The New Alert Procedure: District 23 Guidelines

The changes become effective June 17, 1996. Some clubs are permitting players to make the changes immediately to gain familiarity with them. This is acceptable.

One of the most important things for us to understand is that many semi-regular players are not going to be familiar with these changes for a short period of time. If you are up to speed, because you have read the Bulletin articles, don't make the assumption that everyone else has. Some may have read the material but don't fully understand it yet.

Our District has allowed for a six month grace period and we expect all to cooperate. During this period those still using the old methods will be gently pushed into making the few adjustments to the new procedures.

This is a list of things we don't want to happen:

1. A player alerts a negative double and someone jumps down his throat saying "that's not alertable anymore!" It is just as easy to say "were you aware that is not alertable now?" This will leave a much better taste in their mouth. There is no need to impress people with how much you know!

2. Partner overcalls and RHO doubles. LHO alerts. You have a normal raise but pass. Later on you "discover" that the double was negative and you complain about your result because with the alert you thought it was a penalty double. You surely would have raised if you thought it was negative. forget it! During this six month period players are expected to protect themselves at all times. It should be noted that in this auction a penalty double is alerted as well as some non-penalty doubles. Once again, it is best to ask.

   In other words, if your opponents make a procedural error with the new methods, you will still be expected to ask questions just to be certain of what is happening. It can never be wrong to say "Please explain". If the opponents are on different wavelengths the director can easily protect you from anything that goes wrong. They will not protect you when you "hoped" the opponents were having an accident and they merely made a procedural error.

3. All players playing a very weak NT should know by now that they must announce their methods. Players using any aggressive method such as 10-12 No Trump, very light opening bids or dual range No Trump structure are still expected to pre-alert when they sit down. With the new methods, they will announce the range as the bid is made unless it is a strong NT. A failure to announce the range will not be considered a basis for an adjustment if there was a pre-alert. Failure to announce the range as the bid is made leaves opponents in exactly the same position as is currently the case. Whether they pre-alert or not, a range announcement is still necessary at the time of the bid.

The main point of all this is for everyone to make a cooperative effort to make the transition as smooth as possible. While we should always maintain a friendly and helpful attitude, it is extremely important during this six month grace period. This will be even more crucial in Club games. Players are not going to be punished just because they were unfamiliar with these changes. We are certainly not trying to create a new breed of "bridge lawyers" who are trying to figure out how to get something for nothing.

Come to think of it, could it possibly hurt to maintain such an attitude at all times?