[mikeh]

Scoring: IMP

The auction:

1♣ (1♦) 2♠ (5♦) 5♠ (6♦) P (P) x all pass. Obviously someone else took over your mind during the bidding but it happened and having done so, the auction unfolded. Your lead. You are in the 5th of 7 rounds in the A flt Regional Swiss, and are leading by 1 VP over the team you are playing. Just so no-one thinks I bid like this South did, I am on your right and on your left is another former Canadian Internationalist. Your partner is a solid but unimaginative player (you, otoh, are not solid but definitely imaginative)

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Spoiler: at the table this hand actually chose to bid 6♠, which was doubled and not surprisingly failed. The question is whether this was a good decision, and that depends on your lead.

Apology: my fingers got confused and I misspelt the topic name, sorry gwnn

[Edited Csaba's nick - Gerardo]

This post has been edited by Gerardo: 2010-June-23, 17:27

[CSGibson]

for me its between a heart and a club - I would tend to lead clubs, because partner's bid of 5 spades would not be made on a weak NT type of hand, IMO, so partner likely has 5 or more clubs and 4 spades. RHO is prepared for the spade lead, and the club only needs partner to have an ace to be right, so I'm tracking the club.

[MarkDean]

Club for me: could set up a trick for pd, or just beat it on a ruff. I do not see a future in spades.

[peachy]

I can plan on club ace with partner and a ruff at trick two. Or HK and another trick somewhere in addition. Tossup. Never a spade.

[kayin801]

Benito's Rule.

[whereagles]

since club seems to be the right lead, I'll lead a heart

[y66]

Same reasoning as whereagles, except I'll lead a diamond. Maybe pard has KJxx K Ax KQxxxx and they're cross ruffing spades and clubs. If we have heart tricks coming to us, perhaps we'll still get them.

[Codo]

I like to lead my partners suit... He MAY have doubled with some hands where a heart is right and a spade is unlikely to win anything.

If they need to play the clubs themselve, they will guess right anyway, so the only risk I see is that partner may win the first trump trick and spoil the defence while trying to give me a club ruff....

I guess this is the smallest risk, so I go for a club.

[pooltuna]

Codo, on Jun 23 2010, 08:44 AM, said:

I like to lead my partners suit... He MAY have doubled with some hands where a heart is right and a spade is unlikely to win anything.

If they need to play the clubs themselve, they will guess right anyway, so the only risk I see is that partner may win the first trump trick and spoil the defence while trying to give me a club ruff....

I guess this is the smallest risk, so I go for a club.

this looks like the best argument so far for a ♣ lead

[mikeh]

As you can see, only a ♥ lead beats the slam. Congrats whereagles, tho I'm not convinced by your reasoning:)

Actually, I do think there is a good reason for a heart lead. RHO may be bidding as a 2-way shot (as I was) or because he expects to make on a black suit lead. The spade void is no surprise. The stiff trump is unlikely to help: partner rates to be short in diamonds both for the opening bid and the push to 5♠

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[hanp]

I think the club lead is clearly right.

[phil_20686]

mikeh, on Jun 23 2010, 10:59 AM, said:

As you can see, only a ♥ lead beats the slam. Congrats whereagles, tho I'm not convinced by your reasoning:)

Actually, I do think there is a good reason for a heart lead. RHO may be bidding as a 2-way shot (as I was) or because he expects to make on a black suit lead. The spade void is no surprise. The stiff trump is unlikely to help: partner rates to be short in diamonds both for the opening bid and the push to 5♠

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presumably 2s was a weak hand with 6 spades? In which case I think that 5 spades at all white is really quite manly.

[phil_20686]

also, shouldn't north have bid 5h rather than 5s if he was going to bid at all. That way he would be sure to get a heart lead. Surely when south has shown a weak single suiter with spades, 5h shows a hand that wants to play 5 spades and wants a heart lead?

[whereagles]

it's really a matter of guessing where the "hole" is... Usually you'd lead a club since if we have tricks to take in our suit(s) and fail to do so, we'll have a lot of explaining to do lol

[Codo]

I was quite sure that nobody doubled 6 ♦ when I saw the problem the first time.
Did I overlook it or did you edit it?

[FrancesHinden]

I think you are strongly resulting. Is there some reason why partner can't have something like AKxx Kx x AQJ10xx and the only way to beat it is with a club ruff?

[mikeh]

FrancesHinden, on Jun 26 2010, 01:56 PM, said:

I think you are strongly resulting.  Is there some reason why partner can't have something like AKxx Kx x AQJ10xx and the only way to beat it is with a club ruff?

I agree that the club lead looks like the normal lead..I meant only that there was some justification for a heart lead: indeed, two good players I gave this to both proposed a heart as their second choice, for the reason I suggested, but both led a club. As for my opinion, I couldn't give one because I knew the hand.

[rogerclee]

mikeh, on Jun 26 2010, 04:58 PM, said:

FrancesHinden, on Jun 26 2010, 01:56 PM, said:

I think you are strongly resulting.  Is there some reason why partner can't have something like AKxx Kx x AQJ10xx and the only way to beat it is with a club ruff?

I agree that the club lead looks like the normal lead..I meant only that there was some justification for a heart lead: indeed, two good players I gave this to both proposed a heart as their second choice, for the reason I suggested, but both led a club. As for my opinion, I couldn't give one because I knew the hand.

Obviously a heart would be the second choice, leading a spade (or diamond lol) on this auction is hopeless imo.