Bid out of rotation and comparable calls yet again
Dealer's partner erroneously opens the bidding with 1NT (12-14) which is not accepted and dealer can now open the bidding. Dealer has a very powerful hand which she would normally open 2C (game force or 23/24 balanced). In their system partner would be forced to bid 2D - a relay saying nothing at all about the hand.
This raises a couple of questions.
1. If partner (the Offender) now bids 2D after a 2C opening bid, must opener pass as this is not comparable? Or would the L31 rule only be applied on the Offender's subsequent turn to call?
2. If the forced 2D call is considered not comparable and so opener would be forced to pass, is opener then allowed to use her knowledge of this restriction to take a punt at either game or slam (obviously ignoring the unauthorised information from the 1NT out of rotation bid)?
Comments
The 2D call would not be a subset of a 1NT opening - in fact it would be the other way around - so no, 2D would not be considered comparable. This means opener would have to pass on the next round if responder did bid 2D.
When you say "obviously ignoring the UI..." I fail to see how opener taking a punt could possibly be ignoring the UI!
The person who could take a punt is responder, when making the first response that is known to be going to silence opener.
In my amateur opinion:
Not sure if there are consequences if 6N makes exactly for a top, along the lines of "did they benefit from being forced to punt" - i.e. a normal auction would have finished elsewhere. I await expert opinion on that...
That would normally be considered "rub of the green". The player couldn't possibly expect to gain from being deprived of the ability to have a sensible auction.
In fact most in the room were in 6C , a couple in 7C and one in 3NT. Both 7C and 7NT are easily makeable so a punt of 6NT would have given a very good result.
Thanks for your comments.
With regards to 2 - opener (dealer) may make any call, but may not make use of the UI from partner's COOT. Thus the opener has to pretty well open 2 !c , even though they know that partner is going to have problems. They can't, for instance, pass to allow partner to make his original call (assuming his RHO passes).
The director should find out whether partner has a response to 2 !c that shows 12-14 points and a balanced hand. This sort of call by its very nature (limited in strength and suits length) is very difficult to find a comparable call to replace. So the partner will be told they can make any legal call they like but partner will have to pass next round.
If they get into a great contract then that is just rub of the green. One cannot imagine law 72C will apply (could have known it would have damaged opponents) and it is very unlikely that lead penalties will ensure 26B.