[bluejak]

South deals and opens 4♠, West doubles, North redoubles, East passes, then reconsiders, and changes it to 5♥.

The TD is called. He asks East why he changed his call. "I have changed my mind," he says. Please ignore the UI: that is not the point of this problem.

I presume you will agree that Law 25A does not apply since the pass was intended. Under Law 25B South is given the chance to accept 5♥: if he does not then the original pass stands. OK?

Now for the snag!

This was played with screens.

How do you rule?

[blackshoe]

I presume the screen regulations are no help.

If the screen regs don't cover this situation, then we are left with the law itself, and I would rule the same way as I would without screens, in spite of the fact that it means carrying an irregularity across the screen. I would hope the screen regs would cover it, somehow, though.

[jallerton]

I agree with Ed that we need to look at the screen regulations. As the thread is decsribed as "England", I presume that this case comes from the EBU Premier League; as far as I know this is the only English event played with screens.

The Conditions of Contest for that event include the following potentially relevant sections:

Quote

Calls are made with the cards from the bidding box.  The player places the selected call in the bidding tray, which will be visible only on the player’s side of the screen.  A player’s first call should touch the extreme left of his own segment of the bidding tray, with subsequent calls overlapping neatly and evenly to the right.  Players should make every effort to perform these actions as quietly as possible.  With screens in use a call is considered ‘made’ when placed on the tray and released.
Players should refrain from touching any cards in the box until they have determined their call.  However, any call selected and taken from the bidding box may be changed provided it has not been placed and released from the hand (but Law 73F may apply).

and

Quote

2 Changes to calls made
A call placed and released may be changed under the Director’s supervision:
(a) If it is illegal or inadmissible (in which case the change is obligatory), if screens are in use, as soon as either screen-mate is aware of this; or
[b] If it is determined by the Director to be a call inadvertently selected or
[c] Under the provisions of Law 25.  Under the provisions of Law 25A it should be noted that if a player’s attention is diverted as he makes an unintended call the ‘pause for thought’ should be assessed from the moment when he first recognises his error.

and

Quote

4 Modification of Rectifications
4.1 Basic
The Laws of Duplicate Bridge 2007 are in effect except as specified below..
a) An irregularity passed through the screen is subject to the normal laws, with the following provisions:
(i)  an inadmissible call – see Law 35 – must be corrected.
(ii) if a player infringes the law, and inadvertently (otherwise Law 23 may apply), the irregularity is passed through the screen by his screen-mate the latter has accepted the action on behalf of his side in situations where the laws permit LHO to accept it.
[b] Before an irregularity is passed through the screen the offender or his screen-mate shall draw the Director’s attention to it.  Infringing calls shall not be accepted and shall be put right without other rectification (but see (a)(ii) above); any other irregularity shall be rectified and the Director ensures that only the legal auction is passed through the screen. 
No player on the other side of the screen shall be informed of the occurrence unless the application of a law requires it.

[blackshoe]

Looks like East isn't allowed to change his mind. "Infringing calls shall not be accepted". Had North passed the tray, though, then it is deemed accepted under subparagraph (ii).

[bluejak]

I am not sure I see where this is leading. The first quote is irrelevant since the call was made. The second quote is irrelevant except for the words "Under the provisions of Law 25". The third quote seems irrelevant except for the final sentence. Is not East meant to push the tray? He cannot accept his own bid!

So, what does the TD rule?

[blackshoe]

I would rule that East is not permitted to change his mind, he must remove his second call and restore the first one, and then the tray is passed. Presumably I do this in such a way that the pair on the other side of the screen can't figure out what's going on.

[MBV53]

WBF code of practice reads:-
Law25. Using bidding boxes a call is made when a bidding card is placed on the tray and released. When screens are in use Law25 applies as written.A purposeful correction is not allowed.
MBVSubrahmanyam.
India

[mrdct]

It seems incorrect to have offered south the option to accept the 5♥ bid.

The irregularity of the attempted substitution of pass for 5♥ due to a "change of mind" was perpetrated by east and it doesn't look like he has a leg to stand on if he wants to argue that the pass was "inadvertant" or "unintended".

As north-south are solely responsible for the movement of the bidding tray, if north pushed the tray through he has accepted the irregular bid of 5♥ on his side's behalf and the auction proceeds normally. If the tray had not been pushed through, the director simply reinstates the pass and the auction proceeds normally. Save that in both cases there may be some UI for west due to the curfuffle on the other side of the screen.

[bluejak]

So are we happy that South does not get the chance to accept 5♥ despite the fact that Law 25B says he does and the regs say Law 25 applies?

[blackshoe]

The regs also say that "infringing calls shall not be accepted". So I'm happy that South doesn't get to accept 5♥,

We know the curfuffle was caused by East. West doesn't. That's the whole point of screens in the first place, is it not?

[FrancesHinden]

bluejak, on Sep 30 2010, 02:33 AM, said:

The third quote seems irrelevant except for the final sentence. Is not East meant to push the tray? He cannot accept his own bid!

No. North and South push the tray. Hence if East changes his pass to 5 hearts and North pushes the tray under the screen, he has accepted it.

[blackshoe]

Well, yes, but did that happen? If it didn't, the change to 5♥ can't be accepted (once the TD is called).

[bluejak]

Well, if everyone is happy.

I am not.

When the regulation says "Law 25 applies" it seems to me there is a danger in not applying it as written.

[blackshoe]

It seems to me that 4.1b supercedes 2c.

[jallerton]

Bluejak is correct: we should look at Law 25. The call was not unintended, so Law 25A is not in point. Instead we consider the 2007 version of Law 25B:

Law25B said:

. Call Intended

1. A substituted call not permitted by A may be accepted by the offender’s LHO. (It is accepted if LHO calls intentionally over it.) The first call is then withdrawn, the second call stands and the auction continues.

2. Except as in 1 a substitution not permitted by A is cancelled. The original call stands and the auction continues.

The "modification of rectifications" section of the Screen Regulations says:

Quote

4(ii) if a player infringes the law, and inadvertently (otherwise Law 23 may apply), the irregularity is passed through the screen by his screen-mate the latter has accepted the action on behalf of his side in situations where the laws permit LHO to accept it.

This leads to two questions:

1. Was the attempted change of call an irregularity? If so 4(ii) implies that in this case the substituted call may be accepted by offender's screenmate (his RHO).

2. Just because Law 25B says that the real LHO may accept the change of call, does that give the LHO a right to choose whether or not to accept it?

[blackshoe]

1. Yes. But note "inadvertently" in the section you quoted, which by the way is 4.1a(ii), not 4(ii).
2. No.

Consider also 4.1b:

Quote

Before an irregularity is passed through the screen the offender or his screen-mate shall draw the Director’s attention to it.  Infringing calls shall not be accepted and shall be put right without other rectification (but see (a)(ii) above); any other irregularity shall be rectified and the Director ensures that only the legal auction is passed through the screen.

(Emphasis is mine). This seems to me pretty clearly to say that when East tries to change his call (an irregularity) the TD shall be called, the change of call shall not be accepted, and the original call shall be put back on the tray, and only that call shall be included in the auction passed through the screen. 4.1a(ii) covers those instances where the screen has inadvertently been passed, in violation of 4.1b.

[MBV53]

look at this and pass your comments. Hong kong NBO
Date of Approval: 5th November 2008 Effective 1 Date: 8th November 2008
Announcement
From: Board of Directors To: Tournament Directors
Update of the Screen Regulations
Dear Tournament Directors,
Please be informed that there is a minor amendment with regard to the screen application. The
amendment is stipulated in Section 26 of the General Conditions of Contest (Note 1).
Amendment
Section 26.3: Modification of the Laws when screens are in use
A. An irregularity passed through the screen is subject to the normal laws, with the following provisions:
1. Law 35 applies in the case of an inadmissible call.
2. If a player infringes the law and, inadvertently*(Note 2), the irregularity is passed through the screen
by his screen-mate; the latter has accepted the action on behalf of his side in situations where the Laws
permit LHO to accept it. This includes the case of a Law 25B change of all.
Explanation
In accordance with Section 26.3 (A) 2, the amended regulation states that when a player (usually North or
South as the case may be) who is being responsible for sliding the bidding tray under the centre of the
screen, is unaware of the irregularity committed by his Opponent (East or West as the case may be), slides
the tray to the other side of the screen, he is assumed to have accepted such irregularity on behalf of his
Partner on the other side of the screen.
Example: Insufficient Bid: West opens 3♥, North Pass and East responds 3♥. North does not
aware of the irregularity committed by East and he slides the bidding tray to the other side of the
screen inadvertently. North is assumed to have accepted such irregularity on behalf of his
Partner (South) on the other side of the screen.
Effective Date
The new regulation shall be implemented from 8th November 2008.
Note (1): The amendment can be found at page 27 of WBF General Conditions of Contest
(www.worldbridge.org/departments/rules/GeneralConditionsOfContest2008.pdf)
Note (2): otherwise Law 23 may apply.
-------------------
MBVSubrahmanyam