All News

The Easter Egg Winning Lead.

We left you on Friday with an opening lead problem. We gave you the following hand and bidding sequence and asked you what you would lead. As is often true, the choice of opening lead is vital to the success or failure of the contract.

AQT985

T98

 K2

 63

West              North             East                South

                                                                        1

2                    3                   Pass             4

Pass                  5                   All Pass

 

A Big “No-No”

There is rarely one answer about what you should lead but more often a more definitive answer about what you should not lead. You have been told, I am sure, not to lead a low card in a suit where you hold an ace against any suit contract. There are so many ways that could be wrong, especially but not only if declarer or dummy held the singleton king.

So, if we decide to lead a spade, we should lead the ace.

No    for you though if you led the A!

Yet, is it correct to lead the ace when we have not got the king? It may be correct when your partner has only one spade and you can give them a ruff on the next trick…or indeed when they have K. Yet, they have not supported spades. If the K is in dummy, it may not cost to lead the A but if declarer has the K (and they have a strongish hand..so they are favourite to hold that card), it could be very costly.

Leading a diamond from K2 may occasionally work but is too aggressive (you must lead the K if you do). A trump lead may be safe but may not really help the defence…which leaves hearts. No-one bid that suit. Let’s try a top of a sequence lead of the 10. No guarantees that this right but we have really eliminated the other three suits…so, fingers crossed!

 

Had we led A, the only other trick the defence could take would be the A. Remember, you need three tricks to defeat 5. As South has the K, declarer can comfortably win the lead and draw trumps, losing just to the A. 11 tricks made, +600 to North-South.

However, if East wins the first trick with the A, they can hopefully remember the bidding, that you had bid spades. Had you AK or KQ), you would have led a high spade (top of a sequence). Therefore, you must have a different spade holding. They should switch to the 7 (top of a 2-card suit) and, whichever spade declarer plays, West can beat it and then play another high spade to beat the contract by one trick. Check that out on the cards above.

With a holding like AQ, it is better not to lead the suit at all, certainly if your partner has not supported the suit.

What if partner had not held A? There are no guarantees. There is still the hope you may score 2 spade tricks by being a little patient.

So you led a heart? Hopefully, your partner said "great lead" or even better bought you a lovely chocolate egg!

Remember

Do not lead low away from the ace against a suit contract. If you must lead that suit, lead the ace..but it might be better to lead a different suit altogether.

Better Bidding

We mentioned on Friday that North-South might be better in 3NT rather than 5 as 3NT might make whatever the lead whereas, unless West leads A or K, 5 will be defeated. (It can also make on a club lead, though that is a little tricky to follow.)

After North bids 3, South could not bring themselves to bid 3NT. They do not have to. South can explore by bidding their second suit,3. Now, North, who was quite strong for their 3 bid can also explore for 3NT. They bid 3!

“Yet, North has only two small spades and anyway, West bid that suit!” North commented pleadingly. In fact, when you bid the suit called by the opposition, it is generally understood that it asks your partner if they have a trick in that suit. If they have, please bid 3NT, no matter what your holding is in the other suits”. So, South would bid 3NT as instructed.

An exciting and interesting board, as so many are when you are playing bridge.

Richard Solomon

 

 

Go Back View All News Items