Posted 2007-December-31, 15:36
I join with Ken in leading a high spade spot.
We need to lead spades because we are hoping to establish a spade trick before partner wins whatever trick he has.. and he has to have one in order for us to have a chance.
The choice of spot will often be irrelevant, but an expert partner will play us for the King anyway, if it matters, once he is on lead... in fact, he will often KNOW we hold the K from the play to the 1st trick even if we don't get a chance to signal (play suit preference in trump is one easy way)
But once in a while, we will find a situation in which we need declarer to fear that we have led top of nothing. Imagine dummy with Ax in spades and declarer with Qxx, while the club suit is AQJxxx in dummy and xx in declarer's hand.
Declarer, thinking that the spade K is offside, will see that he can make the contract, probably with an overtrick, if the club hook works, and is going down anyway if it isn't, because he thinks you have led passively. So up goes the A and down goes the contract.
Whereas, if you lead low, he is more inclined to reason that this lead affords him a 75% line of play, via one of two finesses.
BTW, only if LHO is a moron are we cashing the AK of spade, and even then, partner will likely see no reasonable alternative to returning a spade anyway.
'one of the great markers of the advance of human kindness is the howls you will hear from the Men of God' Johann Hari