I hope some loyal readers have their alerts set to find out there is an actual post! I'm busier with work this year, so the blog has slowed way down. I did make it to a regional in Lake Geneva, WI this weekend. Here are two critical opening lead problems from yesterday's Swiss:
1. You hold AT Jxxx Ax QTxxx, and the opponents bid uncontested, P-1S-2C!-2D-3D-4S, where 2C was defined as 3-or-4-card Drury, and 2D as natural. What do you lead against 4S?
2. You hold xxx QTx 9x QJxxx, and they bid uncontested 4S-4NT-5H-6S. Your lead against 6S?
2 comments:
I hope some loyal readers have their alerts set to find out there is an actual post!
Google Reader (or any reader) = the only way to go.
#2 is easy: lead a heart, probably the queen.
#1 is not so easy. Even if you decide to defend passively, it's not clear what you should lead to do so. Give me two or three years, and I'll come up with an answer.
#1 I lead the DA. If I'm interpreting the auction correctly, RHO has a bare non-minimum, otherwise he could have bid 4S over 2C or been more encouraged by 3D. If I believe partner to have 3-5HCP, then I'm hoping for either DK or a rounded A. If you were looking to defend passively, this lead is still passive in that it doesn't give up anything about the suit (opp's have length, so there's no two way guess) unless dummy has KJxxx and declarer has 4.
#2 I lead the CQ. Dummy likely has a strong suit, and at this point it could still be diamonds or hearts.
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