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Defence or Attack …. but not in between!

So, you are on the defence fighting a 3NT contract pretty much on your own. Your partner indicated with their bid that they have very few if any honour cards to help the cause. What then should your tactics be, to go on the attack and try to find 5 tricks or to sit there and defend stoically until they come to you?

Such thoughts may well affect your choice of opening lead on this deal:

 

 

2 showed 6+ spades but less than 6 high card points. 2NT was natural with about 10-11 hcps.

Welcome back to our Panel who have had a little break. This deal occurred in a Swiss Pairs event but we asked the Panel as well whether their lead would be any different playing Match-Point Pairs. One of our Panel faced this lead situation.

Michael Ware “4: I held this hand on the same (or very similar) auction and successfully led a small diamond. Partner clearly had nothing and how else can we get to 5 defensive tricks without diamonds?

Maybe by going passive?

Matchpoints is much much harder. Probably still a diamond as they probably don't have 8 other tricks to go with this cheap diamond trick and we should be able to cash our three winners later if necessary.

Certainly, Andy went more passively:

Andy Braithwaite “10. Partner can’t hold more than a queen so I will lead my spade which should give nothing away unlike any other lead.”

I think the lead has merit as long as one does not end up getting end-played by the declarer later in the play. However, the Panel thought a diamond was the big winner despite it giving an almost certain extra trick to the declarer. The only argument was which diamond card to lead?

Nigel Kearney “4: I am definitely leading a diamond. Partner is unlikely to be much help so we want to set up some diamond tricks before they knock out our hearts. The 4 is best if leading low. 7 could be important and it's the kind of hand where an honest card will help declarer more than partner.

There is a case for leading the ace, for example J8 in dummy 10x with partner, or 10x in dummy and 8x with partner. However, the ace could be wrong when partner has a singleton J or 10, or if partner has 10x or Jx and declarer KJ8x or K108x then declarer could duck the second round and block the suit. My brain isn't big enough to enumerate all possibilities and their relative frequencies but I think it is starting to look like the low card is better. No change at matchpoints.

but:

Kris Wooles “A: For the opponents’ bidding to make sense, partner is likely to have 0 points. Partner might for example have 10xx with a doubleton or singleton J in dummy. I’m hoping too they can’t pick up my K with a 5-card club suit in North. Probably do the same at match- point. 

 

Michael Cornell “A: Pretty obvious to work out or even see how we continue. Dummy could easily have something like Kx, or Jx, or singleton honours.

Irrelevant what form of the game, opponents have bid a max 24-point game and we have to find the best way of beating it.

 

You may have already blown your chance by attacking. However, diamonds are the chosen suit:

 

Stephen Blackstock “4: There must be a good chance I can establish some tricks to cash while I still retain top cards as entries.

No change at Pairs. I believe it is still best to defeat contracts! In any event, it doesn’t look from my values as if 3NT will be the usual contract, so giving up an overtrick will make little difference to the poor score if 3NT makes.”

That last comment is very true. The field, maybe your opponent, may well not be in 3NT. So, we need 5 tricks, at least!

 

Bruce Anderson “7: (I am old fashioned and lead fourth highest). Declarer is prepared for a spade lead and we have no communication in spades. A club will require partner to have strength there, which is unlikely, and that lead could easily cost a trick. The old adage of leading from one’s longest and strongest seems best. Declarer may not have 9 tricks without losing the lead twice in hearts; if so, it may be possible to set my suit up and so defeat the contract.

I would make the same lead at Pairs for the same reasons.”

 

Peter Newell “4:  at Pairs the decision would be closer…and I think there are arguments for leading a spade, or the A as a diamond lead could blow a trick and a tempo…

 

I’ll lead the 4 whatever my leading style – happy to lead a 5^th playing 4ths when partner is unlikely to take more than 1 trick so more likely to deceive declarer.

 

So why lead a diamond – positive and negative reasons. It is my longest suit, and I have entries so quite likely to be able to set my suit up next time around….partner is very weak so we will never set up spades and the 10 could help declarer but could be safe given declarer knows the spade distribution.

 

 Leading a club is crazy as very unlikely to establish tricks in that suit and could be costly if partner has the 10 or J. Leading HA could be right – occasionally partner may have a weak 6/4 with hearts and leading the ace will give us a chance to look at dummy and decide what to do next. It is “safe” but does give away a tempo and will make it easier for declarer to develop heart tricks before diamonds are set up. So, I’m leading a diamond – but a spade or heart could be right.”

 

You will be pleased to know that it was fine to attack with a diamond lead or defend with either A or your spade lead. What was not right was to switch courses as happened at the table:

 

 

West went passive

 

West went passive with the T lead. Declarer won in hand to lead a heart won by West who fatally switched to a low club hoping that their partner held Q. If East held that card, South just could not come to 9 tricks and would be short of a 2NT bid.  No joy and South had 4 spade, 3 club and very soon 2 heart tricks.

Had West exited with A and another heart, declarer can win in dummy to play a club to the 9 but that is only 6 major tricks and 2 in clubs and West will eventually win 2 diamond tricks to beat the contract.

Meanwhile, any initial diamond lead beats this contract as South can only get 2 tricks in diamonds before the 2 heart tricks are established…down one.

 

No change can be a

 

Attack or defend..but not in-between!

 

There’s better and worse contracts..but

 

 

 

West leads 5. Plan the play. Trumps break 3-2 and on the third round, East shows a liking for spades by their discard on the third round of trumps.

 

Richard Solomon

 

 

 

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