Lead Problem

[awm]

An opening lead problem; matchpoint pairs:

 

[hv=pc=n&w=s8432hk762dj7ckq7&d=n&v=e&b=9&a=pp1n(14-17)p2cp2hp2np3nppp]133|200[/hv]

[MrAce]

♣

♠

♠

[mike777]

2h

 

openers known suit and my longest, best suit.. not dummies.

[Winstonm]

spade, spade, spade. It's matchpoints. Let's not give anything away.

[alok c]

♠-all.

[nige1]

[hv=pc=n&w=s8432hk762dj7ckq7&d=n&v=e&b=9&a=pp1n(14-17)p2cp2hp2np3nppp]133|200|awn poses "An opening lead problem; matchpoint pairs:"

 

I rank

If LHO promises 4♠s, then ♦, ♣, ♠. ♥.

if LHO might have 4♠s, then ♠, ♦, ♣, ♥.

If LHO denies 4 M, then ♠, ♦, ♣, ♥.

 

For many partnerships this sequence would deny 4♠s with LHO (whether or not opponents remember their agreement), so a ♠ lead seems safe and normal except when this sequence explicitly promises 4♠s.[/hv]

[Jinksy]

I'd lead J♦ on the first, which feels about as likely to give a trick away as a club and marginally more likely to hit an establishable five-card suit (given P couldn't double Stayman, which he might have scraped with Axxxx and something outside). Other than that, spade.

[shyams]

Spade on all three explanations.

[awm]

[hv=pc=n&s=sajt9haj95dqtca93&w=s8432hk762dj7ckq7&n=skq6ht3da95cjt654&e=s75hq84dk86432c82&d=n&v=e&b=9&a=pp1n(14-17)p2cp2hp2np3nppp]399|300[/hv]

 

At the end of the auction, North mentioned that there had been a failure to alert, and that 2NT did not guarantee a four-card major. After this, West lead ♣K face down on the table. East then asked if 2NT could ever include a four-card major, and North said that it could not. Of course, the club king lead was not a success.

 

It seems that there was some amount of misinformation here (there's a difference between 2NT "may or may not have four spades" vs. 2NT "denies four spades") but according to the poll here it does not much effect people's leads. The director was not called at the table; I'm curious what the ruling would've been.