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Appeal No 6

Hesitation

Open Teams Round 4
Great Britain v Poland

Board 15.
Dealer South.
North/South Game.

Please note: Screen runs from top left to bottom right.
			-
			7 6 4
			A K 10 9 6 5 2
			K Q 10
	K Q 9 5 2	N   W E   S			10 8 7 6 3
	A 10				J 9 8 3 2
	7 3				8 4
	8 7 6 3				5
			A J 4
			K Q 5
			Q J
			A J 9 4 2

West	North	East	South
Jassem	G.Tredinnick	Tuszynski	S.Tredinnick
			1
2	3	6	Dble
Pass	7	Pass	Pass
Dble	All Pass

Contract: Seven Diamonds doubled, played by North.
Lead: Club
Result: Thirteen tricks, +2330 to North/South

The Facts: This hand also featured in Appeal no 4, and in several other calls for the Director.
One Club was strong, and when the tray came back with a jump to the Six level, South took some time before doubling. East called the Director after the bid of Seven Diamonds.

The Director: Established that there had been a break in tempo, and considered a Pass by North to be a Logical Alternative.

Ruling: Score adjusted to Six Spades doubled, four down, -800 to East/West.

North/South appealed.

The Players: East stated that he had told the Director at the table that the tray had taken at least 30 seconds to come back, and that no-one protested at the time. South admitted that he had paused for some 20 seconds. He stated that since the opponents basically told him that a slam was on, he had a problem.
The British captain had three arguments:
Firstly he called the break in tempo a 'pause', not a 'hesitation', which in his opinion carried no information.
Secondly he was of the opinion that the break in tempo should rather suggest passing, not bidding on.
And lastly, he stressed that the bad result was due to East's unfortunate lead, rather than their bidding. He explained in great detail how East should have worked out that a heart lead would defeat the contract.
East countered that last argument by stating that in his opinion the club and heart leads were equal, but that the club lead would also beat Six Diamonds, and that he wanted to win the board in that case.

The Committee: Found that the situation in this case should not pose any problems for experienced players. They should simply accept that they are outbid and double in tempo. As it is, the hesitation can only suggest some tolerance for diamonds. The Committee considered the club lead to be insufficiently bad to break the link between the infraction and the damage.

The Committee's decision: Director's decision upheld. -800 to East/West.

Relevant Laws: Law 16A, Law 12C2

Deposit: Returned