Lead vs 3NT

[ahydra]

IMPs, nobody vul

 

[hv=pc=n&w=sk74hjt98652d87c3&d=w&v=0&b=8&a=2d(weak%202M)p2h(p%2Fc)pp3dp3nppp]133|200[/hv]

 

2D = weak two in an unspecified major, 3-10 HCP. (You opted to treat the poor 7-card suit as a 6-bagger)

 

Opps are better-than-average club players but don't have any real agreements about defence to Multi.

 

Your lead?

 

Thanks,

 

ahydra

[pescetom]

Diamonds looks too risky, clubs is out especially with the 3, partner could have doubled 3NT if he really wanted spades...

so the J♥ I guess.

[Tramticket]

partner could have doubled 3NT if he really wanted spades...

 

This depends on agreements. Why spades?

 

I would prefer a double to tell me to lead (or not lead if you prefer) my suit.

[FelicityR]

I remember reading somewhere in a bridge book something along the lines of "When there is a standard lead available, and little information to go on, it's best to be boring not speculative."

 

That said, I have a gut feeling that a ♠ lead may hit partner's suit as both opponents have had the opportunity to double or bid ♠s but haven't.

 

The distribution suggests that 3NT could be in for a rough ride anyway, so boring ol' me is going to lead ♥J. At least my teammates won't have any reason to complain.

[nige1]

[hv=pc=n&w=sk74hjt98652d87c3&d=w&v=0&b=8&a=2d(weak%202M)p2h(p%2Fc)pp3dp3nppp]133|200| ahydra asks 'IMPs, nobody vul

2D = weak two in an unspecified major, 3-10 HCP. (You opted to treat the poor 7-card suit as a 6-bagger)Opps are better-than-average club players but don't have any real agreements about defence to Multi.

Your lead?'

++++++++++++++++++++++++

 

I rank

1. ♠4 = Partner is likely to have ♠s and entries..

2. ♥J = "Safe" .[/hv]

[pescetom]

This depends on agreements. Why spades?

 

I would prefer a double to tell me to lead (or not lead if you prefer) my suit.

 

With most partners I agree it as "lead spades, unless that is the suit you have shown". I prefer that to "lead the suit you have shown" and find that anything more complicated is error prone when it actually comes up.

With one I did agree that:

• if we have shown one or more suits then double asks for a lead in the first one

• if dummy has shown one or more suits then double asks for a lead in the first one

• if no suit has been shown then double asks for a lead in spades.

I hope he still remembers B-)

[dsLawsd]

The reason I choose the spade King is that it conveys the message that my hand is hopeless so do not lead back a heart[ set up your tricks and consider killing entries to one hand or the other. It may pickle dummy or partner but it certainly figures to kill or mangle declarer, if any defense is possible.

 

Please note: In most ACBL land clubs, if multi is allowed then a defense must be given to the opponents. It might be a good idea even if not mandatory. An expert game might not require this of course.

[FelicityR]

The reason I choose the spade King is that it conveys the message that my hand is hopeless so do not lead back a heart[ set up your tricks and consider killing entries to one hand or the other. It may pickle dummy or partner but it certainly figures to kill or mangle declarer, if any defense is possible.

 

Please note: In most ACBL land clubs, if multi is allowed then a defense must be given to the opponents. It might be a good idea even if not mandatory. An expert game might not require this of course.

 

That's an interesting choice, but surely partner can work out for him/herself that having not made a ♥ lead against 3NT, your ♥ suit is far from perfect, especially given that Multi 2♦ openers (that I used to play) are sometimes bid on flaky suits. Fourth/fifth best from AQxxxx with partner holding a doubleton would usually work well. Leading a small spade as opposed a ♥ automatically tells partner you have a ♠ honour card, probably in a trebleton. Leading the K would look rather silly if declarer has AQx or the A and Q split between the two hands.

[PhilG007]

IMPs, nobody vul

 

[hv=pc=n&w=sk74hjt98652d87c3&d=w&v=0&b=8&a=2d(weak%202M)p2h(p%2Fc)pp3dp3nppp]133|200[/hv]

 

2D = weak two in an unspecified major, 3-10 HCP. (You opted to treat the poor 7-card suit as a 6-bagger)

 

Opps are better-than-average club players but don't have any real agreements about defence to Multi.

 

Your lead?

 

Thanks,

 

ahydra

 

Unquestionably it has to be the J♥ Your partner's bid suit. Time is against you. As you only have one possible entry

speed is of the essence to get the heart suit established. Declarer may be gambling on holding just one stopper The Jack is the correct card to lead as it tells partner what your holding is in the suit,. Top of a sequence guaranteeing the 10 and possibly the 9.

[mikeh]

While no lead comes with guarantees, imo the spade 4 is the standout choice.

 

It is highly unlikely that partner has enough in hearts to allow us to establish and run the suit. He will rarely hold 3,since he would usually bid at least 2S with 3 hearts. If he lacks spades, our spade king may never be an entry either.

 

Meanwhile the opps have promised hearts stopper(s) but said nothing about spades.

 

Also, if the opps had long spades, they may have tried to find that fit, while if they have clubs (in addition to diamonds) they’d often ignore that suit in favour if notrump.

 

Finally, and this is ‘the’ reason for the lead, spades is thevsuit where we offer the most help to partner.

 

As for the choice of lead, low is, to me, clearly right. I would lead high from xx or xxx so partner will infer an honour. While it is unlikely to matter, low caters to layouts such as Lho with Qxxx and partner AJ108. The king stops us getting 4 tricks. Also, again unlikely, the K blows a trick on some layouts where an opp has a stiff Ace. Finally, we don’t want partner playing us for KQx.

 

In real life, the odds are that the King would work as well as would the 4, but I think the 4 is definitely the correct choice.

 

I overlooked one other reason for the 4, rather than the King. Give declarer Qxx in spades, and partner AJ10x. Now, he still needs another trick/entry to cash 4 spades and beat the contract, but the King blows a trick immediately and may be the 9th quick winner.

[mikeh]

Unquestionably it has to be the J♥ Your partner's bid suit. Time is against you. As you only have one possible entry

speed is of the essence to get the heart suit established. Declarer may be gambling on holding just one stopper The Jack is the correct card to lead as it tells partner what your holding is in the suit,. Top of a sequence guaranteeing the 10 and possibly the 9.

Phil, partner did not show hearts. In fact his 2H bid usually denies hearts: it says ‘if you had opened a weak 2H, I would pass......but (and this is important), he may have a hand that would raise spades. Say you held AQxxx x xxx xxxx and partner opened 2H....what would you do?

[pescetom]

Mike, any comments on double of 3NT here and/or in general?

[mikeh]

On this hand, and others where we have shown a suit and partner, in essence, has not, a double by him of 3N asks me to lead my suit. Now, that’s not the same as saying he has stuff in my suit. He may think he has them beaten no matter what I lead but, to the extent that he is suggesting a lead, it’s of my suit

 

Why? Because on auctions such as this we will normally not lead our suit. Say we hold something like AJ9xxx or KJxxxx: leading that suit makes no sense on auctions such as this. So partner might have Hx in our suit (he can’t have great support on the auction but Hx is well within the realms of possibility) and, when we have an indifferent suit, we rate to have something on the side. Since the imp gain of beating this is far greater than the imp cost if they make, it is worth doubling even on borderline hands.

 

On other hands, he doesn’t fit hearts, but he has a great defensive hand, probably diamonds well stopped and an opening hand, short in hearts. He expects to beat them two or more tricks even if we blow a trick/tempo with our heart lead.

[ahydra]

Thanks all. Those who led a spade did well, as partner had ♠AQxxx ♥Q ♦xx ♣QJ9xx, declarer having 9 tricks off the top unless the defence get their 5 first.

 

There was a similar hand yesterday where I might have led the non-partnership suit against 3NT to more success. I am always nervous about doing so though, first because I might look like a fool if declarer has only a single stopper and not enough tricks elsewhere, and secondly that if you are known to not lead the partnership suit in these situations, better players can troll you by bidding 3NT without any stop in your suit at all. Still, I think it is time I stopped being such a wimp. :)

 

ahydra