QUIZ 7:   Nov 2019

This incident happened at The Links on Saturday 26th Oct. You are called to a table in the A-Section to give a ruling. Here are the hands first -

The bidding: W N E S P 1C 1H X* P 1NT *alerted as "negative" P 2C P 2S P 2NT P 3NT P P P Lead: 2

Declarer makes 10 tricks and East calls the TD at the end of play. To the TD:"I would have doubled 2C if it was alerted as "checkback stayman". That would demand a club lead and not give a cheap heart trick away, and the tempo." East is visibly upset. As TD you ask a few questions and to summarize: 2C was meant as checkback by North. He would follow it up with an invitational 2NT. In their system, 2NT directly over 1NT = transfer to 3C. South was not sure what 2C was. To cover all bases he bid 2S. South bids 3NT with his maximum and supposed 2 heart stoppers. Before the lead, North (dummy) announces that there was a non-alert of 2C as checkback and East "reserved his rights". The play: South won the heart cheaply, played the DA (dropping the king) and finessed in spades making 10 tricks in all. At the end of the hand East calls the TD and is highly aggrieved at not being given the option to double an artificial 2C bid for a club lead, and calls you to rule. QUIZ: Over to you. Your ruling please?

We first establish that a non-alert = Misinformation, in terms of Law 21B1a: "Failure to alert promptly where an alert is required by the Regulating Authority is deemed misinformation." And Law 21B3: "... and the Director judges that the offending side gained an advantage from the irregularity he awards an adjusted score." The TDs' job thus becomes Did the offending side gain an advantage through the MI? In other words, Was there damage? We considered what would have happened if 2 was alerted and a club lead arrived, as speculated. It was important to determine how declarer played it - so we assumed that he would still plonk down the  A yet again, and the spades would be played in the same manner.   The difference we found was that instead of declaring conceding 3 tricks at the end (as it was played), he would concede 2 clubs early on and one later, still making 10 tricks!   There was thus no damage and the result of 10 tricks stood. Wrap-up: If declarer had finessed in diamonds in the initial play, we would adjust the score to 3 clubs + 1 diamond to the defence, or 3NT making 9 exactly; N-S were warned that the 2C check-back should be alerted and explained timeously. (No secrets policy)

Congratulations to Ashton Emery (who replied within a day of my sending the case out) and to James Grant. Both were spot on with their analyses.