[Fluffy]

♠A842
♥A4
♦103
♣A10863


Matchpoints, Opponents vulnerable, partner deals and passes.

RHO opens 2♥ (hearts and a minor), and you have to find a bid.


Whatever you try, LHO bids 4♥ passed around to you and you have to find yet another bid


If you pass 4 hearts (and maybe if you double too) you will be on lead against 4 hearts, what would you lead?

[MrAce]

I have been passing these hands just because i don't have 3 card ♦ and it has been costing me a lot. At MP i would try to get in while i can since the goal is not all about game bonus at mps. I know it has a lot of downsides too especially when pd is coming from pass. Anyway having doubled the first time i would pass now and lead ♥ A

[SteveMoe]

With MrAce on the bidding, but I lean toward leading the ♦10 - gambling that partner has 1st or 2nd round control in that suit. If I didn't have the ♥A I would lead a trump.

[ggwhiz]

Ditto on the bidding but I might lead the A♠ and decide whether to go for my diamond ruff or pards club ruff after seeing the dummy. Or whatever after pards signal.

I'm expecting the K♠ to be in dummy if they have it,, well hoping anyway.

[MrAce]

ggwhiz, on 2012-September-30, 10:35, said:

Ditto on the bidding but I might lead the A♠ and decide whether to go for my diamond ruff or pards club ruff after seeing the dummy. Or whatever after pards signal.

I'm expecting the K♠ to be in dummy if they have it,, well hoping anyway.

In order to ruff a diamond pd will have to hold the hand, which then your side takes 4 tricks without the ruff anyway. Pd ruffing something of course can happen but he has at most 2 trumps and if he has a doubleton or stiff clubs too then he probably have a lot of diamonds or spades or both and would have bid over 4♥ ( since you said you agreed on bidding ) But i said before and saying again i suck at leads

[Fluffy]

I wonder if the fact that partner is a passed hand makes double more or less atractive to you.

BTW Stay tunned, because those who lead aces will face trick 2 problem

[gnasher]

Fluffy, on 2012-September-30, 13:22, said:

I wonder if the fact that partner is a passed hand makes double more or less atractive to you.

The obvious answer is that it makes the first-round double less attractive, because it's less likely that we can make game, so the potential benefit is reduced whilst the risk is not. Maybe I'm missing something though.

If you're talking about a second double, double is very unattractive regardless of whether partner is a passed hand or not.

[Fluffy]

---

what info do you expect partner to give you after you cash an ace and dumy produces this? what do you do next when he gives it to you?


Ace of spades:

Spoiler

partner ♠5, declarer ♠9

Ace of hearts:

Spoiler

partner ♥6, declarer ♥3

Ace of clubs:

Spoiler

partner ♣2, declarer ♣9

[gnasher]

On my ace of hearts lead, I expect him to give suit-preference. Given that I can't read his signal, I'd just play another heart and hope that a more active defence wasn't necessary.

[ggwhiz]

I led the ♠A and in my partnership partners 5 pretty much marks declarer with ♠Qx.

I'm going to try a small club and pray. This could easily backfire and looks like it did from the spoiler on the ♣A lead but I'm desperate after thinking I've set up one quick pitch for them or a 2nd pitch later if they can handle the timing.

A diamond shift might be right if pard has the K holding them to one quick pitch by removing that entry but I forced myself to guess and still have an outside shot at giving pard a club ruff if declarer plays less than best.

[Fluffy]

for passive players who continue hearts: declarer will eventually play a black suit from hand, what is your plan there?

[Fluffy]

declarer had

♠xx
♥KJ9xx
♦KQJxx
♣x

there are chances to beat this, but leading an ace decreases them drastically.

[gnasher]

Doubling 2♥ reduced the chances of beating 4♥ to almost zero, didn't it? Unless we underlead an ace at trick one, declarer will get any black-suit guess right.