cherdano Posted November 30, 2006 Report Share Posted November 30, 2006 You hold ♠AQT63 ♥JT652 ♦85 ♣9 at IMPS, all vulnerable, partner dealt. RHO opens 2N, LHO raises to 3N, your lead. Maybe this example is a bit extreme. Generally, when would you shy away from an aggressive 5-card suit lead into a 2N opener and prefer a more passive lead? (Yes, I intentionally didn't include any high spade among the options. I am convinced it is inferior and, more importantly, we have discussed the right lead from this combination many times.) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Walddk Posted November 30, 2006 Report Share Posted November 30, 2006 4th best from my longest and strongest, so low spade it will be. I don't mind leading from strength into the strong hand when partner is marked with some values. I may choose a different approach if I have got all the outstanding high cards myself. Roland Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vilgan Posted November 30, 2006 Report Share Posted November 30, 2006 all you really need pard to have is the ♠K to have a good shot at setting the contract.. so a low spade it is. If pard was marked with 0-1 points, I might lead the heart. Eric Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gwnn Posted November 30, 2006 Report Share Posted November 30, 2006 IMP is agressive defence, MP is passive. So low spade. What's the catch? :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gpm_bg Posted November 30, 2006 Report Share Posted November 30, 2006 hm, same like all before, low spade. if the partner have something like control as A or mostly K with 5-3-3-2 distrubution of the spades and if we expecting KJx in the opener or at least Kxx, the lead will be normally. if he don't or the declarer have Jx and dummy Kxx, there is hopeless for the defenders to broke this contract at least -1. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hrothgar Posted November 30, 2006 Report Share Posted November 30, 2006 I'm going to lead the Jack of Hearts. I've seen too many hands where a Spade lead gives declarer his 9th trick. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
joker_gib Posted November 30, 2006 Report Share Posted November 30, 2006 I'm going to lead a low ♠. I've seen too many hands where my partner had a spade honour and that was enough to set the contract. ;) Alain Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pclayton Posted November 30, 2006 Report Share Posted November 30, 2006 I know the hand, but I would lead the ♠ sight unseen. All it needs is the ♠K in pard's hand, the ♠Jxx (and an entry), or ♠xx, and ♠'s 3-3. A ♥ needs to catch pard with length, or have a layout where pard has two side entries that need to be knocked out, with ♠xx. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Jlall Posted November 30, 2006 Report Share Posted November 30, 2006 Spades seem like the best chance to beat the hand. We may run the first 5, or be in position to run 4 spades plus whatever entry partner has. If partner has no entry or no spade king we are unlikely to beat this anyways. Leading a heart caters to a very narrow target in my mind..the opps having exactly 8 tricks and the spade giving up the 9th. Sure it's possible, partner may have slow minor suit cards with declarer having the SK(J) but I think it's unlikely. In general when I have a hand like this I just try to establish my long suit and hope partner can get in before they've run 9 on me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Free Posted November 30, 2006 Report Share Posted November 30, 2006 ♥ seems to be best on not giving declarer his 9th trick. Also I have probably 2 entries left to get to my established ♥ tricks. I don't see the point in leading ♥J, small ♥ is much better. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hatchett Posted November 30, 2006 Report Share Posted November 30, 2006 I agree completely with Jlall comments. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
neilkaz Posted November 30, 2006 Report Share Posted November 30, 2006 I agree completely with Jlall comments. Me too, and it is a fine analysis. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pclayton Posted November 30, 2006 Report Share Posted November 30, 2006 I still like a spade, but what do some of my fellow spade leaders think about this situation at MPs? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mikeh Posted December 1, 2006 Report Share Posted December 1, 2006 I still like a spade, but what do some of my fellow spade leaders think about this situation at MPs?Last time I looked, you get more matchpoints for beating 3N than you do from letting it make... and this auction suggests that they will make if left to their own devices: it is hardly likely (altho not impossible) that they need to play on ♠s to generate 9 tricks. Now, if we knew for sure that the ♠ lead was the only lead that would ever give them an otherwise unwinnable trick, we could justify being passive at mps. But the truth is that there is no purely passive lead here. A ♥ could find Q9x in dummy opposite AK8x. A minor could pickle partner's Jxxx and so on. I have found that over-thinking opening leads usually costs big time. This hand looks like ♠s and ♠s it is at any scoring. Finally, in terms of matchpoints, even if the lead blows a trick immediately, it may come back in the play since declarer may be afraid of losing the lead: on a different lead, he may not gain the immediate winner but will have time to develop one or two more winners elsewhere... and he may in fact take hooks into your hand to protect his hypothetical ♠K.... hooks we know are winning. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cherdano Posted December 1, 2006 Author Report Share Posted December 1, 2006 Ok, as I expected, the vote is rather clear. (I lost 12 IMPS on this at the table when I lead a heart and Justin lead a spade, but was convinced on reflection that spade is superior.) So what if we change the spade suit to ♠KQ98x? Then the heart suit to ♥JT87x?Or ♥JT97x? At which point (if any) would your choice swing to the safer heart lead? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Jlall Posted December 1, 2006 Report Share Posted December 1, 2006 Ok, as I expected, the vote is rather clear. (I lost 12 IMPS on this at the table when I lead a heart and Justin lead a spade, but was convinced on reflection that spade is superior.) lol i didnt even remember holding this hand...glad i did the same thing here as at the table lol. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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