Friday, January 28,
2005 2:40 AM
Hand Evaluation - Opening Leads (Blind
)
PITBULLS:
Leading
blind is dangerous. Good defenders avoid “groping in the dark” almost at
all cost. In previous articles we have discussed that expert players quite often lead a bare Ace
to look at the board instead of guessing what to lead. If the opening leader
has an AK combination that lead will almost always hit the table. You
can use this
inference when partner has overcalled
and chooses
another lead. This means that he does not have the AK combination
in his suit.
The
auction goes 1♠-2♦-2♠-3♥ 4♠-X-P-P partner leads the heart Ace
, the board hits with ♠Axx ♥xxx ♦Qxxx ♣xxx , you have ♠xxx ♥KQJ10x ♦xx ♣Qxx . You win the
2nd heart so now what ? Switch to a club at
the speed of light. Partner does not hold
the AK of diamonds or he would have preferred that lead. Declarer has the
diamond king or Ace therefore we must get our club tricks before a diamond sets
up for a club pitch. Opening lead negative inference.
Tom
Gandolfo had a hand recently against Patty & Leslie that uses the opening
lead inference. The contract is 5♥X after Leslie opened
a diamond , bid diamonds again at the 5 level
vulnerable. Patty had bid 2NT over Tom’s overcall of 1♥ which was
invitational showing 10-12 HCP’s. The board was ♠ AJxxx
♥ KJxx
♦ void ♣ xxxx ,
Tom held ♠ Kxx ♥
A1098x ♦ xxx
♣ Jx . Patty led the 7 of
diamonds which Tom ruffed on the board. How do you continue ?
This hand is all about the opening lead. Patty should not have the AK of clubs
as she would have preferred that lead to look at the board. Therefore
, we give Leslie either the Ace or King of Clubs. From the lead &
bidding Leslie has all the diamond HCP’s. Her opening bid must be AKQ of
diamonds with either the Ace or King of clubs. This gives Patty all the
remaining HCP’s ! The spade queen ,
heart queen and AQ of clubs for her 10 HCP’s. Tom leads a heart to the Ace , finesses the heart
and draws trump. Knowing the spade queen is on side he takes 5 spades , 5 hearts and a diamond ruff for making 5♥ doubled.
Lead
directing doubles should be used more often than not in IMPS. They prevent
partner from “leading blind”. If you get
partner off to the correct opening lead ,beating the
contract you win a bushel of IMPS . If they make their doubled contract you
lose only 4 unless they redouble which is very rare. I was playing with a tormentee who opened 1♣ with ♠J10xx ♥Kx ♦Qx ♣AQJ98 . RHO passed , I bid 2♥ with ♠Kxx ♥1098xxx ♦Jxx ♣x . LHO crawled in with 3♦ and they bid 3NT . I was on opening lead so I was “leading blind” but I
had the inference that partner did not support hearts nor did he make a lead
directing double for a club lead.
I led a spade but it was not a success .
If partner doubles for a club lead , we get 3 clubs
, a diamond and a spade for down one.
I opened
a spade , the opponents competed in hearts but I ended
up in 4♠X . The opening leader had Ax of spades and the Ace of
hearts . She thought it was safe to lead the heart Ace
“blind”. Wrong as my partner held a doubleton heart but I had the heart king . I scored my heart king and a heart ruff for +790. The
spade Ace to “look at the board” with a spade continuation ,
I am two down.
Leading blind plays right into the hand of declarer .
A “peek” is worth a thousand finesses. Use lead directing doubles and lead bare Aces rather than guessing
by leading blind. Unbelievably somebody made 5♦x tonight because the
person on lead decided to lead partner’s suit (spade) with ♠xx ♥AKxxx ♦void ♣Jxxxxx instead of the heart
Ace. Partner had opened 1 spade in 3rd
seat but it does not matter it is still a “blind lead”. The heart Ace lead and
you give partner a ruff for +500 . A spade lead and you were minus 750.