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 Lead a Major or a Minor by Barry Rigal

MAJORS OR MINORS

There is a general feeling that one should lead majors rather than minors against no-trump.

And this is true, if you accompany the above statement with the caveat ‘All things being equal’.

The logic is that the opponents will play a major, if they have a real fit there more often than not, but won’t necessarily do the same with a minor fit. But it is only a tie-breaker rule, not a way of life.

Question 1

  Your Hand
 9 6 3 2
 A 7 5
 J 9 6 2
 Q 8
 
Q: 1 - As South, what do you lead?
SouthWestNorthEast
--11NT
PassPassPass


 Your choice:
A: 6 - There is no good answer to this problem. A club feels wrong, since your RHO is as likely to be long in the suit as partner, and a diamond, your best suit, is not likely to find your partner with length given his choice of opener and the opponents settling in no-trump, marking him with at least some major-suit length. I’d lead the spade six (a rare case when second from a bad suit is acceptable) without any conviction at all.

Your result so far:
Open Question

Question 2

  Your Hand
 A J 9 8
 J 7
 10 9 8 5
 A J 4
 
Q: 2 - As South, what do you lead?
SouthWestNorthEast
---1NT
PassPassPass


 Your choice:
A: T - When defending to one no-trump, your aim is often to avoid surrendering a trick unnecessarily, and here a diamond lead is clearly safer than a spade. Of course if you had a fifth spade you would lead it rather than go passive, but the spade lead is so likely to cost a trick that the diamond will more often be right.

Your result so far:
Open Question

Question 3

  Your Hand
 K 7 4 2
 Q 8 3
 7 4
 K J 9 6
 
Q: 3 - As South, what do you lead?
SouthWestNorthEast
---1
Pass2Pass2NT
Pass3NTPassPass
Pass


 Your choice:
A: 6 - Spades and clubs are equally likely to be successful on this auction, but you need an awful lot less from partner in clubs for the lead to strike gold. Even a four-card spade suit opposite will not necessarily achieve much; but queen-third of clubs probably sets your suit up at once.

Your result so far:
Open Question

Question 4

  Your Hand
 K 9 5 4
 9 8 5
 K J 9 3
 J 6
 
Q: 4 - As South, what do you lead?
SouthWestNorthEast
--Pass1NT
Pass2NTPass3NT
PassPassPass


 Your choice:
A: 9 - I’m going to assume that no one would lead a club here. Right? That being said, I’m also guessing that many people would be weighing up the merits of a spade against a diamond, without seriously considering the merits of going passive with a heart lead. My view is that leading from honor-fourth is a slightly odds-against shot (contrast it with a lead from a four-card suit headed by a sequence). When I have a relatively safe sequence in a three-card suit, it feels ‘safer’ to me.

Your result so far:
Open Question

Question 5

  Your Hand
 Q 7 5 4
 Q 7 5
 K 10
 Q 7 6 2
 
Q: 5 - As South, what do you lead?
SouthWestNorthEast
--Pass1
Pass1Pass1NT
Pass2NTPassPass
Pass


 Your choice:
A: 4 - Dummy might have a four-card spade suit, but declarer is unlikely to do so. Meanwhile either opponent could easily have four clubs and not have introduced the suit or looked for a fit. That being so, a spade lead is slightly more likely to hit partner with length. This is truly the case of ‘all things being equal’ go for the major.

Your result so far:
Open Question

Overall Results

Your results:   out of    Average: 

What next? You may enjoy playing our prepared hands series.
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