[Chamaco]

Hi all, I would like to have moreinsight on the best card to lead from 3 cards tenaces composed of 3 of the top 6 honors (including the 9).
I have quite a few books on opening leads (Blackwood, Ewen, Lawrence, Sowter, and others specifically on opening leads + Kantar's defence books) and a few others), but none of them deals in details with these sequences.

Assuming that:

1) you play J denies, T and 9 = 0 or 2 higher honors
2) vs Notrump, A and Q leads ask for unblocking or count
3) vs suit contract, A and Q ask encouragement, K asks count

Given the following holdings, what do you lead ?
The question is due to the following potential problems:

1) HJT/HJ9: if lead the J, it denies a higher honor, pard with a good holding may switch and lose a tempo; lead T or 9 may work, but potential blockage ?
2) AQT/AQ9: similar problem
3) HT9: similar to HJT: leading 9 here promises, but pard has no idea of potential blockage
4) in some instance, I have seen world class leading the highest honor from those sequences, as unblocking play. How to recognize these situations ?

AQT
AJT
AQ9
AJ9
AT9
KJT
KJ9
KT9
QT9

[Free]

AT9, KT9, QT9 => lead the 9
AJT, KJT => lead the 10

don't touch the others :

AQT
AQ9
AJ9
KJ9

Too much chance to give away tricks. If you really have to (also depends on the auction), I'll probably lead as follows:

AQT => A
AQ9 => 9
AJ9 => J - falsecard, whatever
KJ9 => J - falsecard, whatever

[Chamaco]

Free, on Jul 20 2004, 09:18 AM, said:

AQT => A

Dangerous vs notrump, since pard will drop the K or J if he has it

[bearmum]

I would try my hardest NOT to lead from any of the tenances you asked about

[Chamaco]

bearmum, on Jul 20 2004, 09:41 AM, said:

I would try my hardest NOT to lead from any of the tenances you asked about

LOLL
Sure thing, now you have used the easy answer...

However sometimes you HAVE to
(ready to listen to the tougher anwer.... )

[luke warm]

Chamaco, on Jul 20 2004, 10:22 AM, said:

Assuming that:

1) you play J denies, T and 9 = 0 or 2 higher honors
2) vs Notrump, A and Q leads ask for unblocking or count
3) vs suit contract, A and Q ask encouragement, K asks count

1) HJT/HJ9: if lead the J, it denies a higher honor, pard with a good holding may switch and lose a tempo; lead T or 9 may work, but potential blockage ?
2) AQT/AQ9: similar problem
3) HT9: similar to HJT: leading 9 here promises, but pard has no idea of potential blockage
4) in some instance, I have seen world class leading the highest honor from those sequences, as unblocking play. How to recognize these situations ?

AQT
AJT
AQ9
AJ9
AT9
KJT
KJ9
KT9
QT9

given your rules: my lead:

1) J 10/9 unless no trump
2) 10/9 10/9 unless suit bid on left, then Q
3) 10 9
4) 10 10 unless bid on left, then Q
10 10
9 9 or Q
9 9
9 9
10 10
9 9
9 9
9 9

my leads:

10/9 unless no trump, then J
10/9 unless suit bid on left, then Q
9
10 unless bid on left, then Q
10
9 or Q
9
9
10
9
9
9

[luis]

1) HJT/HJ9: if lead the J, it denies a higher honor, pard with a good holding may switch and lose a tempo; lead T or 9 may work, but potential blockage ?

Playing J denies I guess that if you really think pd has length in this suit then it depends on where the entries to the defensive hands are. If you only have HJT and nothing else you can probably lead the T, if you have an entry the highest honor (A or K) is better.

2) AQT/AQ9: similar problem

The Ace is here usually better, then you can catch a doubleton King or Jack depending on the count.

3) HT9: similar to HJT: leading 9 here promises, but pard has no idea of potential blockage

Same.

4) in some instance, I have seen world class leading the highest honor from those sequences, as unblocking play. How to recognize these situations ?

I think the idea is not only to prevent a blockage but also to get the count to know if you can pin a doubleton honor in dummy or declarer's hand.
From the positions you mention there's one potentially blocking position that many players don't know and it's ATx or KTx (same with A9x or K9x) where the right lead is the T (or 9) to prevent a blockage.

Luis

[Fluffy]

Chamaco, on Jul 20 2004, 09:21 AM, said:

Free, on Jul 20 2004, 09:18 AM, said:

AQT => A

Dangerous vs notrump, since pard will drop the K or J if he has it

That is only when you play that Ace asks for unblock, switch it to King asking for unblock+Ace asking for attitude and you are in a better position.