[blml] AI or UI

[Steve Willner]

>>East leads H-K, strongly suggesting possession of the Q, out of turn. 
>>The TD gives South, declarer, his options, and he requires a heart lead. 
>>The H-K is picked up; West duly leads a small H, and East plays the Q.

> From: Adam Beneschan <adam at irvine.com>
> In the 1997 Laws, I think [H-K] is pretty clearly UI, by Law 16C2,
> since the HK is a withdrawn play. 

If I thought it were "clear," I wouldn't have asked.  Adam's is 
certainly a reasonable interpretation, but is "picked up" really a 
subset of "withdrawn?"  Was H-K even "played," given that it never 
became part of any trick?

As others have written, the new Laws seem a little clearer, though I'm 
afraid it still isn't 100%.  This would be a good topic for the 
"Appendix," I think.

Just to flog my hobby horse again, the real problem is mixing mechanical 
"rectifications" with information restrictions.  Though if the H-K is AI 
while it's on the table but UI after it's picked up, maybe this 
particular situation is not so bad.