cherdano Posted February 15, 2006 Report Share Posted February 15, 2006 [hv=d=e&v=n&s=sat5ht83dqj2ct542]133|100|Scoring: IMPYour side silent, the bidding went:1♠-1NT2♦-3♠4♠in a standard 2/1 system (forcing 1NT).[/hv] Your lead? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Jlall Posted February 15, 2006 Report Share Posted February 15, 2006 I lead a club. A pointed suit is out, and a club is less likely to blow a trick as I have more length. It is also less likely to be dummy's long suit. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
awm Posted February 15, 2006 Report Share Posted February 15, 2006 I lead a ♥. I agree with Justin that a pointed suit is out -- this trump holding is bad to lead from (often blows a trick) and I wouldn't really consider leading from QJx of opener's second suit. Hearts and clubs are pretty similar, but opener might have some shape. If opener has a short suit, then I'd much rather not lead it. The reasoning is that if responder's strength is opposite opener's length it may not matter all that much what I lead, whereas if responder's strength is opposite opener's short suit we need to take our tricks before they are pitched away on dummy's strength. Opener is more likely to be short in clubs than hearts (since we have more clubs) so I rate a heart lead as slightly more likely to work out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Jlall Posted February 15, 2006 Report Share Posted February 15, 2006 heart is the more agressive choice. Given the auction and my pointed suit holdings I don't feel the need to be agressive, but then again I suck at leads. This hand would be perfect for simulation. I would not be surprised if hearts and clubs were close and one or the other was a winner. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Free Posted February 15, 2006 Report Share Posted February 15, 2006 small trump for me Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fluffy Posted February 15, 2006 Report Share Posted February 15, 2006 If I saw this problem on a book I would inmediatelly say low trump :(, but this is real problem, I am divided between trump and club.... ok, trump! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MickyB Posted February 15, 2006 Report Share Posted February 15, 2006 Heart for me. I wouldn't touch a trump with a barge poll Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hrothgar Posted February 15, 2006 Report Share Posted February 15, 2006 Agree that the choice is between a Club and a Heart.I'd lead a low heart based on the T8... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
helium Posted February 15, 2006 Report Share Posted February 15, 2006 I would lead ♦JACK Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Winstonm Posted February 15, 2006 Report Share Posted February 15, 2006 Low heart for me. The diamonds are behaving too well for a trump to be right and the 10 of trumps may be the setting trick. Winston Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mikeh Posted February 15, 2006 Report Share Posted February 15, 2006 This truly is an 'everyday' problem and nothing to get worked up about. I lead a ♣ on these hands, almost automatically. I would not dream of leading trump here: I have NO reason to expect ♦ shortness on my left (nor, if it exists, to be able to meaningfully prevent a ruff) and a trump lead may do one or both of two bad things: cost a tempo and/or blow a possible trump trick (give partner Jx as a simple example). A ♦ is almost as silly a lead: it won't likely blow a trick but it sure will blow a tempo. I see no reason to make a deceptive lead suchas the J from QJx. I generally dislike leading from Jxx or 10xx. Such leads rarely seem to work and could easily blow a trick in the suit. Give dummy a holding such as KJ9x opposite Axx. Now, any lead in any suit cold blow a trick, but your lead choice should be influenced by a balancing of risk v benefit. I prefer to lead my length in these situations, since my possession of length (slightly) reduces the risk that I will be giving away a trick. Of course, it also slightly reduces the chances that we will be taking multiple tricks in the suit. I might (but probably would not) lead a ♥ if I were desperate, but I rate my defensive holding here as equivalent to 2+ (2.25) tricks so am comfortable being conservative. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Finch Posted February 15, 2006 Report Share Posted February 15, 2006 This is also one of the auctions that can work well for 2/1 and Forcing NT. Dummy can have absolutely anything from a 3037 to a 3334 distribution, and we have no idea whether we need to set up tricks (in which suit?) or lead trumps or go passive. So I can easily construct many hands consistent with the auction when any suit is right. Where does that leave us? I don't see the point of a diamond, deceptive Jack or not, because we know it's declarer's long suit (although in some 2/1 styles declarer could be 5332 and a diamond is then more attractive). While we might need to attack diamonds before dummy's suit is set up, it's more likely just to be helping declarer. If I had a decent honour holding in clubs or hearts I would lead it, as I tend to make aggressive leads. I also don't like a trump from this holding. Again, it could be right, but it seems likely to blow a trick too often when there's no strong indication we need to lead trumps. That leaves me with the boring club. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cherdano Posted February 15, 2006 Author Report Share Posted February 15, 2006 I don't see the point of a diamond, deceptive Jack or not, because we know it's declarer's long suit (although in some 2/1 styles declarer could be 5332 and a diamond is then more attractive). Yes declarer could be 5332. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
luis Posted February 15, 2006 Report Share Posted February 15, 2006 Club for me too, pedrestrian I would say. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tysen2k Posted February 15, 2006 Report Share Posted February 15, 2006 A club, but a heart probably isn't bad. Don't like any other lead. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
akhare Posted February 16, 2006 Report Share Posted February 16, 2006 Mark me down for a ♣ or a ♥ -- don't know if I have any real preference other than the length in the former... Atul Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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