[blml] ACBL LC Detroit minutes [SEC=UNOFFICIAL]

[richard.hills at immi.gov.au]

DRAFT DRAFT DRAFT DRAFT DRAFT

MINUTES OF THE ACBL LAWS COMMISSION
MARRIOTT HOTEL, DETROIT, MI
MARCH 8, 2008

MEMBERS PRESENT:
Chip Martel, Chairperson Dan Morse
Adam Wildavsky, Vice-Chair Matt Smith
Alan Falk John Solodar Robb Gordon Eric Rodwell
Georgia Heth

ALSO PRESENT:
Rick Beye Joan Gerard
Gary Blaiss Olin Hubert

The meeting was called to order at approximately 9:45 AM.

The minutes of the San Francisco meeting were approved.

Dan Morse communicated the appointments to the Laws Commission.
Chip Martel and Jeff Polisner were re-appointed to five-year
terms. Chris Compton was appointed to a five-year term. The Laws
Commission extends its thanks to Ray Raskin for his service while
a member of Laws Commission. Since Dan Morse and Mildred Breed
resigned their seats on the Commission, Peter Boyd and Howard
Weinstein were appointed to complete the terms (expiring in
2011).

It was noted that the ACBL Board of Directors accepted the
recommendations of the Commission regarding "elections" by a
Zonal Authority and the implementation date of September 8, 2008
was approved.

A review of some of the revisions in the Laws that may require
some added interpretation by the commission was commenced:

1. [law 12 C 2] The ACBL may continue to use its current method
of calculating the score for a contestant that receives an
average minus instances where the opponent receives more than
60% for the average plus because the contestant’s session score
was greater than 60%.

2. [law 25 A 1 and 45 E 4 (b)] Defining "pause for thought" was
continued since a decision is not crucially necessary and the
commission has ruled on 45 E 4 (b) previously.

3. [law 40] Robb Gordon will circulate a proposal to address
misinformation and misbid concerns of forgetting one's methods
in instances where the confusion caused by forgetting causes
more damage to non-forgetters rather than the forgetters.

4. [law 45 D] After the time within which an incorrect card
played by dummy is past, must means "must be corrected and
otherwise may not be corrected".

5. [64 B 7] The commission affirmed that this law definitely
requires that the revokes by each side are offsetting even when
one revoke is a two-trick rectification and the other is a one-
trick rectification. The director applies law 64 C.

6. [69 B] This limit is not set by the law based upon time;
therefore, there is no reason to ensure that the amount of time
be the same from board to board.

7. [70 E] The procedures specified should be viewed as default
guidelines that may be disregarded based upon mitigating
circumstances.

8. [93 B 3] Once a committee renders its decision, it may not
elect to meet to reconsider the decision unless the director
has determined that the decision is illegal and does not accept
the decision.

The drafting committee sent a revised law 27. The draft will be
distributed and approved by e-mail discussion and vote. Chip
Martel explained that the previous draft had been worded
incorrectly. The intent of the drafters was to allow the
correction without penalty when the meaning of the sufficient
call was essentially the same or showed a subset of the hands
shown by the insufficient bid. For example, if the insufficient
bid had a range of 10-16 and the sufficient bid had a range of
13-15, the correction would be permitted without penalty.
However, if the insufficient bid had a range of 12-15 and the
sufficient bid had a range of 15-16 or 10-18, a rectification is
imposed.

Adam will submit for the Las Vegas agenda an item to address
concerns in UI rulings of whether to treat the hesitation (an
irregularity) as part of the infraction when the partner acts on
the hesitation.

The meeting was adjourned at noon.


Best wishes

Richard James Hills
Graduates and Developmental Training Section
Department of Immigration and Citizenship
Telephone: 02 6223 9067
Email: richard.hills at immi.gov.au

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