[blml] Law 27

[Guthrie]

[Peter Eidt]
Law 27 – INSUFFICIENT BID

A. Acceptance of Insufficient Bid.

1. Any insufficient bid may be accepted (treated as legal)
    at the option of offender’s LHO. It is accepted if that player calls.

2. If a player makes an insufficient bid out of rotation Law 31 applies.

B. Insufficient Bid not Accepted.

If an insufficient bid in rotation is not accepted (see A)
it must be corrected by the substitution of a legal call
(but see 3 following).   Then

1. (a) if the insufficient bid is corrected by the lowest sufficient bid

       in the same denomination and in the Director’s opinion both
       the insufficient bid and the substituted bid are incontrovertibly
       not artificial the auction proceeds without further rectification.

       Law 16D does not apply but see D following.
    (b) if, except as in (a), the insufficient bid is corrected with a
legal
       call that in the Director’s opinion has the same meaning* as,
       or a more precise meaning* than, the insufficient bid (such
       meaning being fully contained within the possible meanings
       of the insufficient bid) the auction proceeds without further
       rectification, but see D following.

2. except as provided in B1 above, if the insufficient bid is corrected
    by a sufficient bid or by a pass, the offender’s partner must pass
    whenever it is his turn to call. The lead restrictions in Law 26 may
    apply, and see Law 23.

3. except as provided in B1(b) above, if the offender attempts to
    substitute a double or a redouble for his insufficient bid the
attempted
    call is cancelled. The offender must replace it as the foregoing
    allows and his partner must then pass whenever it is his turn to
call.
    The lead restrictions in Law 26 may apply, and see Law 23.

4. if the offender attempts to replace the one insufficient bid with
      another insufficient bid the Director rules as in 3 if the LHO does

      not accept the substituted insufficient bid as A allows.

C. Premature Replacement

If the offender replaces his insufficient bid before the Director
has ruled on rectification, unless the insufficient bid is accepted
as A allows the substitution stands.  The Director applies the relevant
foregoing section to the substitution.

D.Non-offending Side Damaged.

If following the application of B1 the Director judges at the end of the

play that without assistance gained through the infraction the outcome
of the board could well have been different and in consequence the
non-offending side is damaged (see Law 12B1), he shall award an
adjusted score.  In his adjustment he should seek to recover as nearly
as possible the probable outcome of the board had the insufficient bid
not occurred.


[footnote:  * the meaning of (information available from) a call is the
knowledge of what it shows and what it excludes. ]

[Nigel]
Thank you Peter. I suppose that is an improvement in that...

[A] It is clearer that the replacement call must be a refinement of the 
insufficient bid.
[B] You can replace the insufficient bid with any such call, including a 
redouble or a jump bid.

IMO the modified version is still ...

[1] *Woolly* The meaning of an insufficient bid is at best nebulous, 
depending on what the insufficient bidder imagines the auction to have 
been. IMO it can have no meaning, as far as the law is concerned.

[2] Open to cunning *exploits* by secretary birds (unless local 
regulations thwart them, they can agree different sets of complex 
conventions that depend on whether they condone the insufficient bid.

[3] Fraught with *copyright* problems. According to Grattan, the WBFLC 
may not make even minor corrigenda to the law-book without flouting 
draconian copyright agreements. (Although, I confess that we non-lawyers 
find this hard to believe). Anyway this radical change must drive a 
coach and horses though any such protocol.

[4] *Complex* and unnecessary. I would prefer: you must substitute a 
pass for an insufficient bid and any inference emanating from the 
insufficient bid is unauthorised information to the offending side.