[cherdano]

Scoring: IMP

After 3 passes, the opponents scramble to 3N in a non-competitive auction:
1S 2D 2H 3D 3N. (2D was natural by the passed hand, they are probably playing multi in case you care.)

---

[Halo]

Queen of clubs.

Short list of one for me, I'm afraid.

[ArtK78]

Agree. Establish three tricks and hope that pard can contribute 2.

[jdonn]

A club is playing for declarer to not have the king (or leading the ace plays to find it stiff as well), nothing else. If partner has the two tricks you want then he will be able to lead clubs through the king twice for down 2. On the other hand, if partner is only getting in once, we have to lead anything but a club and hope the king is doubleton (or that declarer plays it from Kxx when partner does switch to a club).
If declarer doesn't have the king he's got me, but since I'm never playing for that a club is the lead to most avoid.

[mike777]

9H

[kenrexford]

Attack the fluidity.

[cherdano]

This hand is from one of the Cayne matches and one of Fantunes (don't remember who) was on lead with this holding. He led his singleton diamond, maybe to attack communication? It did work very well, anyway.

[jtfanclub]

cherdano, on Aug 16 2007, 12:25 PM, said:

This hand is from one of the Cayne matches and one of Fantunes (don't remember who) was on lead with this holding. He led his singleton diamond, maybe to attack communication? It did work very well, anyway.

Wow.

I like singleton leads, but this one would never have occurred to me.

[Free]

I would lead ♣A. I've seen many people bid 3NT with a stiff King (I've done it as well) and I suspect this is the situation. If dummy has the ♣K, well, I guess nothing much is lost...

[Free]

cherdano, on Aug 16 2007, 06:25 PM, said:

This hand is from one of the Cayne matches and one of Fantunes (don't remember who) was on lead with this holding. He led his singleton diamond, maybe to attack communication? It did work very well, anyway.

I've looked the hand up, and it really doesn't matter what you lead. A ♣ makes the contract go -2 while anything else defeats it by 3 tricks...

After the ♦ lead however, they still defeated it by only 2 tricks.

[han]

I'd lead the heart 9, agree with jdonn's analysis.

[Halo]

I completely disagree with jdonn's analysis.

IMO the player on lead against 3NT needs to take advantage of the lead, and more especially at IMPs. I am not sitting on this club suit on the basis that partner will give me four club tricks.

I think a singleton lead says I'm just messing around - just because someone is a great player doesn't mean they always do great things.

[skjaeran]

I'd lead the ♥8 - 2nd from a bad holding.

[jdonn]

Halo, on Aug 17 2007, 03:28 PM, said:

I completely disagree with jdonn's analysis.

But since you don't say so, which part do you disagree with? Or more specifically, can you give either an exact layout or a general situation in which a club is the winning lead, other than when declarer does not have the king (in which case I fully admit, he got me)?

[Halo]

jdonn, on Aug 17 2007, 04:32 PM, said:

Halo, on Aug 17 2007, 03:28 PM, said:

I completely disagree with jdonn's analysis.

But since you don't say so, which part do you disagree with? Or more specifically, can you give either an exact layout or a general situation in which a club is the winning lead, other than when declarer does not have the king (in which case I fully admit, he got me)?

I disagreed with the proposition that holding AQJT in a suit and leading against 3NT, it is a mistake to lead the suit because if partner can take two tricks, and lead the suit twice that will work better.

[helene_t]

♦, declarer probably has Kx of clubs in which case there's no point in leading that suit.

[markleon]

I'm leading a heart, whichever one I'm conventionally leading in this partnership. Again, assuming declarer has the ♣K, I'm having a hard time coming up with a layout where the club lead works where others don't. On the other hand, I can easily come up with a layout where a club lead presents declarer with the 9th trick that was not available any other way.

Looking at it another way, if I lead a club, I still need partner to contribute two tricks to beat this. But, if partner can contribute two tricks, I can still get three clubs without giving a club trick to declarer.

The club honor lead would be a lot more appealing if there were 5 clubs in this hand.

[Halo]

OK

But you would regard something like:

AKQxx, AKJ,x,K9xx

as out of the question for declarer?

[jdonn]

Halo, on Aug 18 2007, 04:18 PM, said:

OK

But you would regard something like:

AKQxx, AKJ,x,K9xx

as out of the question for declarer?

Declarer opened 1♠ and rebid 2♥, and your example to justify your lead is a 20 count with three hearts, and even then I don't see how a club lead is setting him. Come on Halo.

[Halo]

jdonn, on Aug 18 2007, 04:35 PM, said:

Halo, on Aug 18 2007, 04:18 PM, said:

OK

But you would regard something like:

AKQxx, AKJ,x,K9xx

as out of the question for declarer?

Declarer opened 1♠ and rebid 2♥, and your example to justify your lead is a 20 count with three hearts, and even then I don't see how a club lead is setting him. Come on Halo.

Well, I might bid 2H with that hand, and how weak do you think declarer is for his 3NT bid (if he is not just boringly going several off whatever we play.)

But OK we make the hand:

AKQxx, AKJx, x, K9x

and not unreasonably give dummy the diamond KQ and a small doubleton spade. Do you not feel in danger after a heart lead jdonn?