[blml] An EBU L&E decision.

[Gampas at aol.com]

In a message dated 29/10/2007 11:04:22 GMT Standard Time,  
grandeval at vejez.fsnet.co.uk writes:

>I am wondering in what manner it is to be disclosed that  "the
>fact that bidding 3H on the following round now showed a  hand
>with six hearts, and, either four spades, or more values" (sic).  Is
>this information not such as to appear on the convention card  (at
>least sufficiently to draw attention to the existence of  special
>inferences)? I pass no judgement on this except to infer a  measure
>of surprise - or as it may be confusion.
 
The old manner would be by an alert. The opponent would ask for an  
explanation. She would be told, by the meticulous discloser: "Because 3H on  the 
previous round would have shown a hand with six hearts, non-forcing, this  sequence 
generally shows invitational values (the exception might be when  partner has 
six hearts and four spades). You can rule out hands such as  single-suited and 
weak with six or seven hearts, even though you might  expect these to be 
possible hands."
 
The new method is by silence and, presumably, by including all such  
sequences on a convention card. I am sure that 1NT-3M, pre-emptive, would be on  my 
opponents' convention card; I know them to be meticulous in that regard. But  
the alert was designed to prevent every bid being preceded by a hunt through the 
 card for alternative relevant sequences, or by the start of the round being  
preceded by a detailed read of the card for nuances that could be useful in  
specific auctions. The alert is designed to do just that, alert the opponents 
to  the fact that there is something they might not expect. Its abolition is a 
 retrograde step.
 
The aim should be to generate full disclosure. Under the current  alerting 
rules in England, if you play two-suited major suited opening two bids,  you 
alert them, because a second suit of four-cards is guaranteed. If, however,  you 
play that an opening 2H and 2S are either two-suited with that major and a  
minor, or single-suited with that major and a minor-suit void, you would  
announce "hearts" or "spades" as appropriate, as no other suit is GUARANTEED. To  my 
mind this abuses the intent of the announcing and alerting procedure which is 
 to give maximum disclosure as quickly as possible.