Your lead

[Finch]

Playing a 32-board KO IMPS match against a team you would be expected to beat on paper, you are all of 8 imps up going into the 3rd set. Here's a lead problem:

 

74

Q964

J1043

J83

 

game all, RHO deals. They play 4CM, weak NT and accordingly respond up the line (not bypassing diamonds).

 

1♣ P 1♦ x

3♣ P 3♠ x

3NT P P P

 

Partner's double of 1♦ absolutely promised at least 4 cards in each major (unless he had a real powerhouse in which case 3NT would not have ended the auction).

 

I suggest you lead a major. Which one?

[Free]

Depends on what the double meant on 3♠... I play it anti-lead directing so I'd lead ♥. However when partner asks the lead by doubling, just trust him. Also it might be interesting what 3♠ means: stopper or stopper ask?

 

There are too many variables without answers to make a good decision at this moment.

[whereagles]

Lead a heart. If dummy has, say, KJxx of spades, pard might not know to shift to a heart. If we have 3 heart tricks to take, then I can play a spade through dummy later.

[Finch]

Depends on what the double meant on 3♠... I play it anti-lead directing so I'd lead ♥. However when partner asks the lead by doubling, just trust him. Also it might be interesting what 3♠ means: stopper or stopper ask?

 

There are too many variables without answers to make a good decision at this moment.

3♠ ostensibly showed a suit, but it could simply be showing a stopper.

Double of 3♠ suggested a spade lead.

[mikeh]

♠

[mike777]

4 of H

[luis]

Spade, if this is wrong I move on to the next board. Pd asked spades I lead spades.

[nige1]

IMO ♠ 10 ♥ 9. Partner's X would normally just

show ♠ preference e.g.

[A] ♠AQJ9 ♥Txxx ♦xx ♣AJx when a ♠ may work best

♠AQxxx ♥KTxx ♦x ♣Kxx when a ♥may be better

[Free]

I'll lead ♠, partner asked them, so I'll give him the trust he earned...

[cherdano]

I think spades is clearly better. I think this double should be a strong statement, not just "I have better spades than hearts", because it does give them useful bidding room (to right-side 3NT, for example).

 

Also, if we need tricks from two suits (not unlikely), hearts should be led from partner's side since dummy apparently doesn't have a heart stop.

 

Arend

[bearmum]

7♠ as I believe P has asked for a ♠ lead with his X of opps ♠ bid B)

[HeartA]

Depends on what the double meant on 3♠...  I play it anti-lead directing so I'd lead ♥.  However when partner asks the lead by doubling, just trust him.  Also it might be interesting what 3♠ means: stopper or stopper ask?

 

There are too many variables without answers to make a good decision at this moment.

3♠ ostensibly showed a suit, but it could simply be showing a stopper.

Double of 3♠ suggested a spade lead.

dble of 3S shows only stopper? then what if opps Re-dbl? To me, this dbl over 3S is clearly penalty, and thus, dbl of 3N asks for S lead.

[han]

I would lead a high spade.

[Guest Jlall]

Spade. At least if it's wrong partner won't be glaring at me :)

[mr1303]

I'm leading a spade as well, simply because my partner has asked me to. I need a very good reason to overrule my partner, and Q964 is not a good reason

[kenberg]

I guess a spade.

 

If partner holds

KQJTx

KJxx

xx

Ax

I really don't want to be explaining why I thought a heart was a better choice after partner asked for a spade. After 1C-1D the above looks like a double to me although I suppose there could be a difference of opinion here.

 

Ken

[whereagles]

kenberg, that hand would be a good reason to lead a spade. But in real life pards tend to double for the lead on.. let's say.. less solid holdings <_<

[Gerben42]

If he wanted to let me think about which major to lead, why would he double.

 

I don't buy that this one is a lead-inhibiting double, it would be too dangerous.

 

I lead a ♠.

[kenberg]

kenberg, that hand would be a good reason to lead a spade. But in real life pards tend to double for the lead on.. let's say.. less solid holdings  <_<

Yes, so I have noticed. ;)

 

But less might be enough. For example, partner might have KJTxx. The auction is compatible with dummy holding Axxx and declarer Qx. If declarer rises, the spades are ready to run. If he goes low, partner takes his king and shifts to a heart. We get a spade, three hearts and the outside club card. (If we have no club trick, I doubt we are beating this regardless of the lead).

 

There are other possibilities. Mainly I see this as

a. No club trick no set

b. After we get a club trick we need four other tricks, not three

c. If I lead a spade, declarer cannot hold up to exahust my spades since then a heart switch would do him in.

 

This last might be important if partner has the Qx of clubs instead of the ace. If declarer takes the first round of spades I still have an entry to partmer's hand when I am in with my Jack of clubs. If declarer ducks the first round a heart switch beats him.

 

I accept that partner is just doing his best to advise me of the best lead with the double, he isn't guaranteeing this will work. But there are a reasonable number of holdings where it will work and I'll follow hiw advice here.

 

One thing that has not been mentioned is his lack of a double of 3NT. It could be that if partner held the hand I gave him earlier he would double 3NT, saying trust me pard, we have this beat, just lead the damn spade. He wouldn't do that with Qx of clubs though, and we still have it beat if he has decent spades. So I still lead a spade.

[kenberg]

While walking the (real-life) dog this morning I figured I should probably look at hands that don't involve partner holding five spades. Suppose he holds

KQTx

AJxx

xxx

Qx

 

Certainly a minimum (or sub-minimum) for either of his doubles. One of the opponents holds four spades, probably dummy

 

 

Give dummy Axxx in spades, declarer Jxx

 

 

 

On a spade lead, again declarer must rise or the heart shift kills him. But then you get three spades, a heart, a club.

 

Suppose you lead a heart at trick 1. If partner goes up with his ace and continues a heart, declarer establishes clubs while you take three hearts and a club. It won't help for partner to duck the heart or to rise and switch to a spade.

 

So, with this minimal holding from partner, a spade lead beats it, a heart lead doesn't.

 

 

While it could be right to lead a heart, it seems sensible to follow partner's guidance here.

 

Ken

[Al_U_Card]

S7 and go to heaven,

H4 and take the door..

[Kalvan14]

Since spade is so obvious, where is the sting?

[EricK]

I would lead a spade.

 

A legal question has just sprung to mind: If partner makes a lead directing double and I think a bit before leading his suit, what are the UI implications for partner? Would he ever "get into trouble" if he plays me for a hand which has an alternative plausible lead.

[Finch]

Since spade is so obvious, where is the sting?

There ain't no sting. I also led a spade, but I don't think it's obvious at all. Also, a heart beats it and a spade doesn't. Now I'm going to show you the full hand, but before you start being rude about partner's double, have a look at what he said about it, because I think it does make sense.

 

[hv=d=s&n=skjxxh108dkq8xxc10x&w=s7xhq9xxdj10xxcjxx&e=sa109xxhjxxxda9ckx&s=sq8hakxdxxcaq9xxx]399|300|Scoring: IMP[/hv]

 

My thoughts sitting west were much as Kenbergs. I don't believe the double absolutely commands a spade lead for two reasons - first, if he was so certain that was right he either would have bid spades over 1D, or would have doubled 3NT as well. Second, he's more likely to have a holding that wants to suggest than to have one that wants to command, so that's a better use for the double.

 

I thought he was saying "I've got both majors, so you can lead a heart if you're sure about it, but I strongly suggest spades." I envisaged something like AQ10x in partner's hand, and could see either him being endplayed if I didn't lead one now, or that we needed to get a quick spade trick in before switching to hearts.

 

His logic was that I would usually lead my longer/better major on this auction, but he wanted a spade lead from pretty much any hand with a spade honour (e.g. Jx Qxxx in the majors with dummy holding KQx(x) in spades). He wanted to tell me his spades were about as much better than his hearts as they could be, and if I was in any doubt about which major to lead (e.g. 3 low in each suit) it should be a spade.

 

We both agreed that my actual holding in the majors made it close. With KQxx in hearts I'd lead a heart. With Qx in spades and Q9xx in hearts I'd lead a spade. We also agreed that his spade holding was about the minimum for the double. We expressed great sympathy with each other's choices. We finished on a note of partnership harmony. But we didn't beat the contract.

[kenberg]

I would have bid you partner's hand just as he did, and I have already said I would lead a spade so I agree with your harmony. I think when he doubles there is little likelihood of you overruling him (you are not likely to have enough strength to have a clearcut heart lead) but as he said, he wants you to start a spade in many circumstances where you wouldn't without the double.

 

A possible clue for him though: Holding the ace of spades and hearing the 3S on his right, encouraging 3N if partner stops hearts, suggests more than just the king. With Kxx(x) it might be better to just gamble on the heart stop and bid 3N to force the lead to come from the TO doubler, since placing the contract in 3N from partner's side also presents a gamble. Still, I would make the lead directing double with his hand. If his RHO holds the KJx(x), as he does, he wants (or probably wants, there could be spot card issues with rho holding four) the Queen led from Qx if you have it, which unfortunately you don't.

 

It's possible to overthink things. Usually he wants a spade lead with his holding, usually leading the suit partner asks for is best. Not this time.

 

Ken