A hand from GNTs

[awm]

[hv=d=e&v=n&s=st85h765dq964cj73]133|100|Scoring: IMP[/hv]

 

This hand is from GNT A. Playing in the final against a fairly strong team, you pick up this motley collection. You were down 28 at the half, but have made up most of that in your third quarter and are now probably only 5-6 imps behind with 6 boards to go.

 

Righthand opponent opens with a favorable 4♥ preempt. You pass of course, and partner balances with a takeout double. Now what?

[hrothgar]

[hv=d=e&v=n&s=st85h765dq964cj73]133|100|Scoring: IMP[/hv]

 

This hand is from GNT A. Playing in the final against a fairly strong team, you pick up this motley collection. You were down 28 at the half, but have made up most of that in your third quarter and are now probably only 5-6 imps behind with 6 boards to go.

 

Righthand opponent opens with a favorable 4♥ preempt. You pass of course, and partner balances with a takeout double. Now what?

Run screaming from the table.

While somewhat embarassing, I suspect that this is a much better solution than bidding.

 

I'm passing. 4333 hands scream defense, and I rather contract for 4 tricks than 11.

The only other bid that appeals to me is 5♦. Playing a Spade Moysian with the tap in the wrong hand seems wrong.

[JohnnyH7]

This is a lead problem. I would lead a diamond.

[whereagles]

This is a lead problem. I would lead a diamond.

hum... yes

[Finch]

Pass and lead a diamond.

This could easily be very expensive.

It could also be the only winning action.

Pre-empts work.

[whereagles]

Actually, there might be a case to try the diamond queen.

[han]

Let me remind you of MSC problem F from September 2002:

 

"IMPs; both vul. You, South, hold no card higher than a six with distribution (w) 4=3=3=3; (x) 4=2=3=4; (y) 5=3=3=2; (z) 5=2=3=3. With which, if any, of these hands would you bid four spaddes after (4♥)-Double-(pass)-? [16 possible answers]"

 

 

To see the exact votes and expert comments you will need to buy The Bridge World yourself, but I can tell you that for (x) and (y) the overwhelming majority passes and for (y) and (z) the same majorities bid 4S.

 

Here bidding seems even more unpleasant than in (w), so passing is clear, as unpleasant as it is.

 

I would lead a diamond. Partner likely has cards in all outside suits, so a diamond actually seems safest. This is unusual for me, I'm a big believer in leading from xxx against suit contracts.

[joshs]

Its funny that everyone led a diamond. I tend to be very agressive on opening lead but when I have a very weak hand and partner has a good hand I try to preserve my honor cards so partner has as many outs as possible (and increases the chance I get in again). I would have led a spade with this hand, your primary goal here is to try to break up endplays. This hand to me is a guess between leading a spade and leading a club. (Neither holding is all that safe to lead from).

[mike777]

pass and lead a spade, not a D following Rosenberg's rule.

[cherdano]

pass and lead a spade, not a D following Rosenberg's rule.

What is Rosenberg's rule?

[mike777]

He told me this rule one night in a long discussion on leads on BBO.

 

Never lead from Queens agains suit contracts. There may have been some one-in a-million exception but I do not recall it. :).

 

As I recall this meant unsupported queens in a suit that partner has not bid, but in general try not to lead from queens against a suit contract period.

[pclayton]

Well, pass seems pretty clear :) .

 

I see no reason to become a hero with a diamond lead. Our flat garbage indicates a passive approach, however, trick one will quite possibly be the only time we are on lead, so I'd like to take pard off a possible endplay, so I will try a spade.

 

Maybe a trump is better, since even a spade could cost a trick if declarer has some honor-9-x combos. But eventually pard will be on lead, so I think endplays are inevitable.

[han]

Interesting points about the end-play, makes a lot of sense to me.

 

I find it hard to believe that Rosenberg would seriously give such a simplistic rule.

[awm]

[hv=d=e&v=n&n=saqxxhaxdakjtxxcx&w=skjxxhxdxxckq9xxx&e=s9xhkqjtxxxdxcatx&s=st85h765dq964cj73]399|300|Scoring: IMP[/hv]

 

Like everyone here, I chose to pass.

 

The voters seem pretty evenly split between every lead but a club. I went with a trump lead, much to my chagrin. Barring a miraculous diamond underlead from partner (which she didn't find) or a ♦Q opening lead (which no one suggested), the only chance to set is to lead a spade.

 

An awful lot of imps rode on this board, and setting would probably have made the difference between winning and losing the finals. Our teammates played 3♥ making five.

 

In hindsight I think a spade lead is best -- we will only be on lead once and need to try to lead through dummy's moderate strength and towards partner's strength. Almost any lead could work this way, but partner almost always has a "medium" number of spades for the double (usually four) making it likely that we can cash a couple tricks there if I lead them right off.