More discipline

There are two distinct types of discipline breach.  One is a uni-lateral breach (also known, when it works, as "operating").  The other is known as hanging partner out to dry.

Let's look at a couple of examples. First, hanging partner out to dry. It's the first board of the National Swiss (i.e. IMPs) and you hold ♠532 ♥T83 ♦Q965 ♣974.  Both sides are vulnerable. Partner deals and opens 1♦.  RHO bids 1♠.  Your call?  Pass is the disciplined call.  2♦ risks hanging partner out to dry. Why?  Partner is still very much in this auction.  The opponents (one of the best teams in the event) bid to 4♠ and partner with a balanced 18-count and three sure tricks and a probable fourth (the ♦K) doubles (in other words, he believes you rather than the opponents).  Then, with every expectation of collecting 500, he misdefends allowing declarer's singleton ♥Q to score an early trick, thus kissing goodbye to one of the three sure tricks.  Declarer draws trump and claims.  So instead of defending 4♠ for down one (+6 imps), we actually allow them to make 790 (-12 imps).  That little stunt cost 18 imps!

Now, what about a uni-lateral breach?   It's match-points and you pick up a reasonable hand (to be honest, I don't remember the hand exactly): ♠AK ♥KQ82 ♦QT84 ♣A54.  RHO opens 1♠ and you bid 1NT.  LHO raises the ante to 2♠ and partner bids 2NT (Lebensohl).  You dutifully bid 3♣ and partner completes the picture with 3♦.  Everyone at the table knows that this is to play.  Partner is not inviting game.  But partner might have ♦KJxxxx and still bid this way.  You take a unilateral decision: 3NT.  Partner is done and won't be taking any further action unless it is to double a 4♠ call (which you won't mind).  Unfortunately, partner's hand is something like ♠87 ♥J94 ♦J97652 ♣Q62.  You can't set up the diamonds and a heart trick before they get four spades and the ♥A.  Was this such a terrible action?  Yes, it was undisciplined (partner requested you to pass and you overruled her).  But there was a realistic expectation of making 3NT within the parameters of partner's actions.

My contention is that these two types of disciplinary breach are not the same.  The first is a felony, the second a misdemeanor.  That's my story and I'm sticking to it :)