What to lead?

[BunnyGo]

[hv=d=n&v=e&s=s8642h9daqj76c653]133|100|Scoring: MP

1H-(1N)-AP[/hv]

 

What do you lead here? Why? Do you lead something different at IMPs? What about if the auction were:

 

1H-(1N)-P-(3N)-AP? (even though the deck would seem to have 45 points)

[TylerE]

♦7.

 

Might blow a trick, but also tells partner what to lead when he's in, which might gain 3 or 4 back.

[mikeh]

generally, it is not a good idea to lead the Q from this holding when you have no side entry and/or it is possible for an opp to hold 4 cards. Consider dummy holding 8xxx and your partner holding Kx, as one example.

 

Lead 4th best and partner will figure out what to do next. It helps if you play a form of Smith Echo, which is a method of signalling at trick two whether you like diamonds.

 

AQJ9x or AQJ10x are different because it is far less likely that a 4 card holding by an opp will block our suit (there is no holding on the 2nd, and it requires specifically 10xxx on the first...and on the first, leading the 9 is flat out weird, plus we'd look silly if dummy held K10x and declarer played the 10.

[mike777]

[hv=d=n&v=e&s=s8642h9daqj76c653]133|100|Scoring: MP

1H-(1N)-AP[/hv]

 

What do you lead here? Why? Do you lead something different at IMPs? What about if the auction were:

 

1H-(1N)-P-(3N)-AP? (even though the deck would seem to have 45 points)

lowest d....attitude lead.

[jdonn]

I'll go for a heart and hopefully get partner to lead diamonds through at some point.

[Codo]

A HEart too

[Free]

♠6

[Cyberyeti]

generally, it is not a good idea to lead the Q from this holding when you have no side entry and/or it is possible for an opp to hold 4 cards. Consider dummy holding 8xxx and your partner holding Kx, as one example.

 

Lead 4th best and partner will figure out what to do next. It helps if you play a form of Smith Echo, which is a method of signalling at trick two whether you like diamonds.

 

AQJ9x or AQJ10x are different because it is far less likely that a 4 card holding by an opp will block our suit (there is no holding on the 2nd, and it requires specifically 10xxx on the first...and on the first, leading the 9 is flat out weird, plus we'd look silly if dummy held K10x and declarer played the 10.

Of course every time you do this, dummy hits with 109 and partner had 8x, so all you accomplish by leading small is to ensure that you can only get one trick without releasing 2 for declarer.

 

Also embarrassing when dummy has Kxx (and he may well have 5 or 6 points), and declarer 10x.

 

It's not clear which diamond you should lead, and indeed whether you should lead one at all.

 

I might well lead a heart anyway.

[mikeh]

generally, it is not a good idea to lead the Q from this holding when you have no side entry and/or it is possible for an opp to hold 4 cards. Consider dummy holding 8xxx and your partner holding Kx, as one example.

 

Lead 4th best and partner will figure out what to do next. It helps if you play a form of Smith Echo, which is a method of signalling at trick two whether you like diamonds.

 

AQJ9x or AQJ10x are different because it is far less likely that a 4 card holding by an opp will block our suit (there is no holding on the 2nd, and it requires specifically 10xxx on the first...and on the first, leading the 9 is flat out weird, plus we'd look silly if dummy held K10x and declarer played the 10.

Of course every time you do this, dummy hits with 109 and partner had 8x, so all you accomplish by leading small is to ensure that you can only get one trick without releasing 2 for declarer.

 

Also embarrassing when dummy has Kxx (and he may well have 5 or 6 points), and declarer 10x.

 

It's not clear which diamond you should lead, and indeed whether you should lead one at all.

 

I might well lead a heart anyway.

Your examples are technically valid, but you should perhaps think more in terms of the probabilities of various holdings. The ones on which a low diamond costs while a honour gains are not very probable compared to the contrary situation. Bridge is a game of probabilities, after all.

[pooltuna]

[hv=d=n&v=e&s=s8642h9daqj76c653]133|100|Scoring: MP

1H-(1N)-AP[/hv]

 

What do you lead here? Why? Do you lead something different at IMPs? What about if the auction were:

 

1H-(1N)-P-(3N)-AP? (even though the deck would seem to have 45 points)

Well the normal lead here(with this hand) IMO is the ♦Q. However the probablity that this costs 2 tricks is substantialled reduced as the dummy is unlikely to hold Kxx and declarer Tx(x). You need partner to hold 2+♦ or you are likely to be really screwed on this hand. If declarer holds Kxx or even KTx you will still score 4 ♦ tricks so I would probably lead the 4th best ♦ This does really well when partner has Kx and declarer T9xx

[Phil]

Low diamond. I would stay off the suit if I held AQJxxx, because in that case one or two leads from partner will run the suit.

 

Heart might be right but with a very weak dummy, I don't think we need to work very hard to beat this. We are likely giving a trick no matter what we lead so we might as well get our suit started.