[blml] Lead penalty

[David Burn]

-----Original Message-----
From: blml-bounces at amsterdamned.org [mailto:blml-bounces at amsterdamned.org]
On Behalf Of John Probst
Sent: 19 September 2007 23:44
To: Bridge Laws Mailing List
Subject: Re: [blml] Lead penalty


> On Sep 19, 2007, at 8:02 AM, Jan Peter Pals wrote:
>
>> West opens one spade, East bids four diamonds (splinter) out of turn.
>>
>> Suppose the regular auction becomes:
>>
>> West one spade - North five diamonds - East double - all pass
>>
>> What are the lead penalties for West?
>
> If/when West gets on lead (for the first time), North may require or
> forbid either a diamond or a spade.

> nope. 4D doesn't relate to one single suit, it shows info about 2 suits. 
> hence one can stop the lead of any suit. Where a single suit is the datum 
> one can stop or insist on the lead of THAT suit. no law permits stop or 
> insist on 2 suits (unless there were 2 separate infractions). John.

> This one's a no brainer, really is.

Well, it requires a strictly positive number of brain cells to read and
understand Law 26A2:

Suit Not Specified

If that suit was not specified in the legal auction by the same player,
then declarer may (penalty) either require the offender's partner to lead
the specified suit (or one particular specified suit) at his first turn to
lead,
including the opening lead, or prohibit offender's partner from leading
the specified suit (or one particular specified suit) at his first turn to
lead,
including the opening lead, such prohibition to continue for as long as
offender's partner retains the lead.

Admittedly, the words "If that suit..." should be "If the suit or suits
specified by the insufficient bid was or were not specified in the legal
auction by the same player...", but I can see the aesthetic argument against
this wording. The meaning, however, is clear: if a withdrawn insufficient
bid related to, or specified, spades and diamonds, then the offender's
partner may be required or forbidden to lead a spade or a diamond, but the
non-offending side has no control over hearts or clubs.

David Burn
London, England