Lead

[hrothgar]

IMPs. Both White

 

World class opponents and team mates (In other words, you're the weak link)

 

 

♠ A8

♥ KT32

♦ T4

♣ KJT63

 

RHO opens 1♠. You double. The auction proceeds

 

(1♠) - X - (3♠!) - P

(4♠) - All Pass

 

Chose your lead

[the hog]

Low C

[655321]

♦10

 

Here the lead from one of the kings feels unsafe.

 

We have the ♠A, and, given we only have 11HCP and opps stopped out of game, partner will have something. So the diamond seems both less risky than a round suit, and also attacking in the sense that we have some realistic hope of getting a diamond ruff.

[Apollo81]

I don't have a strong feeling about this lead; I usually go passive when any lead is reasonable, so diamond for me. Maybe I can get a ruff later..

[hrothgar]

♦10

 

Here the lead from one of the kings feels unsafe.

 

We have the ♠A, and, given we only have 11HCP and opps stopped out of game, partner will have something. So the diamond seems both less risky than a round suit, and also attacking in the sense that we have some realistic hope of getting a diamond ruff.

Sorry, had the auction wrong

Its been corrected

[655321]

OK, still a diamond.

 

I guess our chances of getting a diamond ruff are lower, but the danger attached to a lead from a King has increased, when we have most of our side's HCP and the strong hand on our right.

[kenrexford]

As the weak link, I could not be blamed for a diamond lead.

[jdonn]

I would lead a club, I am convinced it's right to be very aggressive against normal auctions. I don't hate a diamond because of the chance of getting a ruff, I hate just trying to be passive here in general though.

[Guest Jlall]

Whether you lead the jack of clubs or the ten of diamonds is probably more a function of where you are from and who you have learned from than anything else. They are both fine. I will say that outside of north america I would expect the DT to be almost a routine lead.

 

There was a hand like this in the cavendish where I had choices of something like a doubleton, or a trump, or leading away from KJxxx after 1S p 2S p 4S. I chose to lead from KJxxx and was, I think, the ONLY person to do so. But when I talked to a lot of american experts they thought KJxxx was automatic.

 

Personally on power auctions I like to lead aggressively. However, I don't really consider this to be much of a power auction, and since dummy is likely to be weak with RHO strong, and since I have trump control, I prefer the DT in this case.

[pclayton]

I don't have any strong feelings here. Anything but a trump (which is just TOO passive for me) could be fine.

[Codo]

I know the fealing to be the weak link so I lead my weakest suit, diamonds.

 

BTW: I like Justins post about this.

And I believe that all LOLs in Germany lead from KJTxx and all so called experts from Tx. :)

[hrothgar]

For what its worth, the club lead was the winner at the table. Partner can get in with the Ace of Clubs and shoot back a Heart before the opponents can do much of anything.

 

I was interested to see how many folks would choose some kind of active lead as opposed to a (passive) Diamond.

 

I was also wondering whether there would be any arguments regarding the merits of a low club as opposed to the Jack.

[gnasher]

I'd lead a trump. I'm not sure what a diamond is supposed to achieve, but it won't seem very passive if partner has Kxxx or Qxxx and the jack is in dummy.

[the hog]

For what its worth, the club lead was the winner at the table. Partner can get in with the Ace of Clubs and shoot back a Heart before the opponents can do much of anything.

 

I was interested to see how many folks would choose some kind of active lead as opposed to a (passive) Diamond.

 

I was also wondering whether there would be any arguments regaridng the merits of a low club as opposed to the Jack.

A low C lead is better Richard, as you are hoping for Q or A in partner's hand. On this auction there is not much point in leading C J or T as you are not making many C tricks anyway.

 

I didn't say this in my orginal post, but I think a D lead is quite poor. leads from Tx can cost a trick and to hope for a ruff here is futile imo.

[Codo]

A low C lead is better Richard, as you are hoping for Q or A in partner's hand. On this auction there is not much point in leading C J or T as you are not making many C tricks anyway.

 

I didn't say this in my orginal post, but I think a D lead is quite poor. leads from Tx can cost a trick and to hope for a ruff here is futile imo.

I doubt that the low club is better then the jack. If we don't make many club tricks, why shouldn't we lead the normal card?

 

And I doubt that the diamond leaders do lead a diamond, because they would like to earn a ruff. At I least I choose it because I did not want to give declarer a free finesse in clubs or hearts. Obviosuly it can still backfire, but my hope is that it would not this time.

[Guest Jlall]

For what its worth, the club lead was the winner at the table. Partner can get in with the Ace of Clubs and shoot back a Heart before the opponents can do much of anything.

 

I was interested to see how many folks would choose some kind of active lead as opposed to a (passive) Diamond.

 

I was also wondering whether there would be any arguments regarding the merits of a low club as opposed to the Jack.

Well, actually a diamond lead can set the contract too. You just have a nasty defensive problem upon winning the ace of spades...you must shift to the jack of clubs with the queen in dummy, rather than a heart with xx in dummy or a passive diamond or trump.

 

As far as jack vs low the jack wins on layouts where dummy has the queen and partner has the ace like Qxx dummy and declarer has 9x, or if you are going to get endplayed later like decarer has AQ9 or something and wins the 9 then endplays you later. Low doesn't really cater to much of anything, except something like Q98x in declarer's hand and the ace with partner where the jack creates a ruffing finesse position. IMO the jack is much better than low, and you should pretty much always be leading the jack against suits from this holding (whereas in NT you might lead low to unblock the suit).

[Hanoi5]

Why did I double?

[nige1]

IMPs.  Both White ♠ A8 ♥ KT32 ♦ T4 ♣ KJT63

World class opponents and team mates (In other words, you're the weak link)

RHO opens 1♠.  You double.  The auction proceeds

(1♠) - X - (3♠!) - P

(4♠) - All Pass

Chose your lead

IMO ♠A = 10, ♦T = 9, ♣J = 8

Slight preference for passive lead because opponents seem to be stretching and strength is likely to be on your right.

[gnasher]

I'm having difficulty in reconstructing the entire deal. Can anyone post it, or tell me where to find it?

[Guest Jlall]

[hv=n=sxhjxxxdjxxxxcaxx&w=st9xxhxxdk98xcqxx&e=skqjxxxhaqxdaqcxx&s=saxhktxxdtxckjtxx]399|300|[/hv]

 

From memory, may be slightly inaccurate. At my table on a Diamond lead they did win the second spade rather than the first to get a signal from pard, but the signal was an ambiguous won so they played a heart.

[hrothgar]

For what its worth, the club lead was the winner at the table.  Partner can get in with the Ace of Clubs and shoot back a Heart before the opponents can do much of anything.

 

I was interested to see how many folks would choose some kind of active lead as opposed to a (passive) Diamond. 

 

I was also wondering whether there would be any arguments regarding the merits of a low club as opposed to the Jack.

Well, actually a diamond lead can set the contract too. You just have a nasty defensive problem upon winning the ace of spades...you must shift to the jack of clubs with the queen in dummy, rather than a heart with xx in dummy or a passive diamond or trump.

 

As far as jack vs low the jack wins on layouts where dummy has the queen and partner has the ace like Qxx dummy and declarer has 9x, or if you are going to get endplayed later like decarer has AQ9 or something and wins the 9 then endplays you later. Low doesn't really cater to much of anything, except something like Q98x in declarer's hand and the ace with partner where the jack creates a ruffing finesse position. IMO the jack is much better than low, and you should pretty much always be leading the jack against suits from this holding (whereas in NT you might lead low to unblock the suit).

Hi Justin

 

I actually spent a bit of time trying to figure out whether or not to lead a low club or the Jack of Clubs. (Let me start by saying that I agree completely that the Jack of Clubs is the textbook lead from this holding)

 

When I was thinking about the hand, I was very much hoping that

 

1. Tim would be able to wn the open lead

2. He'd punch a heart back though

 

I thought that leading a low club was more likely to suggest a Heart shift rather than a club continuation which I really didn't want...

 

In retrospect, i still like the club lead, but I think that the Jack is probably a better choice.

 

If anyone wants to look at the complete hand, its

 

http://online.bridgebase.com/myhands/fetch...ayed=1214438540

[pigpenz]

i know how much you guys love hand simulators but what i found from my input that 4♠ makes 35% of the time on the 1500 hands i produced so i then ran the analysis on the hands where 4 ♠'s goes down

1. high ♦

2. A♠

these were the two best choices with the high diamond working on just about 10 more deals than the A♠

3/4 small ♥ or J/10♣ are about equal.

[P_Marlowe]

Hi,

 

it is either a trump or a club, I would go

with a club, what ever your agreement.

 

The bidding sounds, as if they will make it,

if we dont beat it fast.

 

With kind regards

Marlowe