ordinary lead problem

[Guest Jlall]

x Qxx QTxxx KT87

 

1H p 1S p 3H p 4H p p p. Imps. Your lead.

[mike777]

8C

[Guest Jlall]

8C

Why do you opt for this lead over the other leads? What is your plan?

[mike777]

I want to attack.

 

I think leading a spade a stiff spade into the spade bidder is not the most attacking.

I think leading from a queen is not the most attacking.

I think leading from a king is most attacking, I lead third best from 4.

 

 

Second choice is stiff spade.

 

I really have no plan to beat the hand at this point, I only hope to attack and not mess up and hope something good happens.

[Guest Jlall]

I want to attack.

 

I think leading a spade a stiff spade into the spade bidder is not the most attacking.

I think leading from a queen is not the most attacking.

I think leading from a king is most attacking, I lead third best from 4.

 

 

Second choice is stiff spade.

 

I really have no plan to beat the hand at this point, I only hope to attack and not mess up and hope something good happens.

thx mike. why are you electing to attack rather than be passive?

[mike777]

Against a game suit contract that seems to have been bid strongly as oppossed to timidly I always attack. In other words against the vast majority of game suit contracts I just attack.

 

For more, nonexperts may read the new book, Leading questions in Bridge by Sally Brock. A book I think is the best one of 2007.

[karlson]

I vote for a small diamond. Seems that given our length it's not very likely to blow a trick, and the stiff spade looks odd given our very likely trump trick. Also given the fact that there are no quick spade pitches coming, I don't think we need to attack as quickly as Mike is suggesting.

[dicklont]

Small diamond for me too. It seems not very dangerous, partner needs A, K or J to make it safe. I hope to develop a trick off course.

 

I don't like to lead the singleton spade here, if I get a ruff it might be a trump trick i would get anyway.

[Codo]

I lead a spade.

I like to go passive, but both minors have their dangers too and I see no reason to develop side suit tricks for us at once. If declarer has loosers in D or C he won´t be often able to discard them at once.

But if ruff(s) are the only way to beat it, I need them now, there is no later.

[jdonn]

I would lead a diamond. I have a heart trick that they might be hoping not to lose, spades are probably not breaking, and I hate leading from a king into the strong hand like this though I admit spade or club could work (or even heart! haha but I'm sick for even saying that). Diamond seems pretty safe to me and can still be productive.

[helene_t]

Club. Any lead could give a trick away and I probably have a natural trump trick anyway. Second choice diamond.

 

If I had a safe passive lead I would chose that, with spade length by p and my ♥Q it seems to break somewhat badly for declarer, and this in an auction where responder often stretches.

[whereagles]

Diamond. Not going to lead from a short king into the strong hand.

[joker_gib]

I lead my single ♠

 

1♠ can be anything and minors seem dangerous (I don't want to choose one or the other)

 

Alain

[mikegill]

Partner is behind the spades, which are likely splitting poorly, so I'm more worried about blowing a trick than attacking. I would lead a diamond, which is safe when partner has the A, K, or J, as well as a few other cases, whereas a club is only safe if pard finds the Q or A, and even then might give away the 3rd round.

[han]

Club is my last option (as opposed to Josh I am not willing to consider hearts as an option). I think a club is too likely to blow a trick. I really see no reason to choose an aggresive lead.

 

When I first heard this hand I voted for a diamond. A diamond is unlikely to cost a trick, any honor in partner's hand will be useful. The spade lead will also be safe but I was afraid that it would cause partner to misdefend.

[jdonn]

The spade lead will also be safe but I was afraid that it would cause partner to misdefend.

And tell declarer how to play (well, how not to play).

[han]

Yep.

[Guest Jlall]

I don't understand comments like "partner has spades locked up over dummy's spades, I don't want to blow a trick with a club lead.. so I will lead a diamond." These arguments seem to argue for a spade lead which seems by far the safest if that is your goal. A diamond will blow a trick with reasonable frequency, and I don't understand why people say if partner has the ace it won't blow a trick. A diamond may also set up ruffs for dummy, be into the KJ when partner has the ace thus eliminating a guess, be into the king when partner has the ace thus eliminating a need for an entry into a weak dummy, etc etc. And of course it may just be into the KJ/AJ/AKJ when partner has no honor. I think a diamond costs more than people seem to be implying.

 

Spades on the other hand blow a trick far less frequently (usually involving partner having the Q and nothing else), and also is a more productive lead more frequently.

[mike777]

Here are some general guidelines I try to follow when deciding to lead a singleton. See Brock book.

Others may wish to add or subtract from these:

Lead:

1) unbid suit and partner is marked with some values.

2) when it is dummy's suit but only when you have excellent trump controls

3) dont have stiff but you want to pretend you do

4) stiff is in partner's hand and you have to lead it for her.

 

Do not lead:

1) dont have trump control

2) dummy's suit

3) long trumps

4) against a slam when you have an ace

5) good alternative and the stiff can wait.

[kfay]

I'd lead either a diamond or a spade. I have an agreement with one of my partners to make 'robot leads' which delineate leads that you make from certain holdings (A from AK all the way down to x from xxxx). While I don't have the whole table memorized supposedly a lead negates all possible holdings of cards that would have demanded they be led as they're a higher priority.

 

Using robot leads I'd lead the stiff spade. I don't really expect partner to have 2 aces but I always love when it goes ace of spades, high spade (ruffed) diamond return etc... probably the easiest way to beat 4M.

 

But I'm not sure what I'd lead here. To me there aren't really any clues that would say one is better than another, but I'm probably not looking deep enough.

 

Edit: The one thing I do like about robot leads is that I don't have to think and then if they're wrong I just say 'well you're the one that wanted to play them, partner'. :P

[mike777]

Wow my leads suck. :)

 

I am the only one leading a club...in fact some say a club is their last choice. :P

[Apollo81]

I think I would probably lead a club, which I think is the most aggressive lead. A diamond seems less risky but there is also less to gain. A spade is IMO the most passive lead, and may well be right, but since it's IMPs I would hope to hit something like QJx or Qxx in partner's hand in clubs, which is probably our best hope to set.

[pclayton]

I led a club without thinking about it much. A spade is passive but it doesn't accomplish much and and a diamond could just as easily blow a trick. The difference between a club and a diamond is that we might survive a bad club lead but a diamond lead could be fatal.

 

I'm not convinced at all about this reasoning however.

[ceeb]

♦. Admittedly ♣ gives us a clearer route to 4 tricks. However, passive defense may be sufficient if we can kill dummy's entries and ♦ is better for that.

[mikeh]

On these auctions, I always lead a diamond (with this hand :) ). Part of it is habit, but I am comfortable with that approach since (he says with no modesty at all) opening leads are a strong part of my game.

 

Ok, why?

 

Any lead but a trump might be right....heck, even a trump might be right if only Edit: I got interrupted in my post, so when I cam back I had forgotten my trump holding :)

 

A spade has an immediate payoff if partner has the 'right' hand, but may be immediately fatal on some layouts while merely losing a tempo on many more.

 

A club is the most aggressive, and, while I often underlead Kings, this auction doesn't sound like the time to do it. Declarer will have a doubleton club too often, and, when he does, you may blow the trick you were entitled to.

 

A diamond seems a little safer, while still possessing some degree of aggression. It is less likely, than the club, to cost a trick we'd otherwise get and almost as likely to establish a trick before declarer can get a pitch (or two). The main downside (altho not the only one) is that we hit partner with the A and remove a guess for declarer.