Thursday, June 23, 2005 7:33 AM

Hand Evaluation - Patterns ( Opening Leads )

PITBULLS:

Opening leads are a bidding skill. When there has been bidding , your suits & card combinations are almost irrelevant. You make opening leads based solely on the bidding. Lets take that a step further . You translate the bidding into a hand pattern , then make your opening lead accordingly. Opening leads & patterns obtained from the bidding are a marriage so you can not have one without the other. My partner used patterns from the bidding to get off to an excellent opening lead against a 3NT contract Thurs nite. He heard

1♦-P-1♥-P

1♠-P-2♦-P

3NT-P-P-P

Partner held ♠xxx ♥AQx ♦A10xx ♣xxx , he knows on these auctions declarer usually holds a 5-4-3-1 hand . Attacking one of declarers suits seemed futile so partner laid down the heart Ace. The board came down with ♠ xxx ♥ KJ9x ♦ xxx ♣ 10xx . If partner is right about the pattern , this whole hand is going to be one gigantic “hand lock” as the dummy is dead. I played the heart 2 which may show 5 hearts & partner switched to a club. Declarer won the club queen, led the queen of diamonds. Partner knows the diamond pattern from the bidding ( 5-4-3-1) so he ducks to my stiff king . Declarer wins my club return with the King , cashes the Ace & leads the diamond 9. Partner wins his 10 , cashes the diamond Ace & throws declarer back into his hand with the last diamond. Declarers hand was ♠AKJx ♥x ♦QJ987 ♣AKQ . So he now cashes his 5^th diamond , AK of spades & conceded two down to my spade queen & 13^th club. Note if partner did not apply patterns on any stage of this hand , 3NT would make !!

Bridge players can not defend properly without getting a tentative “lie of the land” by applying patterns. Usually you can do this from the bidding or analyzing partners opening lead. You plug in the pattern so you have some idea on how to defend a hand. There is another more subtle way of “counting out a hand” using negative inferences. That is to take into consideration what partner did not lead. Using this method you get +100 in a 3♥ contract tonight. Tom held ♠ Ax ♥ void ♦ QJ10543 ♣ QJ432 The board has ♠Kxx ♥ Q10xx ♦xx ♣K1097 . The auction went 1♥-P-2♥-2NT 3♥ , all pass. Partner leads a small trump , you discard a diamond. Declarer wins the heart , returns a heart with partner winning the Ace . You discard another diamond & partner leads another heart won on the board so you discard a low club. Declarer now calls for a small club. Which club do you play ? Partner did not lead a stiff club so declarer can not hold Axx ( 5-4-3-1 ) . Partner has 3 clubs or a doubleton so declarer must have a stiff Ace or Ace doubleton. Therefore you do not have to split your club honours. Little things like splitting honours are based on patterns. Sometimes how you get these patterns need some detective work. Playing a small club gets you +100 .

Why partner has made the opening lead that she did or how she is defending the hand , gives valuable information on how to defend a hand. Also when there are voids floating around you can get a pretty accurate count of partners hand which helps you defend . You hold ♠A10xx ♥xxx ♦xx ♣J98x , the opponents get to 5♣X after you raised partners spade opener to 2♠. Partner leads the diamond king , the board comes down with ♠ Jx ♥ Axx ♦ QJ9xxxx ♣ x . Declarer ruffs the diamond at trick one ! Showing out of a suit gives you an instant tentative count of partners hand ( trigger ) . Knowing partners hand can assist you in figuring out declarers hand & finding the correct defense. You know partner has 5 spades & 4 diamonds. Applying patterns , she is 5-4-2-2 or 5-4-3-1 . Declarer now leads a small spade towards the doubleton jack , partner plays small & you win you Ace now what ? A heart back is silly as declarer must hold 5 or 4 hearts . You know you have 4 spades but partner does not. If you lead a spade back, partner with his stiff club might return a trump finessing you out of your Jxxx . It looks to him that declarer wants to ruff a spade. Therefore a spade is the last card you return. You return a trump , declarer plays the queen & partner the Ace. Partner is no longer end played & can get out with a spade. Not applying patterns just makes Bridge defense a series of guesses. You may guess right or you may not. Applying patterns takes the guess work out of defending !!

Patterns are essential for your opening leads . I held ♠AQx ♥K10xx ♦Qxx ♣Qxx , Susan & Steve Bates get to a vulnerable 5♦ contract . Steve opened a heart & Susan bid 2♣. Steve bid & rebid diamonds so Susan placed the contract in 5♦. What is your opening lead ? Declarer is 5-5 in the reds & with the club suit behind you , your Qxx does not look good. So you lead your spade Ace . Susan puts down ♠ Jxx ♥ x ♦ Kxx ♣ AKJxxx , Tom plays an encouraging spade. You cash the spade queen so if declarer is unfortunate to be 5-5-3-0 you are beating this hand. I continued a spade & Tom wins it ! Down 2 vul on an uppercut & a top board for just applying patterns before you lead. The field did not want to lead away from AQx as per rote rules.

Make it a habit to apply patterns in all hands in which you are on lead & there has been bidding . You have memorized the patterns to help you with your declarer play anyway. Why not apply them when defending or making opening leads ? I find this detective work fun on defense. Good players apply patterns as a matter of course when they are playing the hand. It is not a gigantic leap to doing the same thing on defense. Patterns - do not leave home with them !