3nt lead

[Trumpace]

No offense to anyone but I consider not leading a diamond to be horrible.

I'm a strong believer in leading my best suit on this sort of auction, whether or not I've got all the high cards.

 

Obviously it's not always right, but I've gained a surprising number of game swings in when the layout is something resembling this:

 

<snip>

But, isn't this a matchpoint lead problem? How does previous experience in game swings justify it here?

 

(I am not saying diamond is incorrect, just being nitpicky :P )

You normally get a good board for beating game, even at matchpoints.

Yes we do get a good score, but does that mean, as defenders in MPs you try to beat every contract?

 

All I was trying to say is that experience in IMPS might not apply as the play/defense/bidding strategy could be quite different. Just because declarer went down in an IMP game more than 50% of the time, it does not mean that they would do so in an MP game too a similar % of the time.

 

Anyway, as I said it is a nitpick. You probably have 10 times the experience I have and will take your word for it.

[Free]

Can we get the results now Gwnn? Then we don't have to make any other jokes about not leading ♦ because it was questioned on the forum... :P

[gwnn]

Declarer had 10 tricks outside of diamonds, with ♦ lead he gets the 11th and on the run of the tricks partner gets squeezed for +3. Declarer can guess diamonds if he so wishes and make +3 on any lead (x and KJx), but he wanted to make only 3NT+1. I am not saying that this proves anything, if I had thought that I wouldn't have posted the hand here. I found myself fearing giving up tricks from lead far too often at Pairs, and I wondered if this hand qualifies. Seems not. Thanks for everybody's help!

[Double !]

OK, the result is posted, and those geniuses who found a better lead than a diamond are to be congratulated. The diamond lead didn't work on this particular hand: one sample proves nothing.

I, too would have led a diamond (that proves absolutely nothing), and where is it written that I couldn't hit partner with Ax(x) or even KJx. Now the lead has become psychologically favorable because, should declarer have a 2-way decision to make in a side suit, then your hand would be the dangerous hand and declarer might finesse into partner (losing). Little things like this can lead to matchpoints, too. I doubt you got a bottom for your lead unless partner could have taken some action (even if risky) but chose not to. Again, I would need Luis' sunglasses to know better than to lead a diamond.

 

DHL