[nige1]

 FrancesHinden, on 2014-June-17, 15:37, said:

Nope, can't find any EBU guidelines that says you shouldn't ask all the time in this kind of situation When my partner opens 1NT and the next hand overcalls, alerted, I always ask unless I already know the meaning from their convention card. What the EBU don't like is saying that you always ask about every single alerted bid. Because, in practice, people don't even if they say they do. That's completely different from 'always asking' in the middle of a live competitive auction. In some circumstances it passes enormous UI not to ask (e.g. 1C 1H 1S (alerted). If you double 1S, that's takeout of spades/snapdragon. If you ask about 1S and discover it denies 4 spades and double, that shows spades.)

EBU Blue Book 2E1 said:

A player has the right to ask questions at his turn to call or play, but exercising this right may have consequences. If a player shows unusual interest in one or more calls of the auction, then this may give rise to unauthorised information. His partner must avoid taking advantage. It may be in a player's interests to defer questions until either he is about to make the opening lead or his partner's lead is face-down on the table.

The Blue Book warns you that UI from asking an immediate question might constrain partner's options. David Burn and now FrancesHinden et al point out that failure to ask provides UI, too. And I think that remedies are obvious

[olien]

 Zelandakh, on 2014-June-17, 09:47, said:

Asking suggests wanting to know what the alert was for. Not asking here would transmit more UI than asking imo. I do not know how anyone can make a good stab at getting into the Asker's mind without first knowing what double would have meant.

This is why I think a player should be required to ask about the meaning of any alert in a competitive auction. Otherwise a failure to ask typically expresses a 'weak' hand with no interest in competing.

[helene_t]

 olien, on 2014-June-18, 00:25, said:

This is why I think a player should be required to ask about the meaning of any alert in a competitive auction. Otherwise a failure to ask typically expresses a 'weak' hand with no interest in competing.

I think that it is a good point and probably you should ask whenever there is a real risk that partner may come under ethical pressure if you don't ask.

But requiring players always to ask goes too far IMHO. Sometimes failure to ask could also mean "I read your CC so no need to ask".

It can happen that opps don't have a solid understanding, and giving the explanation creates UI. They may respond along the lines of "I am not sure, I can tell you what I think it means but I would have to ask my partner to leave the table then". But they don't always do that. And if they do, they have still transmitted the UI that they are not sure what the call meant.

[whereagles]

This is an old debate, and I haven't yet seen a solution better than that of Hamman:

Randomly ask/not ask.

Then, when one asks, others cannot tell whether the intention is legitimate or casual.

[Zelandakh]

 whereagles, on 2014-June-18, 07:18, said:

This is an old debate, and I haven't yet seen a solution better than that of Hamman:

Randomly ask/not ask.

How about always asking on the first round unless you think the opps might be having a misunderstanding (perhaps with specific exceptions) and randomly asking thereafter?

[barmar]

The problem with the EBU regulation is that it ignores the converse. Just as "showing unusual interest" may pass UI, so may "showing unusual lack of interest".

[pran]

 Cyberyeti, on 2014-June-17, 05:06, said:

Auction goes 1N(dealer, 12-14 announced)-X(pens)-2♥ alerted, the 4th player asks what 2♥ was (both majors) then passes.

What is suggested to the doubler ?

On his actual hand (void, 109x, AKQxxx, AJ10x) I think 3♦ is clear enough, but in a more marginal case what do you think is suggested about partner's hand by the question ?

An alert is a suggestion tnat opponents should ask about the auction and a question following an alert never suggests anything, it is simply an acceptance of the suggestion that a question is recommened.

So more specific: Nothing is suggested to the doubler.