[bridgeboy]

Imps, None Vul,

You hold:

Q96
T83
J876
J42

RHO opens 1C (2+) and the bidding proceeds

1C 1H
1NT 2NT
3NT

Upon enquiry, opps inform you 1NT may have 4 card S.

Your lead? How close a decision is it?

Thanks all!

[hrothgar]

bridgeboy, on Jun 24 2006, 05:01 PM, said:

Imps, None Vul,

You hold:

Q96
T83
J876
J42

RHO opens 1C (2+) and the bidding proceeds

1C 1H
1NT 2NT
3NT

Upon enquiry, opps inform you 1NT may have 4 card S.

Your lead? How close a decision is it?

Thanks all!

This is a rough one

I like short suit leads against NT and I considered leading a low Spade. However, partner should be sitting on (roughly) 11-12 HCP and couldn't find a call after (1♣) - P - (1♥). If partner has a 5 card suit, its not in Spades. Accordingly, I don't like underleading my Queen.

I'm gonna go passive and leave the 8 of Diamonds.

[Free]

other: ♠9...

[sfbp]

Just because you posted it, I imagine there's a catch. I lead a heart (actually I lead the middle one but you dont allow for that). Who knows, but I now have a rule that says when this happens, lead the major they bid. Probably wrong in this case but what the heck, a lead is a lead.

I recently got nailed by a pro playing with a client by something looking a bit like your question.

J654
QJ42
J7
T53

Bidding
1H(client) P(me) 1S(pro) P(partner)
1NT P 3NT end

The pro had two small spades and a 15 count. I should have led my spades.

[mike777]

8D passive.

Higher D indicating I got nothing in the suit=Attitude lead vs NT, not 4th best.

[awm]

Partner doesn't have five spades (surely he overcalls) or five hearts (opps have at least six, and quite possibly seven of those). If I'm going to hit partner's five card suit the best shot seems to be a diamond, which also happens to be my four card suit (and could be a good lead if I catch partner with only four of them, or three to two honors). Don't see a strong reason to go against "4th best" here, since trying to "hit partner" more or less favors the same lead.

[luke warm]

i think partner might x for a heart... i'd lead the ♠6... the 2nt bid was evidently invitational, and most people play some form of ckback or xyz after a 1nt rebid.. i'd like to know if these two do...

[bid_em_up]

Since the bidding is weak and dummy is not likely to have 5 hearts (no checkback) and either opponent could be pushing for game, I would prefer to make a lead that is passive.

A heart lead is apt to give very little away but a lead in any other suit could be disastrous. While I think any heart is liable to work out ok, the 10 is probably the best one to lead. If I lead a low one, partner might actually think I like hearts.

Its not even close to leading anything else.

(And I dont consider a diamond lead to be passive given this auction).

[Winstonm]

I also like to try not to blow tricks against this type auction and the least likely I think to blow a trick with a secondary chance of striking gold is a low club so that is what I lead.

My thinking is similar to others - partner is marked with some cards but could not get in over 1H so he does not rate to hold 5 decent spades. He may have diamond length and not enough to overcall at the 2-level but my length in diamonds seems to indicate that is not the case. He probably has a smattering in both hearts and clubs, probably something like 3424 shape and a club lead at least works on our 4/3 fit without giving declarer something undeserved it looks - and it could be that partner is 2335 or 3325 in which case a club is our best suit.

Winston

[pclayton]

bid_em_up, on Jun 24 2006, 12:50 PM, said:

Since the bidding is weak and dummy is not likely to have 5 hearts (no checkback) and either opponent could be pushing for game, I would prefer to make a lead that is passive.

A heart lead is apt to give very little away but a lead in any other suit could be disastrous. While I think any heart is liable to work out ok, the 10 is probably the best one to lead. If I lead a low one, partner might actually think I like hearts.

Its not even close to leading anything else.

(And I dont consider a diamond lead to be passive given this auction).

Agree 100%. I think I like the ♥8 instead of the 3, because it gives pard a better picture of the hand. My hand isn't the strong one, and pard will be making the key decisions about the hand, so I don't want to fool pard into thinking I have heart strength.

Textbook situation to go passive.

[P_Marlowe]

Hi,

diamonds.

it would be of greater interest, if responder
could have a 4 card o longer diamond suit,
i.e. do they play Walsh?
A corrollary would have been the information
you have got.

Even if they play Walsh I would go with diamond,
but if you ask, please ask the correct questions.

With kind regards
Marlowe

[inquiry]

they have 24 to 27 hcp on this auction, you have a crappy four. That give partner 9 to 12 hcp. That is not enough to make a sandwich 1♠ overcall, and partner probaly does not have spades and diamonds as he might have doubled, but even that is not clear. This looks like balanced hands around the table. West has only 4♥ I think too.

I think I join the chorus of going passive, and the most passive lead here is a heart. I would lead the 8 at the table, it is not in the list, so I vote for the 3, but any heart is better than any of the alternatives.

[whereagles]

Club seems out, and diamond requires either length in pard or a very specific holding. Heart I don't like, so I'll try a small spade. Pard didn't double 1♥ though..

Bit of a blind guess, really. Anything can work. Even a club.. lol.

[Al_U_Card]

J876 is an interesting collection. With strength to my right, lead a broken suit. With strength to my left lead a solid suit. Against NT lead my longest suit. As bad as J empty leads against NT are, I consider the alternatives unpalatable. I will lead the D8 and hope that everyone has 3 and the opps will get no advantage from my choice.

[bridgeboy]

Thanks all for replies!
The full hand was

---

Both defenders chose to lead the T of H (Perhaps catering for 9x in declarer's hand) and after East won with the Q, looking at dummy's D holding, quite understandably, they continued with a H. (I suppose 8 of h would have discouraged them from doing so)

I have not fully analysed the hand but I think it takes a D lead or a D switch after the Q of H to defeat the contract. (if declarer takes the right view on the hand)

I was just interested in how passive one should go in such cases. I agree the book calls for a passive lead, but in view of the good breaks lying around, it does seems that if declarer has all the timing, he should be able to scramble enough tricks.

Thus, I would have favoured the majority choice of a D lead.. although I really hate to lead from Jacks

[Codo]

I do not see, why a Heart led back to the AKx can be any good as long as there is a side suit with Tx in dummy. Even if PD ahas as few as J8x, Diamond is still right in my opinion.

And I dislike the original Heart lead and had prefered 4. highest from my longeest and strongest. But this is easy to say after seeing the complete hand.

[jdeegan]

The choice of lead is, imo, not so much close as it is a crapshoot. I would have led a diamond, and that would have won, but so what? If you have a hunch, follow it.