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Find the Lead 1/3

Dear BBOers, have a go at trying to solve this bridge problem. Depending on your answer you’ll score between 0 to 10 points per question. Your overall score will be displayed, along with the correct answers once you've complete the exercise. Good luck!

Find the Lead

Find the Lead

What do you lead as West?
Hand 1

Best Answer:

♠A

 

Without an honor in your long suit, Clubs, and without a strong holding in Diamonds or Hearts, your best chance is to lead the ♠A. This allows you to either establish partner's suit or be able to switch to the right suit for your side.

Hand 2

Best Answer: ♣3

Looking at this auction, your side clearly has the point majority. When leading against a doubled contract with no known long suit on your side, you should adopt the good habit of leading a trump. This limits declarer's ruffs in the short hand and gives away no trick with the lead.

Hand 3

Best Answer:

♦A

Your partner has no points, so you can only rely on yourself to beat this. Diamonds are calling out to you, and the technically correct card is the Ace. Once you see the dummy, you'll be able to decide in full knowledge of the facts whether to continue with the 10 or the Queen.

Hand 4

Best Answer:

♠10

Partner's Double shows strong interest in you to play through dummy into his strength. Given that he didn't double 2♦, you can be certain that his opposition lies in Spades. Lead the ♠10, the technical card that allows you to play another Spade through dummy in case East only holds AK8xx and dummy J9xx.

Hand 5

Best Answer:

♦3

Yet again, analyzing the auction provides the key to success. South has denied four cards in Hearts but North still prefers to raise 3♥ rather than play 3NT, so you know your opponents have a 4-3 fit with probable Diamond shortness in dummy. Start with a Diamond to shorten dummy and establish your trumps. The 3 allows you to keep KJ10 in case North has the stiff Queen.

Hand 6

Best Answer:

♣9

You know about long Diamonds in dummy and declarer has denied a Club control.
The Club lead seems pertinent for two reasons: to set up the suit in case your partner holds the Queen and to put declarer up against the wall before he learns about the Diamond break.
My advice: lead the 9 to make him believe it may be from a shortness.

So, how many points do you get?


This article was written by Baptiste Combescure and was originally published in Bridgerama+.

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15 comments on “Find the Lead 1/3”

  2. Yes it is. Your partner has doubled and you have a strong hand too. None of your tricks are going away unless they are ruffed. When you get in lead the other trump.

  5. I don't like the spade ace on board 1; the A should be an unblock card (from something like AKJTx; you need to know who's got the queen! The K is a reasonable card from AKx against a NT contract.

  6. Goes against general wisdom of don’t lead Ace in NT contract. in H 1 and H3

  7. The best chance on 1 surely is both opps having a doubleton clubs, Yes spade may work but the most likely outcome is you gave away tempo or helped declarer not to finesse QTXX in dummy (or both). If you did not have both spade AK, just one of them, THEN it would start to look appealing to try to hold the lead at trick one and work out how to help partner who has the balance of high cards, now it's even, use your two entries for your own suit later on.

  9. b6 I still like my Jd lead, with both opponents bidding d and 5 in my hand, partner may be able to trump the J. Also this lead is also a good passive lead as it does NOT create any extra tricks for opponents in that suit

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