[jikl]

Wolff is the main proponent of the ACBL attitude of if it hesitates, shoot it.

Some say this is because of his simple bidding systems where less thought is required, it may even be a throwback to the Blue Team years. Whatever the case, great bridge player, needs to stay away from anything to do with the laws; bridge is a game where thinking is compulsory, in the Wolff world if you think you better make a bid that is absolutely closing like slam or something, even if it is slam and choice of contract you are probably in trouble.

Sean

[helene_t]

jikl, on Mar 13 2007, 12:02 PM, said:

Wolff is the main proponent of the ACBL attitude of if it hesitates, shoot it.

Some say this is because of his simple bidding systems where less thought is required, it may even be a throwback to the Blue Team years.

Sorry for going off-topic but this doesn't sound logical.

Playing symmetric relays, the system dictates what you have to bid so you don't need to think. Playing Wolff's system, judgement is required all the time.

I'd rather speculate that the fact that he has been playing the same system with the same partner for 50 years makes a lot of decisions rutine.

Then again, he might not have ultirior motives at all.

[Hanoi5]

So what hrothgar is proposing is that an 'innocent' player acting after a hesitation frees the hesitator partner from any penalty?

[1eyedjack]

Never really thought about it before, but I think there is a case for relaxing the BIT regulations when in the pass-out position. Perhaps even enforce a 10 second delay a bit like a skip bid. A bit like thinking before playing at trick 1.

[skjaeran]

hrothgar, on Mar 9 2007, 07:34 PM, said:

I'm now going to provide the complete hand along with some of the commentary.
The complete case is available at http://web2.acbl.org/casebooks/Honolulu200...BC+%20063-1.pdf

---

The auction went as follows

1♦ - 2♣ - 2♦ - 2♠
P - P - P* - 3♦ (* = Break in Tempo)
3♦ - 4♣ - All pass

4♣ made 4

East / West called the director and claimed that the BIT in tempo made North's 4♣ bid more attractive. The Director agreed and changed the result to 3♦-1. North / South took this to committee and managed to get the result reversed to 4♣ ==.

I found the case interesting because Bobby Wolff has start pushing another of his new theories of jurisprudence. In this case, he is (seems to be) arguing that North / South is should not be allowed to appeal.

On this hand, a number of top players felt that West's 3♦ bid was "automatic" in a pairs event. In a similar vein, the bulk the posters didn't believe that further action was North was warrantly. (I'd argue that South's hesitation during the actual auction made action by North much more attractive).

However, Wolff believes that East / West shouldn't be allowed to claim damage from the hesitation because West knew of the hesistation before chosing to bid 3♦. I was interested to see how many people felt that the 3♦ was automatic as opposed to hoping for some kind of double shot.

Commentary by Bobby Wolff

I had brought this type of case before the ACBL Laws Commission where a hesitation was made by a player who (as far as she was concerned) was in the pass out position making it such that there is no chance she was committing what I call hesitation disruption (HD) which would impart UI to a partner who was certain to be advantaged by it. Here, if her LHO now passed that would end the auction. In spite of knowing that South was considering bidding on West competed further therefore, at least to me, forfeiting her rights, or at least lessening her advantage to be able to cry out "HD". The ACBL Laws Commission made no comment and certainly did not pursue it.

Richard put in two extra calls in the auction.
South hesitated before passing 2♠, west balanced with 3♦ and nort bid 4♣.

I don't buy the arguments from NS, and believe the AC got this one wrong.

Bobby Wolff used to be a great player, and is probably still quite strong.
But when it comes to law issues, it's well-known that you just have to disregard almost everything he's got to say. He's got a lot of really weird ideas in this area, as he proves in this case.