[dickiegera]

2♥Alerted as Flannery, showing 4Spades and 5 Hearts

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11-15 points

Made 4 on a heart lead to Ace and a spade return
Could have been beat on a Diamond lead. When we complained to director she said nothing would be done.

I feel we were damaged . West would have bid 3♠ if south had not opened.

South didn't have his 11-15 pts nor 4-5 in the majors.
I didn't think one was allowed to PSYCHIC an artifical bid?

Help

[jeffford76]

In the ACBL it's illegal to psyche this 2♥ bid, but it's not illegal to forget your agreement and misbid. If the director thought it was the latter, it's the right ruling.

[ArtK78]

In the ACBL, on the disallowed list of calls is "Psyching of artificial or conventional opening bids and/or conventional responses thereto." So the question becomes whether the 2♥ opening bid is considered to be a psyche.

I don't think the 2 HCP deviation makes it a psyche. But the distribution certainly does IF IT WAS INTENTIONAL. In ACBL Rulings FAQ, it is stated that "Any call that deliberately and grossly misstates either honor strength or suit length is by definition a psych." The term "deliberate" implies that it was not an accident. So, if South forgot the partnership agreement and opened 2♥ believing it to be a weak 2 bid, there is no infraction. But if South opened 2♥ intentionally knowing that, by partnership agreement, the bid showed 11-15 HCP and 4/5 in the majors, it is a psyche of a conventional opening bid and not allowed per ACBL regulations.

[pran]

I would certainly open 2♥ with this hand as in my world it shows a weak hand with exactly 5 hearts and minimum 4 in one of the minor suits.

Did anybody ascertain what South believed his agreements were?

[dickiegera]

pran, on 2013-October-22, 15:14, said:

I would certainly open 2♥ with this hand as in my world it shows a weak hand with exactly 5 hearts and minimum 4 in one of the minor suits.

Did anybody ascertain what South believed his agreements were?

North alerted as Flannery 4 Spades and 5 Hearts 11-15 points.
South's cc confirmed this.

[blackshoe]

The TD should have asked South why he opened 2♥. Having failed to do so, if it turns out South psyched, the TD should amend his ruling under Law 82C, TD Error.