Some additional comments here and there:
sanst, on 2023-January-12, 09:50, said:
When exactly did S made this remark? After he had seen his hand or was he still picking up his cards?
Good question. The hands had certainly been extracted from the board, nobody knows more. My grandmother did tell me something about coincidences that also predicts 22 HCP, but it would be wrong to use it as a rule.
sanst, on 2023-January-12, 03:08, said:
I don’t see a connection between the remark of S and the bidding of N, so I wouldn’t change the result. Besides, given the distribution, you have 13 tricks from the start, but that’s sheer luck.
See above about the 6N bid, although I would hate to change the result based on that.
Would you really have made 13 tricks if W discards correctly? I would not, but maybe that's why I am a Director
mycroft, on 2023-January-12, 09:38, said:
If N is the promising beginner, I think the pause says "I can't remember how to bid this hand", not "I'd like to do more than 4." I might be biased by N's actual hand, of course; let's ask some players without it. I guess E/W says S is catering to "Partner is not sure how to bid this hand, and after thinking she got it wrong".
I agree that the pause says "I can't remember how to bid this hand" (more important, a small poll of S peers agrees too: see later).
Also you know from experience how likely it is that a beginner managed to hide this doubt, although E mentioned only the BIT.
mycroft, on 2023-January-12, 09:38, said:
I actually like 6♦; even a newer player should be able to take that is "choice of slams, I have a really nice diamond suit". And North made a quite reasonable choice. Is there a LA that keeps hearts more in the picture? Sure. But South is eventually going to bid 6♦, and N is going to make the "right" choice.
This is where we really diverge (more important, a small poll of N peers sees it like Sanst and I too: see later).
I think 6
♦ is a bizarre bid knowing that partner who is a beginner has bid and raised hearts to six cards and expects you as a strong balanced hand to investigate slam in hearts or place the contract. Assuming your only information is her bidding, that is.
axman, on 2023-January-12, 10:59, said:
Systemically, N values indicate expectation of game values, potentially a few whiskers more: NT is has reasonable expectation of 9-10 tricks even with short diamond; 4H is a trick higher with a potentially ill fated suit (the remark might be construed as motivation for taking a 1 minute pause before taking a marginally more dangerous action that as the suit exists has some likely downside); 4C suggests significantly greater values than held with the inference that the hearts are robust- which the hand does not support. If anything 4H created a slight disadvantage to NS which suggests that the remark was not material to 4H.
6N preference suggests dislike for diamonds and hearts and thus would suggest no connection to the remark since the indicated capacity of the hand in NT is closer to 10 tricks.
Whatever advantage N might have sought to create from the remark it does not appear material, also, it was conceivably disadvantageous because it encouraged bidding on [the 4H] when holding the lower end of game values making it 'more dangerous' for S to investigate slam.
Thus, even if there is damage from the remark it was immaterial and no adjusted score is warranted. L12
2. There are two reasons to not explore 6H . This makes the assertion that there is no reason not to explore 6H dubious so there is no litigation there.
1. S has only two hearts opposite a partner that has not promised honors in a 5+ card suit
2. there are insufficient bidding steps to safely ascertain the heart situation is sturdy enough to withstand slam
NT has certainly of 9 tricks even opposite a Yarborough in N.
Now that N has shown 6 cards in hearts and some values, then surely it would be unreasonable to pass 4
♥ (see also mini-poll later).
It is trivial to ascertain that the heart situation is sturdy enough to withstand slam within (what should be) the relatively safe level of 5H.
It's late, poll info tomorrow.