Posted 2019-January-06, 04:54
pescetom, on 2019-January-05, 14:22, said:
Here in a strong NT land that double is takeout probably for slightly more than half the field in a tournament - a majority but not a vast majority.
never thought of it - playing IMPS then doubling for penalty is probably a good idea since you will get a small number of massive scores - playing pairs then maybe a X should be for TO to compete for the part score (if not more).
Anyway - I think overcalling 2 Spades is not dumb - it was a gamble that failed - and we now have a pair trying to gain in the judicial process what they lost at the table. The 1NT caller would presumably have made the same call with 2=5 rather than 5=2 in the majors. I also feel that it was the 5 spades that was the reason for the overcall, not the fact that the 1NT could not have a 5CM. Any score adjustment would be pretty minimal (5% passing 1NT?)
No matter how well you know the laws, there is always something that you'll forget. That is why we have a book.
Get the facts. No matter what people say, get the facts from both sides BEFORE you make a ruling or leave the table.
Remember - just because a TD is called for one possible infraction, it does not mean that there are no others.
In a judgement case - always refer to other TDs and discuss the situation until they agree your decision is correct.
The hardest rulings are inevitably as a result of failure of being called at the correct time. ALWAYS penalize both sides if this happens.