[blml] Sykes and Mist Beads

[Eric Landau]

On Feb 4, 2008, at 3:55 AM, Stefanie Rohan wrote:

> --- Wayne Burrows <wjburrows at gmail.com> wrote:
>
>> Using your criteria most players do not "understand"
>> a takeout double
>> or even a strong 1NT opening.
>>
>> The normal meaning for "anticipate" is to foresee or
>> be forewarned.  I
>> don't see anything in the context that suggests we
>> should employ some
>> more obscure meaning.
>>
>> "A special partnership understanding is one whose
>> meaning, in the
>> opinion of the Regulating Authority, may not be
>> readily understood and
>> anticipated by a significant number of players in
>> the tournament."
>>
>> Further it is clear from the law that it is only the
>> 'meaning' of the
>> 'partnership understanding' that needs to be
>> 'understood and
>> anticipated'.  There is nothing in this law that
>> suggests that the
>> opponents have to have devised some optimal or
>> reasonable
>> countermeasure.
>
> I think that the point of this passage in the law
> means that the bid should be readily understood and
> anticipated if it is not pre-alerted, alerted, or
> explained in any way. One can quibble about
> exceptions, but such discussions would not be very
> interesting.

I don't think this passage has any point at all.  At best it can be  
interpreted as a vague suggestion of some sort of guideline.  Its  
meaning depends entirely on "the opinion of the Regulating Authority"  
and it applies to whatever "in its discretion, the Regulating  
Authority may designate".  If it is any kind of operative constraint  
on what the RA may designate "as 'special partnership  
understandings'" I'm a banana.


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