barmar, on 2014-January-01, 19:24, said:
An incorrect alert is a mistaken explanation, but that doesn't mean that an alert is an explanation. It's just saying that this law also applies in the case of incorrect alerts, i.e. that "mistaken explanation" is short for "mistaken explanation, failure to alert/announce, or unnecessary alert/announcement". But it doesn't necessarily extend to other laws regarding explanations.
gnasher, on 2014-January-02, 02:57, said:
Yes, I know. When I prefaced my remarks with the words "In the context of Law 20F5", I meant that what I was about to say applied in the context of Law 20F5, but not necessarily in any other context. Sorry if that wasn't clear.
In any case, I don't see why it's relevant whether an alert is an explanation in other contexts. The remark that led to this discussion was Blackshoe's
post #48, where he incorrectly (and uncharacteristically) said "An alert is not an explanation, and only mistaken
explanations require a TD call and correction." My post about Law 20F5 was intended to refute the second half of this sentence.
Yes, that was sloppy of me.
I stand by "an alert is not an explanation", while recognizing that Law 20F5 includes incorrect alerts in the term "mistaken explanation". Andy asserts (correctly, I think) that this inclusion applies only in the context of Law 20F5. This apparently means that an incorrect alert, later realized by a player who made it, does not invoke Law 20F4. Frankly, I would like to think otherwise, but 20F4 makes no mention of alerts. So unless the inclusion, in Law 20F5 of incorrect alerts in "mistaken explanation" applies in some larger context that includes Law 20F4 (and may include other laws), incorrect alerts are treated differently depending on who makes them. While I feel that it would be sensible to treat them the same way, I see no basis for believing the lawmakers intended that, and certainly no basis for
ruling as if they did.
My #48 was in the course of a conversation with RSliwinski about precisely this point. He felt that the inclusion in 20F5
does apply to 20F4 and therefore did not understand why I said otherwise and disagreed with me. Hopefully this post will clarify my position, at least.