[blml] The sixth sick sheik's sixth sheep is sick

[Eric Landau]

On Sep 30, 2007, at 5:07 AM, Gampas at aol.com wrote:

> We are reluctant to change the rules of bridge yet there seems no good
> reason why a misbid should not be an infraction. If you forget to  
> sign your
> scorecard in golf you are disqualified. If, in chess, you forget to  
> press your
> clock on the last move before the time control you lose (unless you  
> notice in
> time). Yet forgetting a convention such as Ghestem might incur no   
> penalty; this
> is because of some illogical belief that forgetting your own   
> system should be
> allowed without penalty unless UI occurs. But I expect that a   
> change to the
> laws to make a misbid an infraction will not take place. And there   
> is the
> problem of distinguishing it from a psyche.

Those who have never heard of chess or golf already know how to press  
buttons and how to sign their names.  They do not need to understand  
their respective games before applying those skills.  They do not  
have to practice them.  Learning a bidding method is a whole  
different kettle of fish.  It must be learned in context.  If it is  
non-trivial, It may require considerable practice to master it  
fully.  Learning requires trial and error; learning as a partnership  
inevitably involves some significant potential for confusion and  
misunderstanding.

Making it illegal to forget or screw up a convention thus effectively  
prohibits partnerships from trying out new methods: you can't master  
it without practicing it, but you can't practice it without having  
mastered it.

Eric Landau
1107 Dale Drive
Silver Spring MD 20910
ehaa at starpower.net