Appeal
No. 1 - Bulgaria v Turkey
Appeals Committee:
Bill Pencharz (Chairman, England), Jean-Claude Beineix (France),
Maria Erhart (Austria), Steen Møller (Denmark) , Herman De
Wael (Scribe, Belgium)
Open Teams Round 1
Board 12. Dealer West. North/South Vulnerable.
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ª A Q 8 4 3
© Q 10 5
¨ -
§ A Q 6 3 2 |
ª 10 7
© K 9 8 7
¨ J 9 6 4
§ J 10 9 |
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ª K J 9 6 5 2
© 6 4 3
¨ K 5 2
§ 7 |
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ª -
© A J 2
¨ A Q 10 8 7 3
§ K 8 5 4 |
West |
North |
East |
South |
Kolata |
Zahariev |
Atabey |
Karakolev |
Pass |
1ª |
Pass |
2¨ |
Pass |
3§ |
Pass |
3© |
Pass |
3NT |
Pass |
4§ |
Pass |
4ª |
Pass |
5§ |
Pass |
6§ |
All Pass |
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Comments:
Precision bidding, 2¨ Game-Forcing
Contract: Six Clubs, played by North
Result: 12 tricks, NS +1370
The Facts:
East called the Director after the bid of 6§, complaining that there
had been a break in tempo when the tray came back with 5§.
The Director:
Asked West how long the break in tempo had been, and found it was
less than 15 seconds. All the players agreed with this timing.
The Director considered the Code of Practice, which contains:
It is considered there can be no implications if a tray returns
after 15 seconds or less. This
period may be extended in the later stages of a complicated or competitive
auction without
necessarily creating implications.
There was then no alternative but to consider that there had been
no unauthorized information at all
Ruling:
Result Stands
Relevant Laws:
Law 16A
East/West appealed.
Present: All players except North and both Captains
The Players:
East explained he had called the Director because of the break in
tempo. The bidding had been going on in a normal, quick tempo, until
the bid of 5§. He had asked if 4ª had denied the © and ¨ cues, and
this had been confirmed. Everybody now understood that the slow
5§ showed the heart control.
West was asked what had happened after the tray had come back
with 4ª. He stated that South had thought for something like 9-10-11
seconds before bidding 5§. The rest of the bidding had gone more
quickly. West said he had asked if North had shown 5-5 in the black
suits, and that South had confirmed this.
South said that he had thought some time, but not more than 12
seconds, and that all the players had agreed to this. South stated
that 3§ would have shown more than a 5-4 in the blacks, and he denied
having told West it was 5-5.
North-South told the Committee, through their captain, that there
were no written system notes that said that 3© was an advanced cue-bid,
but it would be natural to assume that it was. South had three ways
of showing a club fit: 3¨-4§, 3©-4§ and 4§ direct. The second must
imply a heart control.
The North-South captain said it seems normal to bid 6§
The Committee:
Considered that the Director had been absolutely correct in deciding
that a delay of less than 15 seconds carries no information, unauthorized
or otherwise. Since the players confirmed once again the timing
of the events, the appeal lacked all merit.
The Committee’s decision:
Director’s ruling upheld.
Deposit: Forfeited
Comment: There are good reasons why a delay of
up to 15 seconds should carry no meaning. Nobody should try and
guess, nor care, what happens at the other side of the screen. Players
might be asking questions or just sipping at their drinks. Also
it would be perfectly legitimate for an opponent to moderate the
speed of return of the tray (whitin the 15 second time-frame obviously).
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