Friday, February 21, 2003 5:17 PM

Hand Evaluation - Punishing the Balancer

PITBULLS:

Balancing in Bridge is an art form . With an ear to the bidding & the mysterious quality called table feel , you pick your double card out of the box . One thing to remember for the partnership is do not bid your hand twice. The balancer is already bidding it for you by doubling so leave an escape hatch . Having said that , do not go overboard the other way & assume partner has nothing for her balance. She can still have a good hand .

The Q bid has to have a different meaning in direct action rather than balancing actions. If you double directly & Q bid you are on a game force. Q bidding after a balancing double , just means you have a good hand but you are not on a game force . There is an additional responsibility on the balancer to indicate a good hand if she has one rather than a straight balance. This may involve jumping or taking control of the hand to show your strength .

Say the auction goes 2♠ pass pass & a balancing double. You have this hand :

Q	Q	A	A
x	x	J	x
	x	x	x
	x		x

You decided not to bid directly over 2♠ so now partner balances with a double. You Q bid to show your 13 points & see if partner can bid 3NT or 4 hearts . You hear 4♣ by partner . Now what ? Does she have a good hand & are we on a game force ? No , the balancer now has the unknown hand so she must indicate it by leaping to game if there is one . You have to allow an escape hatch for a minimum balance. You should pass 4♣ as the balancer has bid most of your 13 points already .

If partner balances , you should show your strength immediately by Q bidding or jumping thereby leaving the balancer in control of the auction. This is the concept that one partner knows more about the auction than the other . The balancer knows your hand since you have jumped or Q bid but you do not know the strength of her balance.

x	K	K	K
	J	10	Q
	x	9	J
		x	x
			x

Say you balanced with this hand in the above auction ( 2♠ opener ) & partner Q bid 3♠ . You can not just bid 4♣ over the Q bid . Partner shows 13 points or more so you have enough for game . You must take control of the hand & bid what you think you can make . You can not just bid 4♣ as that will be passed . You can re Q bid but that is aggressive so might get you to a bad slam . Bid 5♣ immediately.

Do not forget the “standard” balancing understandings. Jumps are intermediate hands in the balancing spot. A direct Q bid is not Michaels in the balancing spot but shows a Goren style strong hand. A 2NT bid in the balancing spot is not unusual but shows a flat balanced hand in the 18+-20 HCP range. A balancing NT is a flat hand that the balancer feels is too soft or has a flaw for a double. The 1NT bid is in the 12-14 HCP range & does not show a stopper in their suit as she is bidding your hand already. Balancing is not overcalling or T/O doubles per se. The balancing aspect changes all that.