The Operation Was a Success


A 9 8 5
Q 6
K Q
J 10 8 3 2
K J 7 6 3 Q
K 10 8 2 J 9 3
10 8 7 4 3 2
A Q K 7 6 5 4
10 4 2
A 7 5 4
A J 9 6 5 Vul: Both
9 Opening lead: 2 of hearts

WestNorthEastSouth
1 Pass 1 NT Pass
Pass 2 Pass 2
Allpass

I watched a balancing bid unfold t'other day as a kibitzer, a bid I wouldn't have made. When it was over, the balancing side had actually made its bid, and I had to allow that perhaps I had seen an illustration of a successful balancing bid. Actually, that wouldn't make me sad, for I would love to find a no-nonsense, unambiguous balacing bid that worked for the balancing side. But this wasn't to be that hand after all, for when I checked the scores, they were 3rd from the bottom! When the week was over, they were 13th from the bottom, but that doesn't mean their relative standing had improved any.
For it turned out that the other guys were going down, some down two, and it soon becomes evident that the very cards, along with the placement of the queen of hearts, that allow the balancing side 8 tricks would inhibit more than 6 for E-W! Indeed, you can see that N-S as defenders could run 7 straight tricks, and I believe that if South doesn't run his diamonds (which would squeeze his partner mercilessly), they would surely come to an 8th.
The balancers actually have a slight preponderance of hcp's (21 to 19). When there's no good fit around the table, the weaker side, the vulnerable weaker side, that contracts for the majority of the tricks might easily be in trouble. Could North know this? No, of course he can't know the outcome of venturing a 2 club bid, nor who has the preponderance of hcp's. But he was vulnerable too, and he might have stopped to think that if those guys have enough for their one no bid, his side might have trouble in a 2 bid. Just a thought.