[Hanoi5]

You pick up this beauty at white all:

♠QTx
♥87x
♦J9xx
♣9xx

It goes:
Pa 1♠ 2♠ 3♦
Pa 3♠ Pa 4♦
Pa Pa X Pa
Pa Pa

Your partner's 2♠ showed a good Heart-Club two-suiter. What do you lead? Why?

[655321]

Heart.

Not leading a spade or a diamond, so it seems pretty much a guess between the other suits. Partner is unlikely to have a 6th heart though, but could easily have a 6th club, so I guess to lead a heart because if partner does have AK in one of his suits, hearts are more likely to stand up than clubs.

[nigel_k]

Agree that it's between a heart and a club and the only difference between them is that partner might have longer clubs. But I think that argues for a club lead, e.g.

KJ98xxx
Qx
xx
Ax

x
KTx
AKQTxxx
xx

Maybe there are also layouts where a club allows them to get a useful heart pitch but I think those are less likely.

[jdeegan]

Why did partner pass 3♠, then double 4♦ in the pass out seat a contract which is not even game? Has to be prepared to double 4♠ as well. Seems impossible. Where are his tricks? You have not bid.
Q.E.D. he must have the ♠ ace. So, I lead a ♠ and hope declarer has one, else we are screwed. Seeing dummy pard will cash whatever round suit tricks live, and my natural trump trick will beat the hand.

[phil_20686]

i'm not sure why everyone is so sure its between a heart and a club. Seems to me that anything could be right. If 2s shows a specific two suiter originally, then they will play unusual/unusual and 3d is NF showing a long suit. 3s is equally NF and suggests diamond shortage and spade length, but rho corrected to 4d anyway. I dont think that many playuersr opposite 3d would correct if 6-1 so he must be either 7-1 or 6-0 in spasdes and diamonds. similarly declarer would not correct back to diamonds even if 1-7. must be either 0-7 or 1-8.

Perhaps the most likely explanation is that one of the opposition thought that this was hearts and a minor, rather than hearts and a specific minor, and that 3d was natural and GF. This is one where table information would be useful, did rho bid then lho ask about 2s? Anyway, probs if this is the case they have missed a decent game, doesnt really affect the lead problem.

I mean partners doubule feels lead directional. Surely he would not double this with a void and 3 spades? its really had to imagine that he has a spade void either. Given that they arent in game, im going to guesss that he just has 3 or 4 ashers in his hand. In this case i just need to ask which of declarers losers might go away, and i don't think there is any clear answer. I would be concerned that spade losers could be pitched, or that other losers could be pitched on spade winners if the spades are 7-0 say. A trump could still be right here, if lho be 7 1 1 4 or something?
I dont think partner can be any shapde but 3-5-0-5 as i cant imagine correcting to 4d when you have 8 or more spades between the two hands (unless the spades are 8-0 but then surely he would find a rebid of 4s?)

Ill lead a club i guess, as with large suit disparity and better hearts partner might overcall 2h. Course, that depends on your partner.

[billw55]

Strange, partner holds hearts and clubs, but doubles a diamond contract knowing full well I have next to nothing? Surely he is not counting me for any defensive tricks - my probable trump trick is just a bonus. Ergo he must think he has four cashing tricks, something like ♥AK ♣AK or ♠A ♥AK ♣A. In which case it hardly matters whether I lead a heart or a club. But why should partner be so confident that AK of his suit is cashing? Only my failure to bid? hmmm ... I suppose he could have the ♦A.

I admit to a nagging fear that p has a spade void and wants a ruff. But then righty's bidding makes so little sense that I cannot bring myself to believe it.

[pooltuna]

Hanoi5, on Nov 11 2009, 07:49 PM, said:

You pick up this beauty at white all:

♠QTx
♥87x
♦J9xx
♣9xx

It goes:
Pa 1♠ 2♠ 3♦
Pa 3♠ Pa 4♦
Pa Pa X Pa
Pa Pa

Your partner's 2♠ showed a good Heart-Club two-suiter. What do you lead? Why?

IMO essentially ♥ and ♣ are equal so I guess to lead a ♣ the other two suits are non choices with ♦ being the lesser evil