Friday, March 04, 2005 8:00 AM

Guaranteeing Leads

PITBULLS:

Saying opening leads are important is the biggest understatement in Bridge . Studies show a very high percentage of all contracts can be beaten with the correct opening lead. In 3^rd seat you open for a lead . Quite often you just overcall or back in for a lead . You double artificial bids for leads etc . The lead directing double is an important tool for defenders. If no bidding for your side the double defaults for dummy’s first suit.

If there was competitive bidding , the lead directing double negates the obvious lead. This “obvious lead” needs definition. If you make an opening bid or overcall that is the “obvious lead” . If no bidding by your side the “unbid suit” is the obvious lead . If partner has bid and raised your suit the obvious lead is the combined suit. Playing 5 card majors , a minor opening bid does not promise a good suit . Therefore a minor is not an obvious lead if the opponents get to 3NT.

The Bridge World does not subscribe to this theory in NT contracts. They want to guarantee the obvious lead by doubling . If you make non lead directing bids quite often , this is a good policy because partner gets shy and does not lead your suit anyway . Therefore you must hit him over the head with a double to lead his suit or the “obvious lead” . A disciplined partnership does not this style of lead directing doubles. If you are going to beat the hand with the obvious lead why double ? If they are really overboard you can double anyway because any lead will beat the contract.

The bad part of doubling for the “obvious lead” is that the opponents will bail out to a suit. If you pass and just accept the obvious lead you get your +200 instead of –130. If there is no other reasonable alternatives the double of a NT does call for the “obvious” lead . 1♠-1NT-P-3NT X-P-P-P is the only situation which demands the obvious lead in my opinion. There are many more situations where you want to get partner to make a different lead than the obvious lead of your suit. You can not have it both ways.

If after opening a minor , a double demands that lead when the opponents have arrived at a NT contract. When you have bid a systemic toy and partner bids one of your suits , the obvious lead is that suit. A double negates that obvious lead. If you have raised partners suit and they get to 3NT a double negates the obvious lead . You open 1♦ with xxxx xx AKJx Axx and partner responds a spade . The opponents are in the auction and you raise to 2♠. They get to 3NT so you double as you want to negate the obvious spade lead. Partner leads a diamond and come through a spade for partner. Change your hand to KQ10x Kx Jxxx Axx and you quietly pass 3NT waiting for the obvious spade lead.

Sometimes you need a pecking order to sort out lead directing doubles . Sometimes you have had a chance to raise partners suit and did not. Sometimes the opponents have jammed you from supporting partners suit. Sometimes there is dummy’s first bid suit to complicate the issue. If you have opened a minor and they get to 3NT a double calls for that minor lead regardless. If you have opened a major , the double says do not lead my suit so your suit or dummy’s 1^st bid suit is the winning lead. If I had a chance to support your suit and did not , the double calls for dummy’s first bid suit. If I got jammed from raising your suit , the double calls for your suit to be led. When you overcall the assumption is that you want that suit led. If you double you are telling partner not to lead your suit and not just guaranteeing that you do.

Doubling to guarantee your overcall is led is bad strategy. Opponents open bad minors , artificial minors and you make a reasonable overcall with their minor as a 2^nd suit. This happens very often . The opponents get to 3NT and your good 2^nd suit happens to be dummy’s 1^st bid suit. Double to negate partners lead of your suit. Opponents quite often open their worse minor as a tactic to inhibit that lead when they get to 3NT. They open 1♣ with Jxx and you overcall 1♠ on KJ10xx xx x AKQ10x and they get to 3NT . Doubling to guarantee a spade lead makes no sense to me . You are almost assuming that the opponents are bidding NT with no stopper in your suit. If they are , they have a better spot as there is no duplication of value . Doubling with solid spades will certainly drive them to a superior spot. Just pass and collect your spade tricks if that is the case. Partner is not void in your suit.

Two schools of thought for lead directing doubles against NT. Negating the obvious lead or guaranteeing the obvious lead. If your overcall style is non disciplined, then you need a double to tell partner you have a real overcall so lead my suit. If you play a disciplined style , you need a double to say do not lead my suit. I subscribe to the latter. Discuss with partner.