Tuesday, August-19-08
Hand Evaluation – Opening Leads ( Auction Types )
PITBULLS:
Opening leads are a bidding skill. You have an ear to the bidding or with bidding boxes an "eye to the bidding" so you can classify their auction before you make your opening lead . This skill is based on your knowledge of bidding & asking questions about their bidding . First , there is a strong auction where a game is bid without stretching or maybe even a mild slam try is made. 2nd there are invitational auctions where they struggle to their game. 3rd , there is the "leaping auction" where they just jump to their game & last there is a pre-emptive auction. Identify the "playing field" before you make your opening lead. Apply patterns to get a lie of the land & choose your opening lead in accordance with the type of auction held & the tentative patterns .
The strong auction can be further classified as both sides being strong , strong hand to your right or strong hand to your left. With the strong hand to your right , you do not want to be "too busy" as you essentially giving declarer board entries to do her work for her. With the strong hand to your left , you can be deceptive & even underlead an Ace ! Partner is aware of the type of auction so will give you leeway & go up with her queen as maybe you are trying to be deceptive. You make attacking leads though on these auctions though. With both strong hands , you tend to lead passive with an undid suit. The auction goes 2NT-P-4NT-P so do you make an attacking lead away from your honour cards ? Of course not , as they probably have the rest of the outstanding HCP's. With NT auctions especially , count the HCP's they have indicated on the bidding so you have an idea how many honour cards partner may contribute. Same with switches . If a 14 HCP dummy comes down opposite a strong NT opening , filling in the blanks with HCP's is a simple task. The 40 HCP in the deck rule was made for this type of analysis.
Invitational auctions can be doubled if the cards are not sitting right for them. More lead directing doubles are made on invitational auctions than any other auction type. They are stretching so as they do not have any extra , bad breaks are a disaster for them & lucrative sets result. Lead directing doubles were invented for these close auctions or playing against known modern overbidders. If suits are breaking fine for them , tend to be passive with your leads as they will be scrounging for a source of tricks.
The leaping to game auctions usually means that own their trump suit. Do not lead blind if you can help it. If the big hand is to your left , lead a bare Ace if you must. In pre-emptive auctions doubled where your side owns the majority of the HCP's in the deck , lead a trump. With two suited auctions without a double fit , also lead a trump as declarer will try to establishing the 2nd suit by ruffing. Partner has doubled their toy to show one or both of their suits , so a trump lead is usually mandatory based on the auction type. In pre-emptive auctions in general , do not lead blind. Guessing is like playing against the house in Blackjack. You break by gambling before the house does. Blind opening leads are usually just a basic Bridge gamble or guess.
1NT-P-3NT is a simple auction where even experienced players seem to go wrong. LHO did not bid a major so lead your best major. We lost 12 IMPs today because the opening leader did not lead 4th best from her longest & strongest major on that auction. If your hand lacks entries , try & find partners suit. You can not make proper opening leads without first analyzing the bidding to determine the auction type.
Examples of pre-emptive auctions are 2♠-P-4♠ 1♠-P-4♠. The first auction identifies the big hand to your lest , the 2nd auction , the stronger auction to your left. Try not to lead blind on either auction but an Ace lead is obviously more dangerous with the strong hand to your right. Gambling auctions are just that , plain gambling. Fight fire with fire. You gamble also by leading an Ace . Leading blind can be a disaster on these "gambling auctions" . If Mr. Grace bids one of these gambling auctions & partner does not lead an Ace , I assume she does not have one !!
Trump leads are not passive , they are dangerous for your side with both strong auctions & jumping auctions. OK with invitational auctions ( lead trump against partials or hands that should be partials :) or pre-emptive auctions where you have most of the HCP's. Trump leads are mandatory when the dummy is advertising shortness & you have declarers 2nd suit.
Bad opening leads are made by beginners , who have not developed enough bidding skills to analyze the opponents bidding. If they are gambling , you gamble also by not leading blind & possibly leading a bare Ace. An experienced player astounded me by saying that a diamond lead from ♦QJxxx into a strong NT to his right was superior to the ♥AKx lead he had in his hand ! Do not forget that leading 4th best is an educated guess or gamble but still a gamble. This gamble violates the not leading blind principle & leading into the strong hand to your right . In addition , you are not allowing partner to assist you when you single handedly gamble by leading "4th best from longest & strongest". Standard leads are for those hands where you do not have anything better to go on. You make the best guess or gamble in those cases. Expert leaders do not like guessing so they try to put the odds in their favour rather than trying to "beat the house" by gambling. Bad gamblers are the worst opening leaders in Western Canada !!