[Mosene]

Scoring: MP

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The bidding went,

1S, P, 2clubs, p,
2H, p, 2s, p
3h p, 4s, all pass

What do you lead?

[ArcLight]

The 2 Club bid should show at least 10 HCP, and probably more. If playing 2/1 then certainly more.

Pard probably doesn't have much, say 2-6, perhaps in Diamonds, but not in Clubs (we have the Ace and Dummy thought enough of teh Clubs to show them)

Dummy should have 3 Spades, maybe 4. Probably 5 Clubs, maybe 4.
That means declarer and pard are short in Clubs.

Declarer is probably 5=5=2=1 (we and dummy have almost all the Clubs)

Will Dummy be ruffing hearts? We have 3, Declarer 5, and maybe the other 5 are 2-3.

Dummy could be something like 3=2=3=5

We should get our Dime K, Spade Q, Club Ace. What about the Heart Q? will it be ruffed out?
If Dummy has 2 hearts then one ruff establishes them. I see no way to prevent
that. Leading a trump gives away a trick and declarer will then establish hearts.

If Dummy has 3 hearts, the declarer may have 4 losers

Every lead is horrible.
Leading a club established dummies Clubs. I do NOT cash my Club Ace.
Leading a heart may give away a trick, and help establish them.
Leading a Spade probably costs a trick and doesn't stop the heart establishment.

I think it unlikely pard has the Dime Ace, so the play Club Ace, Dime K, Dime to Ace, and Dime ruff/trump promotion is unlikely, but we may have to reconsider that.

BUT thats the only choice I see.

1. Lay down the Club Ace
2. Play the Dime K
3. Lead a dime to pards ACE
4. Overruff the Dime return, or discard and win the Spade Q.

[whereagles]

♦K

[luke warm]

whereagles, on Jul 16 2006, 07:18 PM, said:

♦K

me too... i don't like a club lead, it seems bad to set up dummy's KQJxx before we get our 4 tricks

[ArcLight]

Play the Club Ace so pard doesn't return Clubs and so declarer can discard a loser on a loser. If you don't take teh CLub Ace NOW you might never get it.

[Free]

♠x

[mikeh]

I agree with the sentiment that every lead looks horrible.

I'd prefer to be defending at imps, at which form of scoring the ♦K looks clear: it is unlikely to cost the setting trick and rates to be the most succesful attack.

In fact, this lead looks like the best even at matchpoints.

Of course, if I choose that lead (and I do) I will probably catch dummy with AQJ Qxxx in the minors, and declarer with x Jx

Oh well.

The ♦ lead can win in more ways than it loses, since even when it is 'wrong', it may turn out to be irrelevant: dummy's ♣ may be establishable to discard the ♦ loser I eliminated on the lead, as one obvious example.

As it is, I retain control of ♣, probably retain my trump trick, may establish partner's ♦Q, and might even hit partner's ♦A. If so (that is, if the ♦K wins) I will have to decide whether to cash the ♣A... that will depend upon what I see in dummy... before continuing the ♦ attack.

[Mosene]

I led the K diamonds. Dummy had Q10, and declarer had AJX. Wanted to see if it was a reasonable shot (even at MP's).

[willow23]

Though call ..as every lead seem to help opps...

I am sceptical about the A♣ since one opp is showing a 6♥/5♥ hand and may very well be void in ♣ as his p may have a suit..I do not like leading K from Kx ..unless bidding from p ..hints he may have A♦..and I get a ruff by K♦ then small to the A♦...

Under the circumstances, although everything points towards the K♦ lead..I would lead the 2♥..

The suits my p may have honor points in are the ♥ and ♦...

It would hurt me to loose my K♦...besides they should break somewhat evenly..so i would hope to make later...

Here goes nothing 2♥..played...

[neilkaz]

K of D seems to have the most going for it to me.

[Winstonm]

neilkaz, on Jul 17 2006, 03:08 PM, said:

K of D seems to have the most going for it to me.

Although I prefer to play a forcing game against two suiters, here that seems unlikely to work so the best chance it would seem would be to score 2 hearts, a diamond, and a spade. I lead a spade and hope the hand is:

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