[jonottawa]

Scoring: IMP

1♣ - P - 1♠ - p
1NT - P - 2♦NMF - P
2NT - P - 3NT - Float

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Barometer scoring, so you know you only have a 1 IMP lead.

Not clear if your counterpart at the other table knew the score. But I suspect not (every time we've finished a board, the score has been instantly available, so they're probably a fair bit ahead.)
EDIT: On the penultimate board, your counterparts were in 2 Spades just making on a 6-2 fit with 17 high between them. It makes 3 Diamonds the other way. You duplicated their result. (In other words, you also had a 1 IMP lead with 2 boards to go.)

Would your lead be the same if you didn't know the sotm?

Do you ever lead the 9 from a holding like Q9876? If so, when?

[han]

I would lead 4th best. I won't say which suit. I would never lead the 9 from that holding (unless perhaps for deceptive reasons, though I cannot think of an example on the top of my hat).

[pclayton]

With a 1 Imp lead this match might come down to overtricks.
What would I do if I were 1 Imp behind? Would I lead a standard heart or a MP looking diamond? To create a swing I would try to lead the 'other' suit my counterpart would. On the surface a heart looks normal so I'll try a diamond hoping thats what the Phil at table two leads.

[han]

Phil, the other table likely made the normal lead because they were ahead.

[Codo]

I will lead the 4. best too and do still wonder which suit Han would choose.
May you give me a hint?

[pclayton]

Hannie, on Nov 8 2007, 09:47 PM, said:

Phil, the other table likely made the normal lead because they were ahead.

Ahead on the pace, not on the score you mean.

I suppose it might depend on what happened on the previous board (was it an obvious push)? Also, if we had any kind of lead at the penultimate board, I would expect my counterpart to try to swing here.

If the other team was ahead (in the score) before the penultimate, then I would expect the normal lead of the heart.

[mikeh]

I'd make the normal lead.

1) I'd hate to lose the match by making an abnormal lead

2) Unless I really knew the players at the other table very well, I would be reluctant to stake my view of the match on assuming that they reached 3N at the other table, from the same side, and on the same auction.

3) My choice wouldn't be different if I knew that we, for example, were losing by 1 imp instead of winning.

My normal lead is the systemic low heart. The 9 would deny the Q, for me.... and, I suspect, for virtually everyone.

Obviously, one can construct hands on which the diamond lead works, or even a spade lead. So what?

[bid_em_up]

jonottawa, on Nov 8 2007, 11:57 PM, said:

Would your lead be the same if you didn't know the sotm?

Do you ever lead the 9 from a holding like Q9876?  If so, when?

1) Yes. Either the heart 7 or 5, depending on 3rd/4th best agreements.

2) I do not, but I have a partner who thinks that it is appropriate to always lead from an internal sequence such as this. Every time he leads the 9 from this type of holding, all it manages to do is screw up the defense. I can never read this type of holding, its always looks like top of nothing to me and I misdefend accordingly.

[FrancesHinden]

This is waaaay too deep for me not to lead a heart whether I am up one imp, up 5, 10, 15 or 20 or down 5, 10, 15 or 20. It's just too obviously the right lead on this auction such that I think trying to swing on the lead is wrong.

[jonottawa]

Aight. My 'interesting' detector failed me on this one. Sorry to post a stinker.

I was 'sure' that when I led a Heart it would give up a trick and the match would end in a tie. But as others have said, I wasn't willing to risk making a different lead and have a Heart be right all along. It's a much better problem if Diamonds are QJT instead of QJ9, though, because no lead is truly 'safe' on the actual hand.

I led a Heart. It took away a 2-way guess. The match ended in a tie. They played it from the other side at the other table, hence the different lead and result.

http://online.bridgebase.com/myhands/fetch...ayed=1194576144

[han]

You were "sure" a heart lead would give 1 IMP? People like you should play the lottery, lots of money to be made there.