[blml] on warning partner not to lead out of turn

[Eric Landau]

On Apr 3, 2008, at 9:34 PM, Robert Frick wrote:

> The question is if you notice partner is about to lead out of turn (on
> defense), is it legal to warn partner?
>
> David Stevenson has said that the "common interpretation" is that  
> this is
> illegal. I have no reason to doubt this, but I am just checking.  
> (In my
> local area, this intrepretation apparently is considered crazy.)
>
> He then says that if he is called to the table, he would site the law
> (73B1) against illegal communication. He would then warn the player  
> (Law
> 90) and possibly apply a procedural penalty. I asked if the  
> defender would
> be forced to lead out of turn, and he said no. I asked if Law 72B1  
> would
> kick in (player could have known at the time of the irregularity  
> that he
> would gain from it) and the answer to that is apparently no also.
>
> Is that the common ruling? I am having trouble believing it. (It makes
> sense to me that you don't punish a player for making that warning,  
> but I
> am from a region that does not consider this illegal -- I want to  
> verify
> that people who think this communication is illegal might nonetheless
> allow the information to be used.)

David may be right in his literal reading of the 1997 laws, but I  
would disagree that it is the "common interpretation".  Certainly,  
where I play, it is often done and never penalized.  In any case, it  
no longer matters; it is clearly legal under the 2007 laws:  "...any  
player... may attempt to prevent another player’s committing an  
irregularity" [L9A3].  As to whether the authors of the 2007 laws  
considered this a substantive change or a clarification of prior  
intent, you'll have to ask them.


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