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Your Hand
♠ 7 6
♥ K J 3
♦ J 9 6 4 2
♣ K 5 3 |
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Q: 5 - Your opponents end up in 4
♠ after West opens 1
♥ and jumps to 3
♠ over his partner’s 1
♠ response to show a good hand with four-card Spade support.
Which lead gives the defense the best chance of beating this one?
South | West | North | East |
Pass | 1♥ | Pass | 1♠ |
Pass | 3♠ | Pass | 4♠ |
Pass | Pass | Pass | |
A: ♣3. In this situation it appears as though the cards are lying well for declarer, so an active lead is called for.
Your Heart holding speaks volumes about your defensive chances on this hand, for you K J x will be waste paper under dummy’s tenace. Your x x trumps are also quite bad, for declarer will probably be able to pick the suit up, especially with the lack of a bad break.
Overall the cards seem to be right where declarer needs them, therefore an active defense must be employed. On a passive lead there’s a strong possibility that declarer will just draw trumps and cash the Heart suit, with the aid of a ruff if he has a singleton. As such there is a clear and present danger that whatever tricks you have will run away on this hand, and a Club lead is the most effective way of ensuring you take what’s yours.
If you are to beat the contract, you’ll most likely need to find partner with three tricks, and the only way you could possibly conjure them is by means of the Club suit to go along with a side-suit trick. Because you hold the ♣K you hope that partner’s values are in that suit, for his Club values will be supported by your King, and combined you stand to take three tricks there.
A Diamond lead is hardly an attractive alternative, for even if you find partner with strength there it’s unlikely that he’ll have enough to beat 4♠, an argument which rings true when you consider that, because you hold five cards in the suit, the maximum number of tricks you can possibly take in Diamonds is only two.
When considering whether to lead passively or aggressively, remember that your action is setting the course for the defense, therefore the decision should not be made on a whim. By fully appreciating the inferences available to you it’s possible to make an informed decision so as to get the defense off to the best possible start.
The normal indicators of when to employ a passive lead are:
- If the opponents have stretched to their game (unless they have a big source of tricks it’s usually best to lead passively, for your opponents will often have stretched too far)
- If they have bid to a slam based on power rather than shape
- If the cards are lying badly for declarer (e.g. a bad trump break)
- Overall, if you believe declarer will be unable to get home under his own steam
Whereas the warning signs are usually more apparent if an active defense is required:
- If the cards are lying well for declarer (e.g. one of your high cards is under a tenace)
- If the opponents have a lot more values than they’d usually need for their contract (typically after a failed slam try)
- Altogether, if you believe declarer will make his contract if you give him the breathing room to do so
Your result so far: