Change of call

[unj]

N opened 1NT, E Pass, S 2H, N alerted, play transfers, W Pass, N 4H, E with the speed of light Pass. N corrected his bid to 4S. E called the Director. Ruling please

[Nick Hughes]

I'm guessing written bidding, with North writing "4H" instead of the intended "4S".
It's likely that North's brain was muddled by thinking "hearts = transfer".
If so, this was an Unintended Call (25A). A player may change an unintended call until his partner has made a call. East's fast pass doesn't take away that right.

In my view, we are becoming too lenient in allowing changes of written bids. I am wary of any claim of a disconnect between brain and hand. (Sometimes declarers "trump" with a card in a suit that isn't trumps. No recourse.)
Having said that, the dominant view is that North is allowed to claim this as a slip of the brain.

In this case, South would be there to save the day anyway.   

[TonyRolfe]

I was about to ask a similar question, so I will piggy-back onto this thread, if I may.

We had a similar situation at Mollymook, where I made a weak jump overall in spades, holding 6 nice hearts and 3 spades.

Law 25A2 talks allows change only due to mechanical error or slip of the tongue, neither of which seems to apply to written bidding.  Therefore it appears that no change to a written bid can be allowed.  I made no comment and the opponents made an impossible 3NT+3 when partner believed my bid and we never took our heart tricks.

I remember reading somewhere that the emphasis of the 2017 laws was to provide rectification rather than punishment and to endeavour to obtain a sensible bridge outcome.

Clearly, not allowing the change of an unintended call will seldom achieve a sensible bridge result.

I believe that the best way to achieve a sensible bridge result would be to allow any change of an unintended written call and make the original call UI to offender's partner. (Thus stopping any "This is the suit I want you to lead, but this is the suit I have" shenanigans.

Why force a pair to play 4S in a 2-1 fit rather than 4H in a 5-4 fit?