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PSYCH.033 (PAGE 1)
__________________
PSYCHES
BARRING PSYCHIC ARTIFICIAL OPENING BIDS
All psychic openings of artificial bids are
prohibited at ACBL
sanctioned events. (Board of Directors - 3/78)
Effective November 1, 1992 this also applies to
the SuperChart.
(Board of
Directors - Summer 1992)
Opening an artificial and forcing bid without
an "abundance" of high
card values is acceptable under the following
circumstance: IF, IN THE
VIEW OF THE BIDDER, THERE
IS A REASONABLE CHANCE FOR GAME IN
HAND WITH LITTLE HELP FROM PARTNER.
The following hands would qualify:
1. S AKQJ109765 or 2. S AKQ1098
H 754 H J109876
D 2 D 4
C --- C ---
These hands may be accepted as artificial 2
club openers IF THE
OPENING BIDDER THINKS THEY ARE REASONABLE. On
the first hand opener
needs only one trick from partner. On the
second hand, two small
spades and a heart honor probably would be
enough to produce game.
What is NOT acceptable is the use of a strong,
artificial, forcing two
holding the following hand: S 6
H 2
D QJ109876542
C 5
There would be good reason for a director to
conclude that the opening
bidder's prime motive is to confuse the
opponents rather than to reach
the right contract constructively, It is clear
that opener is
psyching what is ordinarily a well defined bid
in an attempt to
intimidate the opponents. This is exactly what
the rule is intended
to prevent.
If a pair thinks that Examples 1 and 2 are two
club openers, then
their convention card should have some notation
about playing strength
in the appropriate place. Also, if a pair
marks their card with HCP
limits for their two club openers, they should
note if it only refers
to balanced hands. (Directions - April 1992)
CONTROLLED PSYCHS
This item is defined on the "ACBL Limited
Conventions" chart:
Psychic controls (bids designed to determine
whether partner has
psyched or to clarify the nature of the psyche)
are not allowed.
Having bids available (jump shifts in K-S which
allow opener to make a
rebid which by agreement exposes a psyche
cannot be allowed.
(Directions - January 1992)
Effective November 1, 1992 the following
applies to the SuperChart
also. (Board of Directors - Summer 1992)
FRIVOLOUS PSYCHIC BIDDING
Any psychic action apparently inspired of
malicious mischief or lack
of will to win may be interpreted as frivolous.
PSYCH.033 (PAGE 2)
__________________
EXCESSIVE PSYCHIC BIDDING
When three or more psychic initial actions by
members of a
partnership, in any one session, have come to
the attention of the
director, the director should investigate the
possibility that
excessive psyching is taking place.
RISK-FREE PSYCHES
Psychic controls are not permitted. If a pair
is using methods that
enable them to make risk-free psyches, they are
in essence playing
psychic controls. For example, in playing a
10-12 NT, many pairs have
the understanding or the agreement that the NT
opener may not bid
again (except in forcing or invitational
situations). If the pair were
to psyche a non-forcing or invitational
response, the agreement would
be a psychic control. For example,
1NT-Pass-2Hearts-3Clubs, if the
opener is prohibited from bidding 3 hearts with
a maximum and a fit,
then a risk-free environment is created. To
pass without the
interference would not be a problem as there is
still risk involved
(your partner could have a maximum real 2 heart
bid), but to pass in
competition gives your partner room to maneuver
with the knowledge
that you will not interfere.
Since psychic controls are illegal, when a
player does psyche one of
these responses, the pair is playing an illegal
agreement. WE should
lean heavily toward issuing a procedural
penalty or adjustment for the
pair's illegal use of this agreement as a
psychic control.
Another example is a 2 spade response to a weak
2 heart or 2 diamond
bid that opener is not permitted to raise. This
becomes a psychic
control when the 2 spade bid is a psychic.
While it would be legal to
have the agreement that a 2NT rebid shows spade
support, the agreement
would be illegal (a psychic control) if
responder were to psyche the 2
spade response.
Therefore, a legal agreement that creates a
risk-free psychic
environment (that is an environment where the
psycher knows his
partner is under control - this does not
include hands where we know
because of our particular hand that we have an
answer to most things
that our partner can do to us) becomes illegal
if the pair psyches.
(Office Policy - 08/1995)
UNSPORTSMANLIKE PSYCHIC BIDDING
A psychic action apparently designed to give
the opponents an abnormal
opportunity to win a good score; or unnatural
or atypical psychics
against pairs or teams in contention, may be
classed as
unsportsmanlike psychics. When a player takes
an action that appears
to be based on an accurate "hunch" that his
partner's earlier call was
psychic, although that psychic was not clearly
exposed by the
opponents' calls or by legal psychic control,
(Note: psychic controls
are currently disallowed) then the Tournament
Director and committee
should consider such action to be presumptive
evidence of an improper
partnership understanding (even if implicit).
Unless this presumption
is refuted by the psyching partnership, a match
point penalty should
be assessed. Repeated infractions may lead to
disciplinary action. |
