"Opening bids on the first round of the auction"

"Opening bids on the first round of the auction" is a phrase deployed in the NZ Bridge Manual :

Regulation 29.2.4

"29.2.4 Self-alerting calls defined

 There are four different types of self-alerting calls, namely:

• doubles;

• redoubles;

• cue bids of an opponent’s denomination/suit;

• all conventional bids at the four level or higher but excluding conventional opening bids on the first round of the auction

(these bids still require an alert during the auction)... "

How are those words to be interpreted ?

Interpretation A.

An opening bid is the first bid (other than pass) in an auction. (The usage of "opening bids " on pages  D7 and D8 of the NZ Bridge Regulations is consistent with this interpretation.)

So all opening bids occur on the first round of an auction.  Therefore addition of the words "on the first round of an auction" is a meaningless redunduncy.

Interpretation B 

The words "on the first round of an auction"  have been added for a purpose. Could they mean that some opening bids can be made not on the first round of an auction ?  Which presumably requires a different definition of an "opening bid" to mean something other than the first bid other than a pass in an auction. Could "opening bids " here mean initial bids by any player ? So "opening bids on the first round of the auction includes first round responses and overcalls ?

Either way I suspect this regulation could be better worded.

Started by Peter Hawkes on 24 Jun 2021 at 12:14PM