Most players realise that you are not allowed to use unauthorised information, but they probably know only one situation: when partner hesitates i.e., thinks for some time before taking some action, or more especially, thinks then passes. They realise there may be problems with certain bids.

However, there is another fairly common situation where players often use unauthorised information, quite probably without realising they are doing anything wrong.

Consider a situation where you have agreed to play Ghestem (two-suited overcalls) with a partner, but you forget.

RHO opens 1♠️, and you have a nice hand with a club suit, so you bid 3♣️. Partner alerts and tells the opponents you have diamonds and hearts.

Oh dear! Worse still, he bids 3♥️, which RHO doubles, and you have only two hearts. What do you do?

Suppose you could not see or hear partner. You bid 3♣️to show your clubs, he bids 3♥️ would you not pass, assuming he had six hearts?

So what is different? Only his alert and his explanation, which reminds you what you have actually shown.

But his alert and his explanation are unauthorised information: you may not use them.

In fact, you must do your absolute best to take no advantage.

So you must grit your teeth and pass, because that is what you would do if you could not see him — and that may mean losing 1100 or 1400. Partner is not going to be pleased with you!

Does this happen often? Just about never.

Why? Because, in practice, the moment someone hears their partner describe a hand very different from the one they have, they forget all about the rules of unauthorised information and instinctively (and illegally) make the bid that shows partner exactly what they have.

They do so out of panic, forgetting they are using unauthorised information and that is where the term ‘Unauthorised Panic’ comes from.

So nearly everyone in this case would rebid 4♣️, illegally, to try to avoid losing 1100 and upsetting partner often not realising or forgetting that this is illegal.

Suppose the bidding is the same as above, with the alert and explanation the same, but the difference is that you do not play Ghestem, your partner has got it wrong.
How does that affect it? The answer is: it does not affect it at all.

It is still illegal to use the explanation, it is still illegal to bid 4♣️, and you should still not do so.

What happens if you bid 4♣️?

Many opponents do not realise what you have done is illegal and don’t call the director. Even when they do, a lot of players get very upset if the director rules it back to -1400 and seem to think they had a right to bid 4♣️.

They say things like, “I had six clubs why should I not rebid them?” Of course, they have already shown six clubs, or intended to, and have no legal reason to take 3♥️doubled out.

Let me give another example, which sadly my partner perpetrated though I have also known others to do so.

He opened 2NT in fourth seat.

Now, we play 2NT as both minors and weak, so I assumed he was a bit stronger in fourth, and I alerted, described it when asked, and bid 3♣️, which was my better minor.

Partner had meant it as natural and strong, so now he bid an illegal 3NT.

Of course, he should have treated 3♣️as Stayman and bid a major, but he panicked when he heard my explanation and made the bid that was clearest, so I would know what he had.

What do I ask you to do?

First, if your partner explains your bid as showing a hand different from the one you have, you must make every effort to take no advantage.

What you must never do is make a bid that is different from the one that you would have made without the explanation or alert.

If your partner moans, you must explain it is more important to be ethical and follow the Laws than to win every hand.

Second, if your opponent explains a player’s hand one way and he makes a further bid that shows the explanation is wrong, always call the director.
It is his job, not yours, to decide whether anything illegal has occurred.

Third, let us look at it from the point of view of the director.

If he is called when an explanation and a hand do not agree, first he finds out whether the explanation was correct, or whether the call was.

If the explanation was wrong, he should consider whether the opponents have been damaged by misinformation i.e., whether they might have done something different with a correct explanation.

If the explanation was correct, then this does not apply.

Fourth, he must consider the actions of the player with the hand that does not match the explanation: has he made any call that he might not have made without the explanation or alert?
If so, the director will give an adjusted score.

Finally, if you are the player whose hand does not match and you made a call based on the explanation and you get an adjustment against you, do not get annoyed with the opponents or the director.

It is your side who made the mistake, and your action was illegal be annoyed with yourself and your partner.

So ‘Unauthorised Panic’ is a friendly term to tell you what you must not do.

If partner describes your hand differently from what you intend, his explanation is unauthorised to you — and do not panic and make a strange bid to try and put him right.