[blml] Cut the mustard [SEC=UNOFFICIAL]

[Herman De Wael]

richard.hills at immi.gov.au wrote:
> Law 46A (Proper Form for Designating Dummy's Card):
> 
> "When calling a card to be played from dummy, declarer **should**
> clearly state both the suit and the rank of the desired card."
> 
> Scope:
> 
> " ... When a player 'should' do something ('a claim should be
> accompanied at once by a statement...'), his failure to do it is
> **an infraction of Law** ... "
> 

please continue the citation:
  ".. which will jeopardize his rights, but which will incur a 
procedural penalty only seldom".

> Law 72B2 (Infraction of Law - Intentional):
> 
> "A player **must not** infringe a law intentionally, even if there
> is a prescribed penalty he is willing to pay."
> 
> Scope:
> 
> "The strongest word, 'must' ('before making a call, he must
> inspect the face of his cards'), indicates that violation is
> regarded as serious. Note that 'may' becomes very strong in the
> negative: 'may not' is a stronger injunction than 'shall not',
> just short of 'must not'."
> 
> Richard Hills:
> 
> Ergo, parsing current Law shows that the routine intentional
> action of declarer partially designating a card is a serious "must
> not" violation which usually deserves a Law 90 Procedural Penalty
> or a Law 91 Disciplinary Penalty.
> 

which is contrary to the literal statement in the score regarding the 
use of "shall".

> It seems to me that this is very inconsistent with current rulings
> and practice.  It seems to me the problem is in the wording of Law
> 46A, which should instead read:
> 
> Law 46A (Unambiguously Designating Dummy's Card):
> 
> "When calling a card to be played from dummy, declarer **may**
> clearly state both the suit and the rank of the desired card."
> 
> Scope:
> 
> " ... When these Laws say that a player 'may' do something ('any
> player may call attention to an irregularity during the auction'),
> the failure to do it is not wrong ... "
> 

which is clearly not what the writers wanted - since they wrote a full 
law describing what to do if the player did not clearly name.


-- 
Herman DE WAEL
Antwerpen Belgium
http://users.skynet.be/hermandw/index.html