[blackshoe]

Zelandakh, on 2011-September-30, 02:06, said:

At my local club (Germany) psyches are limited to 1 per tournament night and they give out masterpoints quite happily. Note that, for example, opening a 3rd seat weak 2 on AKQxx and out or opening 1NT with any singleton are regarded as psyches.

1. Does your NBO delegate or assign RA powers to clubs?
2. Is your NBO aware that your local club violates the laws in this way?

[axman]

campboy, on 2011-September-29, 15:49, said:

I think there is a reasonable expectation if entering a duplicate bridge tournament that it is played according to the Laws of Duplicate Bridge. If it is not then the organiser of the tournament should make this quite clear.

The expectation [and actuality] are the opposite.

[mycroft]

Wait, what? both weak 2s on AKQxx (or QTxxx, for that matter) and 1NT-with-a-singleton may, or may not, be psychics. Depends on the system - a psychic call is a deliberate and gross deviation *from system*.

Now having said that (which is where I was implying with my previous post), they are perfectly entitled to say that agreements to open weak 2s on fewer-than-6-card suits and NT-with-a-singleton are Special Partnership Understandings (if ability to designate that has been delegated to the clubs by the NBO), and that those SPUs are not allowed (or allowed once-a-night, say).

Which is the problem *I* have with the "psychic-ban" people - they then choose to designate bids that are gross deviations from *their* system as psychics - whether or not they are in the bidder's system. With the new Laws, they can regulate as desired, without using the P-word; and then they can allow actual psychics just like the Laws require.

I may not *like* that decision by the Laws-makers, but since it's there, please have the courtesy of doing what you want to do within the Laws, rather than against them.

Edit-to-add: So, Zelandakh - are you allowed to ask after the auction goes 2♥ to you whether they've used their psych for the night yet? If not, does that not put the bidding side under an advantage that if they *have* used their psych for the night, they know their system will not be "deviated" from, and their opponents do not?

We used to play a Crazy Bridge game at end of term. One of the additions was a "stop chip", which could be thrown in by either of the pair at any time to stop the auction with three passes immediately - once a night (Don't splinter if they still have it...) But, of course, you had to declare whether you still had your side's stop chip or not. And, of course, it didn't award Masterpoints (as that was by no means the least of our violations of the Laws of Bridge!)

[RMB1]

mycroft, on 2011-October-03, 17:07, said:

Wait, what? both weak 2s on AKQxx (or QTxxx, for that matter) and 1NT-with-a-singleton may, or may not, be psychics. Depends on the system - a psychic call is a deliberate and gross deviation *from system*.

I assumed (probably rashly) that in this regulatory environment, weak twos on 5 card suits and NT openers on singletons were not permitted (special) partnership agreements.

[mycroft]

RMB1, on 2011-October-03, 17:34, said:

I assumed (probably rashly) that in this regulatory environment, weak twos on 5 card suits and NT openers on singletons were not permitted (special) partnership agreements.

That should be a good assumption, but I bet if it were accurate, they wouldn't be playing these kind of "one psych a night" games.

[Zelandakh]

RMB1, on 2011-October-03, 17:34, said:

I assumed (probably rashly) that in this regulatory environment, weak twos on 5 card suits and NT openers on singletons were not permitted (special) partnership agreements.

This is (or technically was but is still intepreted to be current) correct Robin.

[Cyberyeti]

Zelandakh, on 2011-October-05, 04:14, said:

This is (or technically was but is still intepreted to be current) correct Robin.

Remind me not to take my 4 card weak twos to Germany I hate to think what they do to you for those if 5 is an inadmissible agreement.

[mycroft]

Zelandakh, on 2011-October-05, 04:14, said:

This is (or technically was but is still intepreted to be current) correct Robin.

Okay, well that's different. Under those regs, it's reasonable for people *not to do it if they're told they can't*. And frankly, under those regs, it's not a psychic, it's an "I'm told I can't do this, but it's the right call anyway, so to hell with the regulations". Of course, they can make the regulation of these particular SPUs however they like, including "your weak 2s promise 6 cards. Your NTs openers must be 4432, 4333, or 5332. <other regulations>. You may still play these agreements, or any other SPUs you may be playing, even if you, no more than once a session, violate any one of them by one card." In which case, everyone's well within their regulations.

And I still would want to know when they opened 1NT in round 7 if they'd used their "psych" or not...

I've probably opened 1NT-with-a-singleton 3 or 4 times in the last 4 years. I wonder what would happen if I just happened to pick up two 4=4=(14)-15-17s-with-a-stiff-K in one night to make it 5 or 6.

[bluejak]

I think you have an agreement with partner as to whether his call could be psychic dependent on whether he has already psyched so I think this needs disclosing.