[inquiry]

As south, playing with an unknown "expert" pickup partner you hear the following auction...

Scoring: IMP

---

West North East South

   -      -      -      1♣
   5♦    5♥    5♠   Pass
  Pass  Dbl  Pass  Pass
  Pass

You may (or maynot) agree with the auction, but now it is your lead. What do you lead at trick one? Is it really so simple?

Ben

[Fluffy]

I dunno about the bidding, I'm glad I wasn't there to suffer the pressure .

would just lead ♥A.

[shanbari]

H4, hope to score 1H and 2 club if partner return club. unless opps void in heart, which is highly possible, then i would regret i didn't lead C6.




SHAN

[PriorKnowledge]

I don't like the low heart nor low club. I lead a small spade as that is most likely to throw away a trick.

[PMetsch]

♣A, I don't know if we have a ♥ trick, but it won't go away. Maybe DBL is some sort of Lightner for a club ruff.

[mike777]

A of clubs.

[scoob]

put me in with the A♣ gang

[Al_U_Card]

Since I never supported H, the dbl does not imply that a H lead is contra-indicated. Since Pard is expecting to lose 2 tricks opposite my typical opening hand, he has a flaw that made bidding-on unpalatable. Since the D bidder is likely to hold K(and probably)Q of ♣, I vote for pard to hold something like ♠Axx♥QJxxxxxx♦Kx♣- and I will plunk down the ♣ ace and get him his ruffs.

[HeartA]

Jlall, on Jun 9 2005, 02:05 PM, said:

If this was not posted on BBO forums I would lead a top heart (probably like most of the people). But as it is posted here, its 100 % to be the wrong lead

Tough bidding problem from your point of view.

Agree. Declarer might ruff H lead, and discard C losers on D (after 2 rounds of trumps). So, I would lead ♣A.

[bingo]

It is hard to answer without knowing if we were in a forcing pass situation. The vul. suggests maybe not. But i am not clear.

It is not without some trepidation, but I would play the ♣ Ace. I think a spade is the only other option - Partner cannot be asking for a heart lead. Unless, of course, this is merely a "i think we can beat this pard" double. Then any lead might work and none might be wrong.

[awm]

I'd lead the ♦9. It seems pretty likely that a heart lead would just get ruffed, giving up a tempo. Club ace could be right, but there's no particular reason to think partner has singleton club in this auction (in fact it sounds like double fits all around after this bidding).

For a trump lead to work, you pretty much need partner to have diamond cards, in which case a diamond lead probably also works. And it's not unlikely for RHO to take an early spade finesse into me (it was partner who doubled, after all), allowing me to underlead the heart ace-king for a diamond ruff later in the hand.

I don't really see where the round suit tricks (if any) are going if I don't lead them -- I have diamonds locked up via the ruff, and a likely trump trick. If we need to cash out our aces and kings, we can probably do that after I win the ♠Q anyway.

[luke warm]

the 5♥ bid showed a hand that has club support and wants a heart lead if the opps get the bid.. imo

i'd lead ♥A, i think a club lead is getting ruffed

[joker_gib]

Agree with you, Justin !

As it is posted here, ♥ace must be wrong and we have to find something wilder !

Alain

[FrancesHinden]

Did I misread the auction?

Why am I defending 5Sx?

I abstain.

[ochinko]

FrancesHinden, on Jun 10 2005, 04:50 AM, said:

Did I misread the auction?

Why am I defending 5Sx?

To show trust in partner's double?

Anyway, I lead the D9. Partner's double is not necessarily suggesting a diamond lead, but at least there should be a tollerance for it.

What I aim is to cut communications to dummy's diamonds before trumps are drawn. If partner is singleton, declarer can't discard his outside losers immediately. If partner is doubleton, I pray he has DKx. If partner has 3 diamonds dummy could be without an outside entry.

Petko

[FrancesHinden]

It's a bit worrying that I seem to be on a completely different page to everyone else.

I'm not defending to "show faith in partner's double" because I bid 6H over 5S.
I don't think partner's 5H bid shows a club fit, I think it shows hearts.
I don't think partner's double is unusual, or suggests a diamond lead, or... I think it's just a statement that it's our hand.

I wouldn't be in the least surprised if partner had, say,

x
QJ10xxxx
Axx
Kx

possibly with the Ace of spades as well.

(yes, I know we might have two spade losers. Difficult game.)

[cherdano]

FrancesHinden, on Jun 10 2005, 11:49 AM, said:

It's a bit worrying that I seem to be on a completely different page to everyone else.

I'm not defending to "show faith in partner's double" because I bid 6H over 5S.
I don't think partner's 5H bid shows a club fit, I think it shows hearts.
I don't think partner's double is unusual, or suggests a diamond lead, or... I think it's just a statement that it's our hand.

Thanks Frances. What game am I playing if I am not allowed to raise with AKxx of support and a singleton value? If partner cannot double for penalties if opponents have guessed in a weird auction at the 5 level?

Arend

[PriorKnowledge]

TY2. Partner has made a free 5-level bid. We have AKxx support, A of our bid suit, 3 cards in one of their suits and singleton in the other. 7H is more likely to make than not making 6H. Passing 5S is timid, indeed.

[Fluffy]

Actually it will hardly matter, but its possible than small ♥ is better than the ace.