[blml] 2007 Laws - RA's options.

[Stefanie Rohan]

Grattan:

>        40B3 - A pair is not allowed to vary its understandings
> during the auction or playconsequent on a question asked by
> either side.  A pair is allowed to vary its understandings during the
> auction or play by prior agreement consequent on a response by
> opponents to a question asked by this pair, but not consequent on
> a response by this pair to a question by opponents.

Trying to understand under what circumstances you would vary your 
understandings based on a response by opponents. Is it for when you receive 
conflicting information? For example, your opponents' convention card 
indicates weak takeouts over 1NT openings, but you hear a 2H response 
alerted. When you ask and are told that this is a transfer, you now bid as 
if it were a transfer? Or, similarly, when you are playing against 
law-abiding players and get conflicting answers to questions, you switch 
from believing that the first answer was correct and now bid as if the 
second one were correct?

>       A pair is allowed by prior agreemnt to vary its understandings
> during the auction or play consequent on an irregularity by either
> side.

This I cannot understand, try as I might. It seems to me that it means that 
agreements like the following are permitted:

-- When we make an insufficient bid and it is accepted, we use the extra 
room for a series of relays.

-- When one of us has penalty card, our carding in the suit declarer is 
playing indicates our holding in the penalty card suit. Perhaps the person 
with the penalty card could give count and his partner attitude?

-- If one of us is barred from the auction, the first suit bid by the other 
promises no particular length but is purely lead-directing.

>       61B3 - by 3 votes to 2, the default auction to be adopted,
> allowing defenders to ask each other ("Having no hearts, partner?"
> for example). Noted that the law recognizes that UI may result
> from the question.

This I think was un unfortunate decision. Will there at least be a 
requirement that those who choose to ask this question must ask it every 
time their partner first shows out in a suit?

Stefanie Rohan
London, England