do connection issues = hesitation?
In face to face, a hesitation is a hesitation.
We do not accept excuses such as "I was thinking of something else" or "I didn't realise it was my turn to bid" (certainly not without incontrovertible evidence) because we do not look inside the mind of the player.
Does this apply if a player has connection issues? "I was trying to bid but it wouldn't let me" or "I bid within a normal time after the previous call appeared"?
Just wondering...
Comments
No a connection issue is not a hesitation since it does not convey any UI
How do we know there was a connection issue?
Presumably because the player said there was. If you don't believe them then the problem is more serious than the hesitation would have been.
We have to investigate and make a judgement. In a regular game the TD will know if this is a rare occurence and may also know of ongoing connection problems that regular players have.
Players say they were thinking about something else, and we are not required to judge the veracity of that statement. Why should we here
I agree the whole situation feels different, but that on its own has no place in the application of the laws.
L16B1 says:
Any extraneous information from partner that
might suggest a call or play is unauthorized. This
includes remarks, questions, replies to questions,
unexpected alerts or failures to alert, unmistakable
hesitation, unwonted speed, special emphasis, tone,
gesture, movement or mannerism.
I think one might argue that a connection problem (if you are satisfied that is what it was) is not an unmistakable hesitation from partner. Face-to-face, if it was an unmistakable hesitation from partner then we don't need to consider what caused it, only what it suggests.