Mechanical error online
Playing on RealBridge, after LHO opened 1H, RHO bid 4C Gerber (response 4S) then RHO bid 5C Gerber 5C (response 5D). RHO then decided slam wasn't on and signed off in 5 major. Unfortunately, the bid he actually clicked was 5S, not 5H. I asked LHO what it meant. Response was, "Sorry. No idea. I suppose it must be natural."
At this point, RHO said, "Oh sorry. I meant to bid 5H. Mechanical error. I wasn't looking at the screen so didn't notice until you started talking about it. I was looking at my other screen to see what board the other table was on."
On the cards held, there is absolutely no question RHO intended to bid 5H and 5S was an obvious mechanical error. The two bids are adjacent on screen.
The question is, does it make any difference if it's only an opponent's question that makes you glance back and see you've clicked the wrong thing? If, instead of asking, I had doubled 5S or passed, would the situation be different?
Comments
When playing in person, I frequently used to ask opponents about suspected mechanical errors in order to give them an opportunity to correct. This is just a courtesy, though, and not something required by the Laws.
Most of the relevant information you're looking for is in Law 25A: a mechanical error can be corrected even if the opponents have called (but not if partner has called), but in this situation, the opponent's call is withdrawn and becomes AI to the side who made it, UI to the side who made the mechanical error.
So it doesn't make any difference in theory how the mechanical error was discovered – as long as partner hasn't called (and as long as it actually is a mechanical error), it's correctable.
Although it does not matter how the error is discovered in terms of correctability (25A3), if it was discovered due to a reaction from partner then there may have been a breach of the proprietaries or etiquette and a PP due.
As others have said, it doesn't matter how you become aware of a mechanical error, you can correct it.
But why was he logged on twice, and "looking at the other screen" while bidding a hand? If this happened repeatedly, I would be fining him (PP) for not paying attention to the game.
@Frances said:> But why was he logged on twice, and "looking at the other screen" while bidding a hand? If this happened repeatedly, I would be fining him (PP) for not paying attention to the game. <
I was not directing on this occasion. The player in question was helping to manage the session and was using a second screen to monitor the RealBridge lobby to see how other tables were progressing.
OK, that's quite a good answer