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steve2005's original hand: [hv=https://www.bridgebase.com/tools/handviewer.html?lin=st||pn|StevE2005,~~v3fakebot,~~v3fakebot,~~v3fakebot|md|3SQ6HAKQ92DA2CK984,SKT94HDQ83CAQJ652,S8732H8654DJ76CT3,SAJ5HJT73DKT954C7|sv|n|rh||ah|Board%205|mb|P|mb|P|mb|1H|an|Major%20suit%20opening%20--%205+%20!H;%2011-21%20HCP;%2012-22%20total%20points|mb|D|an|Takeout%20double%20--%203-5%20!C;%203-5%20!D;%202-%20!H;%203-4%20!S;%2012+%20total%20points|mb|P|mb|1N|an|One%20NT%20to%20double%20--%203+%20!H;%203-%20!S;%205-10%20HCP;%20stop%20in%20!H|mb|2C|an|4+%20!C;%205+%20!H;%2021-%20HCP;%2015-22%20total%20points|mb|D|an|5-%20!C;%203-5%20!D;%201-%20!H;%203-4%20!S;%2016+%20HCP;%20biddable%20!C|mb|P|mb|P|mb|P|pc|D3|pc|D6|pc|D9|pc|DA|pc|S6|pc|S4|pc|S2|pc|SJ|pc|C7|pc|C4|pc|CJ|pc|C3|pc|CA|pc|CT|pc|H7|pc|C8|pc|C6|pc|H4|pc|D5|pc|C9|pc|CK|pc|CQ|pc|H5|pc|H3|pc|HA|pc|C5|pc|H6|pc|HJ|pc|ST|pc|S3|pc|SA|pc|SQ|pc|D4|pc|D2|pc|DQ|pc|D7|pc|D8|pc|DJ|pc|DK|pc|H2|pc|S5|pc|H9|pc|SK|pc|S7|pc|C2|pc|H8|pc|DT|pc|HQ|pc|S9|pc|S8|pc|HT|pc|HK|]400|300[/hv] In the 10-year old version of GIB's database, there is a rule which describes what it should do after the opponents make a penalty double. When testing whether to bid 2♥, there are a few conditions it checks, but the most important is it checks whether [my hearts + min hearts partner showed] is strictly greater than [my clubs + min clubs partner showed]. So in this case, 4 + 5 > 2 + 4, so it bids 2♥. Seems reasonably logical. Well, except it doesn't do that, because the programmers used the wrong code for counting the number of hearts it holds. Instead of (m=.), they've put m. instead. The latter works in some areas of the database, but not in the specific context used in that rule. So the number of hearts it holds is set to 0. In the above case, it calculates 0 + 5, which is not bigger than 2 + 4, so it passes. While it's always possible they updated this rule since then, it seems unlikely, because all other examples still match: - give the robot 7 hearts and 1 club, and it still passes, because 0 + 5 is not greater than 1 + 4. - give the robots 3 hearts and 0 clubs, and now it bids 2♥, because 0 + 5 is greater than 0 + 4.

Well that was quicker than I expected. The PBN to LIN converter has a new home on the Bridgewebs server here: dds.bridgewebs.com/pbntolin/ The old page will direct you to use the new link for a few months when it will go away.

Case 1: you're stuck, following the laws literally (although Italian TD guidance is to allow 2C if it would show clubs) Case 2: both double (whether or not it also promises diamonds) and 2H are comparable (WBF dixit).

IMNSHO the whole concept of a ‘comparable call’ is useless. Both WBFLC and ACBL have published guidelines that more often than not don’t cover the situation you have to deal with. Besides it costs so much time that at a club nobody really cares about the necessary deliberations. If called I will decide that the bid should be replaced by a sufficient one, let the auction continue, warn the OS about the use of UI and award an AS afterwards, if necessary. In case of a COOT I choose a similar solution.

Good one!!! Obviously implementing a timer on BBO is a decade long project.

Its rules for this situation when it's weak and picking a suit, in order: 1: bid 2H if your longest suit is a 5 card minor, and your second longest suit is 4 hearts 2: bid 2x if x is your longest suit, and x isn't spades, and it's at least 5 cards long 3: bid 2x if x is your longest suit, and x isn't spades, and it's exactly 4 cards long 4: bid 2x if your longest suit is spades, and x is your second longest suit, and it's exactly 4 cards long 5: bid 2x for any x other than spades which is exactly 3 cards long Pretty clear logical error in the database, missing the case when you have 5 spades and 5 of something else. And yes, this means if you make North 5125, it will pass the double, not because it wants to penalise, but because now none of these rules match.