mtvesuvius Posted March 30, 2009 Report Share Posted March 30, 2009 All Vulnerable at IMPs, you hold: ♠Jxx♥9x♦9xxx♣ATxx RHO opens 1NT which is raised to 3 by LHO... Your lead? 4th Best Leads... Standard Honor Leads. Ace attitude, King Count. (Playing a Sectional Swiss Teams against a C team, if that affects your decision) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kfay Posted March 30, 2009 Report Share Posted March 30, 2009 Small spade. A10xx, imo, isn't a great holding to lead from. 2nd highest diamond is too passive. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xcurt Posted March 30, 2009 Report Share Posted March 30, 2009 I'm trying to figure out what leads partner could legitimately hate. I can only see a gripe with an anticonventional heart or diamond spot or one of the club honors. I'm leading a mundane low spade. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
655321 Posted March 30, 2009 Report Share Posted March 30, 2009 ♥9 for me. Don't like to lead from ATxx, leading from ♦xxxx seems a bit passive on this auction, Jxx is also not an attractive suit to lead from. So by default I lead the heart, but I don't feel particularly strongly about this. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JLOL Posted March 30, 2009 Report Share Posted March 30, 2009 The spade jack is pretty sexy, I'm sure thats what jdonn would lead. I like a club for lack of better choices, usually I wouldn't lead from this holding in a minor but I don't like either major option and a diamond is for matchpoints. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gnasher Posted March 30, 2009 Report Share Posted March 30, 2009 I'd lead a diamond, whatever the form of scoring. 9xxx isn't purely passive, and any other suit seems so likely to give away a trick without setting anything up. I can't imagine why anyone would lead the jack of spades. Usually one does this either to pin a singleton spot card in declarer's hand or to hold the lead for a further finesse against dummy. There's no reason to think that either of these is necessary on this hand. The only other way we might hope to gain from leading ♠J is if declarer misplaces the 10. That is (or should be) more than balanced by the risk that partner will misplace the 10, as well as the risk that ♠J just costs a trick by four. There's a reason that the books recommend leading low from Jxx. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
whereagles Posted March 30, 2009 Report Share Posted March 30, 2009 Club seems ok. Underleading an ace at NT is usually a good lead. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OleBerg Posted March 30, 2009 Report Share Posted March 30, 2009 Small diamond. For lack of anything better to lead. Spades are out.I dont like leadinf away from the club suit. It might easily give away a trick, or a tempo.Hearts and diamonds are left, where diamonds win by a small margin. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bid_em_up Posted March 30, 2009 Report Share Posted March 30, 2009 9♥. Yesterday, today, tomorrow and until the end of time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phil Posted March 30, 2009 Report Share Posted March 30, 2009 Sex sells. ♠J. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
P_Marlowe Posted March 30, 2009 Report Share Posted March 30, 2009 A heart. Partner will be sitting on at least 4 hearts, 5 very likely, and I try to set up his heart. Not sure, what the systemic lead from 9x is, I voted 9, but if it is the x, that is fine as well. With kind regardsMarlowe Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mtvesuvius Posted March 30, 2009 Author Report Share Posted March 30, 2009 I opted for the 9♥. Turns out partner had the A♦ and the KJxx♣ and didn't switch to ♣ looking at Qx in dummy. I'm amazed the variety of responses here... So I guess this was a real problem. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lobowolf Posted March 30, 2009 Report Share Posted March 30, 2009 I'd have led a small spade, like the substantial majority, and considered it a close call over the majority choice 9♥. Oops. Guess that's why Justin has a star! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mikeh Posted March 30, 2009 Report Share Posted March 30, 2009 Even before reading the posts, I was leading a club. It is boring, and I don't generally rely on adages, but there is a reason why 4th best from longest and strongest worked in whist, in auction bridge and continues to be very playable to this day (altho many now choose a different spot, they still choose the same suit for the same reason). I didn't think it was close. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JLOL Posted March 31, 2009 Report Share Posted March 31, 2009 BTW I think a big plus factor for leading your suit is that partner doesn't have to find a tough shift later. Like on a diamond lead I bet partner wasnt just winning the ace and playing a club, even if you led a high one. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
benlessard Posted March 31, 2009 Report Share Posted March 31, 2009 at imps 9 of H seams pretty clearcut. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mike777 Posted March 31, 2009 Report Share Posted March 31, 2009 All Vulnerable at IMPs, you hold: ♠Jxx♥9x♦9xxx♣ATxx RHO opens 1NT which is raised to 3 by LHO... Your lead? 4th Best Leads... Standard Honor Leads. Ace attitude, King Count. (Playing a Sectional Swiss Teams against a C team, if that affects your decision) I would have tried a nonexpert lead of low club. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gnasher Posted March 31, 2009 Report Share Posted March 31, 2009 BTW I think a big plus factor for leading your suit is that partner doesn't have to find a tough shift later. Like on a diamond lead I bet partner wasnt just winning the ace and playing a club, even if you led a high one. Well I would lead a highish one (though I wouldn't waste the nine), and I'd also be playing Smith Echo. That ought to tell him whether there's any future in the diamond suit. I agree that sometimes he'll think he should be switching but may not know what to switch to, but I think that will be the exception rather than the rule. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jdonn Posted March 31, 2009 Report Share Posted March 31, 2009 The spade jack is pretty sexy, I'm sure thats what jdonn would lead. For someone so known, I'm really not known. Everyone knows I do that, but no one knows when. :D I admit I would lead some spade. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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