Slam lead problem

[Guest Jlall]

My friend Kevin Bathurst gave me a lead problem today. It's a great hand IMO, let's see what you guys think.

 

You hold x AKJTx Jxx KQxx. red/white. RHO opens 1S, you try 2H, lefty tries 3D. Partner is in there with 4H, righty bids 4S, lefty bids 5H, righty bids 6C, lefty bids 6H, righty bids 6S, lefty passes after a long thought. Opponents are expert players.

 

Wow, they're trying for grand, pard has jumped to 4H red white, and we have this hand. What's going on? What do you lead, and more importantly why?

[mike777]

K of Clubs.

I hope this will foul communications.

 

Not leading D ever, if this is winner too tough.

Stiff S does not appeal.

A of H possible to tap dummy so close second choice.

[han]

I'm just going to write down what I'm thinking:

 

Righty has long spades and the club ace.

 

Lefty has spade support, a heart void and long strong diamonds.

 

What does this leave for partner? Basically nothing. So obviously long hearts (5, 6?) and shortness in one or both pointed suits.

 

I lead the heart king. I will try to cut down on dummy's side entries before the diamonds are set up. Hopefully partner has diamond shortness (stiff queen?) and as many spades as dummy.

 

I don't see the point of a club lead, I don't believe that we have a quick side entry. I don't think that the opponents are going to make on a cross-ruff. Partner is unlikely to have a diamond void (no double) and even if she does we need two tricks.

[Winstonm]

It sounds like LHO is 3073 or 3064 and RHO is 6313 or 6214. Given time and sufficient entries the diamonds will produce lots of trick so it seems I have to take advantage of a hoped for 3-1 spade break and lead the A of hearts to tap dummy. If declarer has a diamond blockage such as singleton Q opposite AKxxxxx he won't be able to reverse dummy and we should then be able to score 2 club tricks.

[TheoKole]

I have 2 trains of thought:

 

King of ♣ hoping partner has a ♠ or ♦ (is it possible that he has the Ace or King of ♦) Queen third of ♦ will be ruffed out

 

 

I expect dummy to be void in hearts, that said I want to try and tap dummy's trump in order to

1) protect my ♣ from being ruffed

2) try and protect partner from trump finesses

 

Since I have clubs stopped and since these are expert players I fear that diamonds are solid and declarer is planning to use them for club discards. However if this is the case and even if partner has a trump trick, then declarer will just give it to him before running the diamonds.

 

Because of this I want an immediate winner to cash once partner gets in with his supposed trump or diamond trick so I will lead the King ♣.

 

Hope my lead was the right one :D

 

Theo

[Guest Jlall]

So far we have

 

Tapping the dummy

Leading a club and hoping partner gets in to cash our other club.

 

any other strategies possible?

[pclayton]

Another possibilities is a trump - perhaps the heart ruff is trick 12.

 

And a diamond - if diamonds are 3=7=2=1 around the table, and declarer can't draw trump ending in dummy, this could be a big winner.

 

I'm going with a diamond - if LHO is really trying for a grand, he should have solid diamonds. If declarer needs more than 1 pitch, this should do him in.

 

Great problem.

[mikeh]

My choose will either beat them or let them claim 7 ;)

 

You have asked for reasons behind the choice.

 

Here's what I think is going on.

 

RHO has a solid (or extra length near solid)♠ suit: for his 4♠ bid. LHO has a solid ♦ suit and a ♥void.

 

LHO was thinking about bidding, and he has NO ♣ card and likely no high ♠ card. Nor does he hold 4 trump: if he does, we cannot beat him.

 

So I imagine hands such as:

 

LHO xxx void AKQ109xxx xx opposite AKQJxx x x Axxxx

 

or Kx void AKQ109xxx xxx opp AQJ10xxx x x AJxx

 

If declarer has a stiff ♦, then a ♦ lead will sever the communications unless dummy's biggest ♠ is bigger then partner's.

 

My ♦ lead requires a specific holding to win, but I cannot see a better line. Leading a ♥ to tap dummy requires that the ♦ suit will not run... and how likely is that on the auction?

 

Leading a ♣ might work against a Zia wanna-be, with a fake cue-bid, but on no holding that I could construct consistent with the auction.

 

Leading a trump: well, only if accompanied by a white flag... it is a surrender lead.

 

 

Note that my constructions give my red partner a near yarborough but 7 card support :)

[mike777]

My choose will either beat them or let them claim 7 ;)

 

You have asked for reasons behind the choice.

 

Here's what I think is going on.

 

RHO has a solid (or extra length near solid)♠ suit: for his 4♠ bid. LHO has a solid ♦ suit and a ♥void.

 

LHO was thinking about bidding, and he has NO ♣ card and likely no high ♠ card. Nor does he hold 4 trump: if he does, we cannot beat him.

 

So I imagine hands such as:

 

LHO xxx void AKQ109xxx xx  opposite AKQJxx x x Axxxx

 

or Kx void AKQ109xxx xxx opp AQJ10xxx x x AJxx

 

If declarer has a stiff ♦, then a ♦ lead will sever the communications unless dummy's biggest ♠ is bigger then partner's.

 

My ♦ lead requires a specific holding to win, but I cannot see a better line. Leading a ♥ to tap dummy requires that the ♦ suit will not run... and how likely is that on the auction?

 

Leading a ♣ might work against a Zia wanna-be, with a fake cue-bid, but on no holding that I could construct consistent with the auction.

 

Leading a trump: well, only if accompanied by a white flag... it is a surrender lead.

 

 

Note that my constructions give my red partner a near yarborough but 7 card support :)

Both these constructions means these expert opp have misbid, misbid grossly, as 7D is cold. It seems easy to see playing in spades leads to communication problems.

 

Seems much better to insist on D even if playing in only 6D and give up on Grand.

 

So much for putting down an eight card suit in dummy.

[mikeh]

Misbid, yes. Grossly: I don't know. Especially with the first construction (xxx♠) bidding a grand seems tough for LHO, who cannot know that ♠ are solid... bear in mind that he did make a try... and RHO might be wondering, correctly, where his tricks are coming from if he has a stiff ♦

[Guest Jlall]

At the table Kevin led a diamond for much the same reasons as Mike. He thought dummy had to have solid diamonds so trying to tap the dummy would be futile. If dummy did not have a solid suit, he should be able to see himself that the hand won't play well. Dummy was actually QJx --- AKQTxxx xxx. Declarer had AT9xxxx Q x Axxx so no lead sets the contract.

 

Mikeh also guessed partners hand, 7 small trumps.

[mike777]

Good hand. Just asking, would any lead give pause to a top class player to consider laying down the Ace of spades more than other leads?

[Fluffy]

So far we have

 

Tapping the dummy

Leading a club and hoping partner gets in to cash our other club.

 

any other strategies possible?

Yeah sure since mu opponents are not only making psyche cues, but also cheatin their tempos looking as if tehy would play 7, I can cash my ♥A before it is discarded ;)