[Walddk]

Scoring: IMP

---

2♣ - 2♦*
2♠ - 4♠
6♠ - pass

* waiting.

This lead problem is from the bidding contest in the Scottish Bridge News. Since I submitted my answers already, I am not looking for help. What would you lead, and why?

Roland

[P_Marlowe]

I am trying to go passive, meaning, I would go with
a low diamond.

I guess 4S was the weakest bid responder could have
make after 2S, may not even mean they have a fit,
so we dont know, if 6S is cold or not.
Additionnal, i dont like to guess, which king to underlead,
I wont feel happy, if I choose the wrong one.

With kind regards
Marlowe

[ewj]

I want to go passive too....I think I'd lead a trump though.

[brianshark]

Trump for me too. I doubt the opponents have a problem in the trump suit.

[655321]

Low club.

I don't want to go passive so I lead from a King. Clubs because it is the shorter suit.

[the hog]

Trump lead is by far the worst lead you can make. a D for me.

[Walddk]

655321, on Sep 10 2008, 01:15 PM, said:

Clubs because it is the shorter suit.

Now that it's your shorter suit, isn't the risk greater that it is declarer's side suit if he has one?

To those who lead a trump: this is not necessarily passive in my opinion. For all we know, they may not have more than 9 trumps between them, without the queen. Partner will not be happy if you butcher his Qxx. Declarer may not have an entry to dummy to pick it up even if he thinks they break 3-1.

I agree with those who say that a diamond is the passive lead although, on a bad day, the lead is into AKQ10 or the like.

Roland

[TMorris]

Low club as I want to be active against a slam and there is just room for partner to bid hearts if they have something there but this is much less likely to be the case in clubs.

[Free]

I want to lead one of my Kings, but I'm not sure which one is best... I voted ♣K

[ewj]

People often say this about stiff trumps...but on this auction I would expect them to have pretty good trumps and hopefully I wouldn't be giving anything away....

[P_Marlowe]

ewj, on Sep 10 2008, 08:34 AM, said:

People often say this about stiff trumps...but on this auction I would expect them to have pretty good trumps and hopefully I wouldn't be giving anything away....

Declarer will certainly have good trumps, but
AKJ to 7th and responder holding two, is an
possible option.
And 6-3 fits are also possible.

With kind regards
Marlowe

[ewj]

I would never bid 4[S] over 2[S] with only 2 trumps...I'd start with 2NT

[paulg]

The scoring is actually matchpoints, not IMPs.

Paul

[sathyab]

I want to go passive, but I'm worried that declarer may show up with a spade-diamond two-suiter, in which case the lead may prove expensive. A reluctant trump lead for me.

[P_Marlowe]

ewj, on Sep 10 2008, 08:48 AM, said:

I would never bid 4[S] over 2[S] with only 2 trumps...I'd start with 2NT

2 NT may or may not promise some kind
of stopper in every out standing suit (say
distributed values), a new suit may or may
not show a 5 carder.
And of course, it may or may not show add.
values.

As always, it is depend on system.

With kind regards
Marlowe

[P_Marlowe]

cardsharp, on Sep 10 2008, 09:24 AM, said:

The scoring is actually matchpoints, not IMPs.

Paul

... which makes a passive lead even more attractive.
Now you have only to find the passive lead.

With kind regards
Marlowe

[lilboyman]

The bidding indicates that opener doesn't care which cover cards partner might hold. Hence, I think opener must hold two strong suits, spades and diamonds, with two side Aces or a side Ace and a void and not more than 3 cards in the side suits. I think the only chance to set this is to have partner void in diamonds and win a side King when its finessed.

[mike777]

Walddk, on Sep 10 2008, 04:35 AM, said:

Scoring: IMP

---

2♣ - 2♦*
2♠ - 4♠
6♠ - pass

* waiting.

This lead problem is from the bidding contest in the Scottish Bridge News. Since I submitted my answers already, I am not looking for help. What would you lead, and why?

Roland

ATTACK!

low h or club....

[ArtK78]

I agree with Mike - I am leading from one of my kings.

You can at least take from the limited amount of bidding that partner does not WANT a diamond led - unless he is void, which I strongly doubt (he might double 6♠ with a void in any side suit).

It is also true that partner does not have a very strong holding in hearts - he had the opportunity to bid hearts at the 2 level, for whatever that is worth.

And a trump lead could easily pick up partner's Qxx (or even JTxx).

I would lead a low club.

For what it is worth, if the low club lead gives up the 13th trick, I doubt that it will cost too many matchpoints. But if a non-club lead allows the opps to make 12 tricks, that will certainly cost a lot of matchpoints (the same could be said if the club lead gives up the 12th trick, but I don't believe that is the case).

[mikeh]

Roland specified IMPS as the form of scoring, altho a later poster, who, I assume, has access to the same poll, said it was mps.

At imps, I lead a club. Not because of any inference from partner's failure to bid hearts... give me a break... who bids 2♥ into this auction on QJxx(x) near yarb with 5332 or 4333 shape or the like?

I lead a club because it combines aggression... building a trick.. with safety.. in that if opener holds the club A, and he is surely the favorite, amongst all 3 other players, to hold that card, I am more likely to still get the King later when I lead my short suit than my long suit. IOW, he is more likely to hold non-pitchable length in clubs than in hearts, by a tiny margin.

At mps, my calculations change. While the bidding is perhaps less scientific than it may be at other tables, nothing about my hand suggests that the opps have arrived at an unusual contract such that I have to go plus to get a good score. Indeed, maybe some will be in 6N, making, and all I need to get average plus is to avoid the overtrick.

Frankly, any time competent opps bid a slam against me in mps, I hope to get average, and I try to avoid turning my average into a zero more than I try to turn my average into a top.... unless either my hand or the auction suggests that aggression works or will cost little when it fails.

So I choose the most conservative lead: a diamond.