[Fluffy]

♠763
♥Q108752
♦A6
♣52



1♦-1♠
4♠-4NT (regular blackwood)
5♦-6♠

your lead.

[nick_s]

6♦.
I think the best shot is find partner with Q♦ and declarer to guess wrong.

[cherdanno]

Heart.

[Jlall]

I LEAD A HEART!

[Phil]

Do the opponents play splinters?

If they do not, I'm having a tough time coming up with a hand for LHO that fits a 4♠ call and we can beat 6♠ with a heart lead, although it came to mind first.

Hard to see how a low diamond can be right. It also requires partner on many layouts to pop Q from Qxxx.

A♦ looks like it can beat it on many ordinary layouts.

[Jlall]

Phil, on Sep 21 2009, 04:35 PM, said:

Do the opponents play splinters?

If they do not, I'm having a tough time coming up with a hand for LHO that fits a 4♠ call and we can beat 6♠ with a heart lead, although it came to mind first.

Is it really that hard? Partner has the HK and we get hearts going before they can set up the diamonds to pitch their hearts away.

What layout are you trying to cater to by leading the ace of diamonds?

[Phil]

Jlall, on Sep 21 2009, 04:42 PM, said:

Phil, on Sep 21 2009, 04:35 PM, said:

Do the opponents play splinters?

If they do not, I'm having a tough time coming up with a hand for LHO that fits a 4♠ call and we can beat 6♠ with a heart lead, although it came to mind first.

Is it really that hard? Partner has the HK and we get hearts going before they can set up the diamonds to pitch their hearts away.

What layout are you trying to cater to by leading the ace of diamonds?

Partner having a stiff.

No its really not that hard, but I actually bothered to try to come up with a hand in dummy that fit a 4♠ call, a hand in RHO that made sense for 4N and a slam bid that is beatable on a heart lead.

[Jlall]

lol

[olliebol]

if you gave the heart two to the clubs everybody would lead a heart. developing the slam setting trick. now does that extra heart calls for drastic measures? i dont know of course but normal play is a heart. but having said that that east hand has it all saving the aces so can the dec have a single d and we give away the contract by letting them score the first d trick as against dec having a doubleton d an misguessing on the lead? with all other factors uknown i start with a small d for jack pot.

[pooltuna]

Fluffy, on Sep 21 2009, 04:17 PM, said:

♠763
♥Q108752
♦A6
♣52



1♦-1♠
4♠-4NT (regular blackwood)
5♦-6♠

your lead.

I presume you are asking me if I would underlead the ♦A on this hand. The answer to that question is no. Even if I find the KJ in dummy and partner has the Q a good declarer will put up the K because it is normally a crazy lead. I would lead whatever agreed ♥ would be appropriate

[Jlall]

pooltuna, on Sep 21 2009, 07:11 PM, said:

Fluffy, on Sep 21 2009, 04:17 PM, said:

♠763
♥Q108752
♦A6
♣52



1♦-1♠
4♠-4NT (regular blackwood)
5♦-6♠

your lead.

I presume you are asking me if I would underlead the ♦A on this hand. The answer to that question is no. Even if I find the KJ in dummy and partner has the Q a good declarer will put up the K because it is normally a crazy lead. I would lead whatever agreed ♥ would be appropriate

Umm I presume he was asking if you would lead a club or a heart! Little did he know!

BTW LHO showing 1 ace rather than 2 is a big thing in favor of a heart over a club. Even when we hit the CK with partner RHO is a huge favorite to have the CA for that reason and because he might not bid 4N with no club control.

[nige1]

Fluffy, on Sep 21 2009, 04:17 PM, said:

♠763 ♥Q108752 ♦A6 ♣52
1♦-1♠
4♠-4NT (regular blackwood)
5♦-6♠
your lead.

IMO ♥x = 10, ♦A = 9.
At MP, when I hold an ace and don't lead it, allowing opponents make an overtrick, partners have an irrititating habit of saying "I told you so". Especially when they hold the king. Here it is even possible that declarer went on because of a diamond fit, so partner might get a ruff.

[skjaeran]

Systemic low heart for me. Only realistic alternative is a club. ♦A is totally out of the question for me, only a trump lead looks (slightly) worse.

[Fluffy]

With the level off opps I didn't even bother to ask about the 5♦ meaning althou I probably should.

I was happy when I led a club and saw ♠KJ9♥AKx♦KQJxx♣Qx and declarer took forever to play first trick finally playing low and partner producing the jack.

But partner's card wasn't club King, it was ♠Qxx wich was finesed quickly. Declarer had ♠A108x ♥J ♦9xxx ♣AK10x

The worst lead was a trump, with ♦A going into some mind games if declarer had a higher level.

[olliebol]

Well my small diamond lead will make partners ♠ queen also wastepaper. ♦ holds first trick and dec wonders if someone would underlead having the queen of ♠.I would get that one right at the table.