A stray thought here. Obviously you shouldn’t unthinkingly lead partner’s suit and the S10 could find declarer with AJ9 which would be embarrassing. Nonetheless, it does avoid a lot of problems especially as the CJ could have found dummy with one more club, and East with one less, especially as North didn’t use Stayman (he might have done). Give West S10 alone and an extra club, and fair enough, but isn’t there a case for winning the post mortem here, especially if partner has opened 2S on Kxxxxx and an outside K for fun? I do it too, of course ….
Regards,
Iain
Bobby WolffJanuary 28th, 2021 at 2:53 pm
Hi Iain,
The quote today, a somewhat random one, but very applicable to the game we love, can be so true.
No doubt, I favor a spade lead rather than a club, but only because I have only four clubs, not five. At least to me, experience rather than talent helps here, since by not leading partner’s suit, the opening leader is attempting to eventually secure the setting trick in his hand, not his partner.
Much irony is also present since the weak two choice by East, by its disruption, drove this opposing partnership overbourd. However, unless and until the defense followed through and prevented nine tricks to be scored by declarer they need to earn it by remaining passive and let the setting trick come to them, rather than deciding to aggressively use their one second, one minute and what probably eventually felt by them, one hour, to do so, since it, in effect allowed a careful and very thoughtful declarer, to disallow their celebration when he (or she), at the death, guessed the hearts (probably principally done from West’s choice of opening lead), showing a promising defensive hand with likely, possible entries galore).
At least to me, bridge being the mind game we all know it is, this hand is an excellent example of using the evidence presented (in this case the choice of opening lead), to eventually bring it home in style, the correct guess in hearts).
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HI Bobby,
A stray thought here. Obviously you shouldn’t unthinkingly lead partner’s suit and the S10 could find declarer with AJ9 which would be embarrassing. Nonetheless, it does avoid a lot of problems especially as the CJ could have found dummy with one more club, and East with one less, especially as North didn’t use Stayman (he might have done). Give West S10 alone and an extra club, and fair enough, but isn’t there a case for winning the post mortem here, especially if partner has opened 2S on Kxxxxx and an outside K for fun? I do it too, of course ….
Regards,
Iain
Hi Iain,
The quote today, a somewhat random one, but very applicable to the game we love, can be so true.
No doubt, I favor a spade lead rather than a club, but only because I have only four clubs, not five. At least to me, experience rather than talent helps here, since by not leading partner’s suit, the opening leader is attempting to eventually secure the setting trick in his hand, not his partner.
Much irony is also present since the weak two choice by East, by its disruption, drove this opposing partnership overbourd. However, unless and until the defense followed through and prevented nine tricks to be scored by declarer they need to earn it by remaining passive and let the setting trick come to them, rather than deciding to aggressively use their one second, one minute and what probably eventually felt by them, one hour, to do so, since it, in effect allowed a careful and very thoughtful declarer, to disallow their celebration when he (or she), at the death, guessed the hearts (probably principally done from West’s choice of opening lead), showing a promising defensive hand with likely, possible entries galore).
At least to me, bridge being the mind game we all know it is, this hand is an excellent example of using the evidence presented (in this case the choice of opening lead), to eventually bring it home in style, the correct guess in hearts).
Thank you for leading the discussion.