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Defence…or Attack?

It’s opening lead time today….and as we are defending a slam, the stakes are high. You started off with an aggressive action but your opponent in the South seat matched you by jumping all the way to slam:

 

It’s your lead. We asked the Panel what they thought of our opening bid, too. Generally, they were less than complimentary.

Stephen Blackstock “Since you ask, I must say that to me 3 is a silly bid. (a) too strong; (b) the majority of the values lie outside the pre-empt suit; (c) playable in other strains; (d) a shorter suit than partner will play you for if he has to guess. 1 is aggressive but almost withing range. 3 is at least a king over weight.”

More from Stephen shortly.

Leon Meier “Low heart, and for the record I am not a fan of opening 3 with this good  a hand at favourable vulnerability.”

 

Andy Braithwaite “4: Not a pleasant decision- not keen on a diamond or spade lead and a club lead looks dangerous as well so reluctantly I lead a heart and hope this does not give a trick away.”

Nigel Kearney “4: The opening bid is ok if that's our style but for me it's a little strong and I'd prefer not to have one of the major kings. I am going to attack with the 4, hoping either partner has the ace, or the queen and we win another trick somewhere. Attacking leads against slams are usually best (except against 6NT where both their hands seem balanced) and this doesn't seem like an exception.”
At least our major length is in hearts not spades meaning if we did have a heart fit, then the opponents may well outbid us in spades. However, let’s concentrate on the lead. When one pre-empts and then leads a different suit, it is often a shortage. Therefore, might this attacking gambit work?

Let’s hear though from those who go passive:

Bruce Anderson “5 : I am hopeful of making my King of trumps and a trick elsewhere, so I am making the lead that is likely to give nothing away; a heart lead could cost a trick and so could the K. So, the 5 it is.”

Stephen Blackstock “5 : It's not clear what the layout might be. We can't even assign much meaning to East's failure to raise, as with no values a 4 bid might be unattractive if balanced. So, we can't assume that an aggressive lead is necessary, and East may well have no card of value. Guessing a red suit is dangerous and there may be no winning guess available.

 On the other hand, the 9 or even 8 with East may be enough to create a deep heart loser:  if the K scores we are in with a chance. I lead a club to avoid giving up an immediate trick with the lead: declarer will always look to West, successfully, for any missing club card. Of course, given that this is posed as a problem, it seems that an attacking lead (heart?) is best, but that isn't how I would reason at the table.”

No need to try and second guess the setter, Stephen. Your logic is sound and should result in a plus score.

Kris Wooles “5: No, I wouldn’t have opened 3! But leaving that aside it’s a complete guess after this auction what to lead. An attacking lead against a slam can sometimes work which could favour a small heart and it might be less likely to be fatal than (say) a diamond. Probably at the table on this auction I’d likely lead  a club (5 in my usual methods). K may well turn out to be a trick in defence and I’m likely to have more in points than expected by declarer.

 

Wayne Burrows “ : No strong conviction on this one.  I do not think we are likely to have trick that needs setting up in diamonds. So, it is close between an attacking heart hoping for a fitting queen opposite or a passive club, hoping that our KTx will become a trick. It is possible that a heart trick could vanish on a club pitch and it is also possible that a heart lead could give up the contract. 

This time I am going passive with a club and I lead whatever the correct card is from three small, which might be any of them.”

One good reason to go passive is made by:

Pam Livingston “4 : playing 135 leads. 3 bid?  Yeesh. Ok. well seeing as I have made a bad bid, I will try and make a good lead.  At least declarer won't suspect me of having 3 kings.  Partner hasn't got much so I'm going passive.”

Indeed, we have 10 hcp and our opponents have gone for slam. We cannot expect much from our silent partner.
At the table, West went ultra-aggressive and paid a very heavy price.

 

A heart loser would have disappeared on the fourth round of clubs, had there been one. So might a diamond loser…but not two diamond losers! West led J and that solved declarer’s problem in that suit. South was not quite home though. A losing spade finesse and a second round of diamonds, assuming West had started with 7, would still provide the defence with two tricks.
So, South played a spade to the ace and was very pleased with the result, making an overtrick!
The point about East having very little was indeed a good one. They did, though, produce the Q which adds fuel to those who found the heart lead.
Having opened 3, this really was a deal to sit back and hope. It is often correct to be aggressive in your lead to 6 of a suit though not this time (though the more aggressive heart lead worked out safely).
Of course, you were not certain of recording +100 by leading a heart or a club. However, after those leads, if you failed to make your K, you can call yourself somewhat unfortunate, or even more unlucky than that!
More from the JIN Club tomorrow.
Richard Solomon

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