[FrancesHinden]

Scoring: IMP

1NT P 2♥ P
2♠ P 2NT P
3♠ all pass

---

1NT was 12-14, the rest what it looks like

[hotShot]

I will get no chance to use my trump to ruff, so I'll prepare partners chance to use his small trumps on ♥.

[whereagles]

Heart. The rest is unattractive to me.

[mike777]

H.

[luis]

Heart from longest and stronges intending to force declarer early and make him lose control of the trump suit, pd has some trumps, maybe 4.

Luis

[mikeh]

I am not surprised by the strong vote for ♥. I would lead the appropriate ♥ spot and would evaluate the options as ♥100, ♦60, ♣A 40 ♠30 and low ♣ 20.

[Echognome]

Seems textbook to lead a long suit. Partner has trump length, so we should try to get declarer to ruff in the long trump hand. The heart suit seems the natural one to lead, although I wouldn't be surprised if clubs happened to work out better.

[bid_em_up]

I suspect that most of you will hate yourselves in the morning when dummy shows up with Qx♥ and declarer has Axx, or vice-versa and you chose the heart lead. Both opps have shown semi-balanced hands, with dummy holding invitational values and declarer declining the invite.

My vote goes to small club, retaining control of the suit. Who knows maybe partner has Kx, or Qx and dummy has Kxx and declarer will misguess, or just a small doubleton and we can give him a later ruff. In any case, I dont believe a small club can lose... but a heart certainly can. And it certainly rates to be better for the heart to be led from partners side of the table.

As always, jmoo.

[jdonn]

bid_em_up, on May 2 2006, 11:30 AM, said:

I suspect that most of you will hate yourselves in the morning when dummy shows up with Qx♥ and declarer has Axx, or vice-versa and you chose the heart lead. Both opps have shown semi-balanced hands, with dummy holding invitational values and declarer declining the invite.

My vote goes to small club, retaining control of the suit. Who knows maybe partner has Kx, or Qx and dummy has Kxx. In any case, I dont believe a small club can lose... but a heart certainly can. And it certainly rates to be better for the heart to be led from partners side.

You don't believe a small club can lose?

Maybe partner has KTx over dummy's Jxx, and you know he will stick in the ten.

Maybe declarer has Qx, Kxx in dummy, and now gets to set up a heart discard.

Maybe it simply goes into the king when partner had QJ.

I lead a heart because partner may well have four trumps, so I want to get a tap going. Even if Qxx wins the trick in dummy it may not have cost a trick.

[luis]

bid_em_up, on May 2 2006, 04:30 PM, said:

I suspect that most of you will hate yourselves in the morning when dummy shows up with Qx♥ and declarer has Axx, or vice-versa and you chose the heart lead. Both opps have shown semi-balanced hands, with dummy holding invitational values and declarer declining the invite.

My vote goes to small club, retaining control of the suit. Who knows maybe partner has Kx, or Qx and dummy has Kxx and declarer will misguess, or just a small doubleton and we can give him a later ruff. In any case, I dont believe a small club can lose... but a heart certainly can. And it certainly rates to be better for the heart to be led from partners side of the table.

As always, jmoo.

I wonder since when underleading an ace is a safe lead? :-)
The last time I underlead an ace it was because dummy had shown a control in that suit, therefore the king, dummy did indeed had the king but unfortunately it was singleton, declarer was missing that ace and a losing finesse in a side suit, 6♣ rolled home and I just disappeared from earth for a couple of hours.

Luis

[bid_em_up]

Ok, wrong phrasing. Sorry. Certainly there are losing options for a small club, I just consider them to be less likely to cost than the heart lead.

Who is to say that clubs isnt the suit to get the tap going in, if you are going to create a force? You hold 5 of them as well, remember? I feel that the heart lead rates to give declarer two tricks in the suit more often than not, and that leading away from this holding is more of a losing option.

That, and I'm not certain deciding on opening lead that we should be attempting to tap any hand is the correct analysis of this hand, even IF partner hold 4 trumps. Declarer can still hold 4 ♠ and be on a dead minimum NT opening.

As always, jmoo.

[mcphee]

The lead of a H has lots of appeal to me. A D lead rates to be unproductive, the 9 may have some value and perhaps I may trap a card from partner. The C lead from the A is not something partner expects and could cost. The trump lead when partner holds 4 is surely wrong. That leaves H where you may indeed lose a trick but the advantage is we retain our entry to perhpas begin a force on declarers trumps at a later stage. I know I would feel silly to find partner with Q9 of C and dummy KJxx only to see him put in the 9.

Any high honor card in H places us well and I have every reason to expect some help. I may not get it, but it is less likely to cost me any tempo.

[han]

Given that any other lead is very unattractive I would also lead a heart, though I am not thrilled about it. Any lead is fairly likely to blow a trick, and hearts seems to have the biggest upshot.

[FrancesHinden]

In common with the majority, I led a heart. Sadly that lets the contract make. You can argue about what would happen on a diamond lead, but I think it likely that declarer will go off. Also on a club lead (though I really hate the idea of a low club lead, I have to admit).

---

Team-mates played spades by the West hand on a heart lead.

[sfbp]

Small club. Declarer has a bad hand, with good spades (well, non-doubleton). Therefore I can place significant values in partner's hand. I'm not leading trumps, that might finesse partner, similarly diamonds. The club lead might be passive (it's not as bad as underleading king in this situation), it might hit partner's Kx (hooray), or it might be partner's best suit. A singleton in dummy doesn't disturb me.

[pclayton]

A spade and any club are out.

I want to ask everyone a question: Would you lead a ♥ against 2♠? Or 4♠? I ask this, not because I think I'm smart enough to know the answer, but I'm curious on how the different level affects your decision.

I voted for a ♦ lead, but could be convinced otherwise. Personally I think a ♦ lead is clear against 4 (their suits are breaking poorly, and you have a few cards over declarer - although the club spots are troubling).

I also think a heart lead is best against 2♠.