Wednesday, March 28, 2007 10:52 PM

Hand Evaluation - Analyzing Leads

PITBULLS:

Opening leads are a bidding skill . Partner is supposed to read the bidding , make the percentage opening lead of the unbid suit or a trump or whatever. Since Bridge is a partnership game , you have assumed partner has read the bidding properly & made the correct opening lead. No , no ‘s in opening leads are leading the opponents suits , under leading Aces in a suit contract to a strong hand to your right or a trump lead when the auction does not call for it. Leading an unsupported Ace when the auction calls for it , is expert Bridge.

You must assume partner is at the table so is making the best opening lead for your side. Why ? because if she is leading their suit or a suit that dummy is showing length , there must be a reason. Partners’ stiffs are identified in accordance with the context of the bidding. If partner is making a “bad lead” , she must be doing it for a reason. 99% of the time it is a stiff. I was playing with a Tormentee , my RHO opened 1♣ . We competed in hearts & they eventually bought the hand in 4♠X . I lead a club ( his suit) in a doubled contract & got in with the trump Ace. I tried to get partner in by under leading my AK of hearts. Disaster as declarers stiff queen won ! Declarer leads another trump so the Tormentee wins her king. Yes , we are going to beat this hand for +200 anyway ! Back came a heart so we were –790 . I concluded that the Tormentee must play with partners who regularly made unthinking leads like the opponents suit even in doubled contracts.

Recently I was playing against a Tormentee & Kiz & I had this auction.

1NT-P-2♥-P

2♠-P-3♦-P

4♠-P-P-P

I show a two suiter in spades & diamonds & the dummy comes down with ♠K109xx ♥x ♦KJ10xx ♣xx after your partner leads a diamond. You have Qxx so partner has picked off your diamond queen. Kiz leads a trump so you are in with your spade Ace. Luckily you were dealt the deuce of diamonds & you hold the club Ace so you can get +200. You return the diamond deuce so partner ruffs . Partner returns a club you win the Ace & give partner another ruff. Partner cashes the club king so you are +200. This was IMPs. In matchpoints , there is a super safe way to beat the contract one. Lay down the club ace so if partner encourages in clubs , she does not have a singleton. If she discourages in clubs , give her the diamond ruff & she can cash the setting trick in clubs.

At the table , the tormentee did not read partners lead for a singleton. This means that her partner must regularly make atrocious leads so when she does so again , you do not have the singleton inference. The Tormentee laid down her club Ace & partner encouraged . Back came a club so Kiz made +620 for a 13 IMP loss for the Tormentee & her partner.

Opening leads are to be analyzed. Why is partner making that lead ? The opening lead quite often is the last piece of the puzzle along with the opponents bidding to apply a pattern to get a complete count of declarers hand. Partner leads the club deuce , the opponents are in 4♥ with an auction of

1♠-P-1NT-P

2♥-P-4♥-P

You now have a complete tentative count of declarers hand. You know partner has 4 clubs , you see the dummys clubs & your own. Applying a pattern , you now know declarers club length. With the bidding you know declarers complete distribution. Your defense is off to the best start possible. Opening leads & patterns are kindred spirits. They cannot get along without each other. Analyze partners lead , apply a pattern & defend accordingly.

How do you identify a stiff when partners lead it your bid suit ? By not divorcing the bidding from defense & getting a tentative “lie of the land by translating the bidding into a hand pattern. . A Tormentee opened in 3^rd seat nv vrs vul with ♠Axxxx ♥xxx ♦x ♣KQxx & LHO bid 2♦ vul. I made a negative double & your RHO bid 3♦ & all pass. I lead a small spade so what is a tentative “lie of the land” ? Dummy hit with ♠KQ109 ♥xxx ♦KJx ♣xxx. Apply a pattern in their trump suit 6-3-3-1 is a good guess. This gives partner 3♦ & her negative double may show 5-4 in the unbid suits. This is 5-4-3-1 so partner has a stiff spade. We need 5 tricks to beat 3♦ so with your light opener so how are you going to beat this contract ? The best chance is that partner’s small spade is a singleton. The lead cannot be 3 small or she would have bid differently so the odds are in favour of a stiff spade. This could be the reason that partner chose to defend 3♦. You win the spade Ace & return the spade deuce. Partner ruffs & returns a club. You win your ♣Q & give partner another ruff. Partner returns a club which you win & return your 4^th spade to kill the trick. Declarer ruffs high & goes down 2 vul with 6♦ & 1♥ trick. This is 9 IMPS as they made 4♦ with your defense. Analyzing opening leads is partnership Bridge . Partner has given you the first clue for planning the defense.