[Zelandakh]

So do I, hence my post. When opening your longest suit starts to be treated as an artificial bid we are really not going the right way in the regulations imho...

[bluejak]

Any bid which shows another suit to the suit bid, whether additionally or instead of the suit bid, is deemed artificial.

[Zelandakh]

Really David? Is this new? I remember when Ekrens first arrived the 2D version was quickly disposed of but the 2H version was "natural", having 4+ cards in the suit bid, and therefore could not be banned. What changed? I am still at a loss to work out how opening 1H in a canape system can ever be seen as more natural than opening 2H showing 5 hearts and 4 spades. Presumably 2H as a weak opening with 5+ hearts and 4+ in any other suit would be less conventional...?

[RMB1]

Zelandakh, on 2011-October-11, 07:34, said:

Really David? Is this new? I remember when Ekrens first arrived the 2D version was quickly dispobsed of but the 2H version was "natural", having 4+ cards in the suit bid, and therefore could not be banned.

Before 2007, regulation applied to "conventional" calls and if a suit bid had a meaning that related to values in a suit other than the suit bid then it was conventional. So Flannery and Ekrens 2H were conventional and could be regulated.

At international level, Ekrens 2H was not Brown Sticker so was allowed in all WBF (and EBL) events.

After 2007, regulation applies to "special" partnership agreements, and regulatory authorities can ban anything that is special (which really means they can ban anything).