 'normal'

[Steve Willner]

> From: Eric Landau <ehaa at starpower.net>
> The purpose of the footnote is to tell us what should be included in  
> "any normal play" [L70C3], "an alternative normal line of  
> play" [L70D1], "alternative normal plays" [L70D2], "any normal line  
> of play" [L70E1], or, again, "any normal play" [L71.2 -- BTW,  
> shouldn't that be L71B?].  Whatever it means specifically, it defines  
> the set of plays or lines of play which the TD is to consider when  
> "ascribing" a potential line of  play for the purpose of assigning an  
> adjusted score under any of these five laws.

There's also "unless failure to adopt that line of play would be 
irrational" in L70E1.  (Maybe that's what Eric had in mind in his next 
sentence, quoted below.)

>  L70E, and only L70E,  
> reduces that set by excluding alternative lines of play the  
> "adoption" of which would be "irrational". 

I think the 70E1 phrase solves the "Ax problem;" failure to play the ace 
would be irrational.  I don't think it solves the "Ax opposite Kx 
problem."  Neither failure to play the A nor failure to play the K would 
be irrational.  The irrational thing is doing neither of these, but that 
doesn't seem to be excluded by the language.

Maybe this is a case where "the singular includes the plural" saves us. 
  However, I share Eric's frustration that something that seems so 
integral to the game we know needs such subtle interpretation to get the 
answer everyone wants.