Disclosure?

[oldman5757]

One of the better players in our district will routinely open a strong 1NT on hands like:

 

[hv=d=s&v=b&s=sxxhktxdxxcakqtxx

 

 

dealer: south vul: none scoring: imp]133|100|Scoring: IMP ♠ Ax ♥ Txx ♦ AKJTxx ♣ xx  [/hv]   He and his regular partners describe their notrump range as "15-17."   What do people think about this? The operative word is "routinely." If you routinely deviate from your stated agreements without disclosure, you are in violation of the laws, and should be called on it, ESPECIALLY when the routine deviation is by this much, and even more so when the routine deviation occurs with a regular partner or partners.   If someone routinely deviates from the stated 15-17 NT range by this much, what is the point of having a range? A player who did this consistently would likely be barred from most of the clubs I've played in -- and should be.   :)

[mycroft]

I bet for every time he's burned by it, he gets one or two tricks off of it on another hand by people who try to work out his hand and totally misball it. He probably gets one or two tricks off another hand from defenders playing him for that hand after 1D-whatever, and him not having it. He probably gets one or two tricks, or the right contract, on the odd hand from partner who after 1D-whatever, doesn't play him to have this hand.

 

The last is legal, provided the unusual judgment is available to the opponents. The first two are a function of inadequate disclosure of that unusual judgment.

 

The ACBL has a policy on conventional bids after wide-range NT openings. I don't *think* this is what they're after (they don't like the Blue Club 12-18 1NT opening, or the Woodson two-way (or Silver two-way) NT opening in random club games), but there's no way to find out while this tendency is "hidden", is there?

 

Michael.