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A Rightful Reason?

A little look at defending a part-score, today and, in particular, in what you would lead at trick 1. Just a simple no -trump opening and a transfer. No help from your partner. No stand-out obvious lead. So, anything could be right though would you select one card over others, not just, say, because it was the nearest to your thumb!

 

 

1NT is in the 12-14 hcp range. 2is, of course, a transfer promising at least 5 hearts.

Find a lead and also the reason you have made that lead. Five imps perhaps if you find it but a bonus (we can negotiate what later) if you say why you have made that lead.

While any suit could be a winner on the day, a trump seems to have the least appeal. Other than possibly to cut down declarer’s ability to ruff something in their own hand, or as a passive lead, it has little merit.

Leading away from Jxx does not feel wonderful either. Had partner four spades, they might even have made a take-out double. No double suggests they are less likely to hold four spades. Also, even if they do, it is still quite likely to open up a suit to declarer’s advantage. No spade lead.

So, we are down to the minors. We can choose all-out attack with a club or step into the unknown with the A. The choice would be and was that ace. Why? Because the West trump holding suggested that the queen was unlikely to score a trick if West just sat and waited. Unless the AK were with declarer, West would lose the queen to a finesse.

West hoped for their partner to have the K (no joy) though their trump holding made up for this “oversight” on their part! As you will see, without the diamond lead, the Q would have been swallowed up, though not to a finesse.

 

2 was certainly makeable though wherever declarer won the second round of diamonds, their other diamond honour would not win a trick when East won the first or second rounds of hearts, depending on whether played an initial A, and continued diamonds.

At the table, South ducked a heart to East who gave West a diamond ruff. West exited with a spade which declarer won to play a second round of trumps. Declarer would have succeeded had they won and ducked a spade but they let East have their second trump trick with a club switch from East giving the defence one trick in each black suit to go with a diamond and three trump tricks. South could also have played for East to hold K which is a better percentage than a 3-3 spade break, and failed.

This time, the club lead would have given South an easier run either playing for spades 3-3 or a doubleton A, both working. Both major leads, yes even a trump, were passive though setting up the 13^th spade would have helped declarer.

The best lead for the defence was the A giving them three trump tricks and preventing declarer from taking two diamond tricks. West did not know that though their valid reason for leading A put the defence on the way to gaining 5 useful imps to go with 1NT by South making an overtrick at the other table.

20+ high card points usually excites most players. Thus, it is a little frustrating when the opposition intervene or get in first.

 

2 showed 5+ hearts and 5+ of a black suit, less than an opener. You are playing Teams. What should you bid?

Richard Solomon

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