[ejfree]

After playing with a pick-up pard the other day, I missed the setting trick by not returning a spade on defense. We were several tricks into the hand and spades had not been broken.

Partner plays the 10S.

Dummy has Kxx.

The 10 is covered by the king and I win with the Ace.

To me the lead of the 10 says that the declarer probably has the Q, J, or probably both.

I was taught to lead the top of touching honors. So after the queen lead, covered by king, then my ace. i would immediately return a soade for the setting trick.

To me the 10 was top of nothing and simply an exiting bid. QTx would lead small I would think.

Am I wrong here or misguided? Thanx all

[Laird]

Hello ejfree

I'm no expert but I always thought that the play of the ten denies possession of the J but may have the Q.  So in your situation I guess you make the Ace and the Queen if you return the spade....... Be interested to see what experts say.

regards John  :-/

[inquiry]

Well, some one will no doubt try to explain Rusinow leads, which is the conventional lead of the second highest of equal honors. Thus the lead the second of touching honors (from QJ lead Jack, from JT lead T). However, it is my believe that anyone playing Rusinow leads knows enough to point this out rather than assume that is the lead being played.  

So the one card partner should not have when he leads the TEN is the jack. He may or may not have the 9 or the Q. At least that is my opinion. Of course, partners try to double cross declearer's from time to time and make tricky leads for a variety of strategic reasons...

Ben

[ejfree]

So then,

with QJTx the lead should almost always be the Q right? this promises the jack.

[Yzerman]

YES!  YES!  YES! - Always Q from QJx (see below)

The only exception to this rule is where your side has been forced to break a suit holding QJx in one hand and declarer has put off play in this suit (protecting honor holding from honor-10x(x) in dummy).

Forget the Rusinow for now this generally does not apply in middle of hand.

IF you happen to be playing with a partner that does this, IMMEDIATELY leave the table.  This person probably does not play partnership bridge and gets his/her kicks out of fooling everyone at the table (another example is someone leading the 10 from KQJ10 - fourth best) OR has no understanding of the game.  Dont argue with this person, and dont ask why because you will not get a legit answer.

[Gerardo]

Slightly Offtopic

Quote

[snip]

IF you happen to be playing with a partner that does this, IMMEDIATELY leave the table.

[snip]

Please DON'T do that! NEVER leave IMMEDIATELY the table. Instead, PLEASE say "Last" and leave at the END of the hand.

Thank you very much

[PoorMe]

The question posed based on the information provided was :""Äm I wrong or misguided?""...As to whether anybody was wrong or not...I will not  dare interfere with that. However as to misguided, I will attempt to address that.I think what the defender should be asking himself  is """Where can the setting trick or tricks come from?"" rather than dissipate energy about whether the lead is from this or that or the other or Rusinow or not.After all, from the original post we learnt that the hand was nearly halfway played...so that by time nearly half the pack of cards had already been played making it so much simpler to work out the remaining cards.In fact, and I stand corrected, it is my understanding that Rusinow leads cease to apply after the opening lead.

[Codo]

Hi poorme,

of course, the question is: Where does the setting trick comes from. But to find this out, you have several options:
1. Blind guess, well many players uses this method, but these won`t read this threat.

2. Work it out for your own, no need to signal.
This can and will work quite often, but it is real hard work to figure everything out at any single hand.

3. Work together with your pd to find out, where the tricks may come from. This needs much less brain power, but more accuract carding.

I always prefer the later. So, it is real no fun to play opposite a middle hand opponent, who trys to be too tricky.
It is no problem at all to play rustinow or journalists leads during the hand. But this is no standard at all.

But to return to the hand. Of course, there are some clues, why a spade return must be, whatever card pd led:
With Kxx in dummy and Q(xxxx) in hand, no declarer should take the king. Of course, there are some exceptions, f.e. when declarer needs a way to dummy, but in general, declarer should have at most Jxx.
I guessed in an expert game, the suit had been dealt somehow like:
QT9xx - Kxx-Axx-Jx AND there is a second suit for declarer to leave his spade loosers, if he has time to play his suits.

As this is a problem in the b-i threat, the distribution for the spades could be quite different. But pd could have QT9x for his led, so if there is no reason not to return a spade.

Kind Regards

Roland

[Cave_Draco]

The lead of the Ten is correct, in most systems, as the top of an interior sequence?