[kenrexford]

Scoring: MP

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The auction, again at MP:

1♦-P-1♥-P(you)-
3♦-P-3NT-all pass

This lead problem is a compound lead problem.

Q #1: What is your lead at IMP's?
Q #2: What is your lead at MP?
Q #3: Suppose your partner talks at the table on this hand, after you think for a while. Suppose, further, that the opponents strangely do not call the director, but that you feel constrained by active ethics. The comments are, "The auction seems to call for a black card lead" and "Or, I suppose a heart if dummy is short." Now what? Is your ethics decision different after the first comment, and yet different again after the third?

[whereagles]

I think spades are out (pard didn't overcall), so that leaves hearts and clubs. If I know opps play 1D-1H-3D-3H as forcing, I'd try a heart. Otherwise a club.

[awm]

I'd lead a heart. I've found that on this auction, declarer often has some strength in the black suits. If not, declarer might've tried 3♠ as some sort of stopper ask. But declarer's hand doesn't need to be particularly good, which might imply heart weakness. In any case a heart seems most likely to set the contract, since any other lead requires partner to have a pretty serious suit (there are five diamond tricks set to run after one diamond stop is knocked out after all).

[cherdano]

I dont know about ethics, but I would lead ♦K given partner's table talk, since I want to play this game called bridge, not this lawyers' game about LA's, and this way I hopefully get the chance next time (possibly with a different partner).

Arend

[HeartA]

I didn't see the table talk part. In that case, I will CONCEDE all the tricks, seriously!

[Apollo81]

Taking the middle road:

IMPs: heart
MPs: ♠9
Q3: Throw a wrench at partner's face. Hopefully it will hit him and I won't have to play with him anymore. Hopefully I am not being paid when I do this.

Seriously though, a heart is more likely to set but a spade has a higher expected MP value IMO. I'd think about a heart more at MPs if it went something like 1d-1h-2d-2n-3n
I would always lead a spade if I had ♥Kxxxx.

-Noble

[mikeh]

A ♥ at any form of scoring.

1stly, my instincts usually guide me to an aggresive lead, even at mps, unless the auction screams to go passive.

This auction, in particular, goads me into action.

This type of sequence is often perpetrated on minimal values... with RHO bidding 3 N on a promising 7 or 8 count with xx in ♦s, mentally counting 6♦ winners and some outside stuff. If LHO has stretched, many in the field will have swung low because of their weak(ish) ♦ suit.

So there will be a substantial percentage of hands (were I to run across this auction 100 times over the course of the year) in I am doomed to a poor score if they make, because the field will be in 2♦.

Add to this the fact that there is no safe lead. A ♠ only looks passive. Imagine AJ10 opposite Kxxx.

Yes, a ♠ is not as dangerous as a ♥, but a ♥ has almost infinitely more upside. Heck, a ♥ rates to be the only lead with a legitimate shot of beating the contract, and on most constructions, I won't have time to do it after I win my ♦ trick.

Now, if the opps were known to be extremely conservative players, I'd lead a ♠ at mps and a ♥ at imps.

[Walddk]

1. ♠9
2. ♠9
3. Director!

Regarding 3): No partner of mine would talk at any point during biding or play, so that question is actually irrelevant. Hypothetically, however, call the director, tell him what has happened and let him give a ruling.

Roland

[kenrexford]

Thanks for the responses.

In practice, I tanked for a short while, teetering between the spade nine and the low heart. As a primarily IMP player, at least in theory, the low heart taunted me. However, the spade nine seemed like the "field" lead.

As I grabbed toward the spade nine, comment #1 hit. This was, of course, frustrating. I then leaned my thumb toward the small heart until the second comment. This, of course, forced the spade nine.

The club also beckoned...

As an aside, my wife down the aisle immediately grabbed the small heart against a pro friend of mine for a near top.

[pclayton]

The 10♥ makes a heart very attractive. I can see a ♠ at MPs, but at IMPs it feels like a give-up.

As for the comment, if I make a spade or heart lead and it turns our right, I'll feel like crap. I almost want to lead a diamond when pard makes these gratuitous comments to teach him a lesson.