05 March 2012

First highest of your shortest and weakest

Playing rubber bridge is frustrating. The better the hands that you're dealt the better you score regardless of skill level. Picking up hands like:

T x x x
J x x x
8 x x x
9


gets you down. Listen to the auction (you're West):

WestNorthEastSouth
- 1 Pass 11
Pass 12 Pass 2NT
Pass 3NT End

  1. Transfer to hearts
  2. Accepting shows 3+ hearts

The opponents have a declared 7 card heart fit and South has effectively denied a 5th heart or a four card spade suit. What are you going to lead?

You must lead a club!

Partner has values, otherwise you'd be leading to 6NT. But if partner is balanced you can't hope to set up enough tricks to defeat this contract. And if partner is unbalanced then he would have overcalled any suit good enough to establish.

Except in clubs!

Tabling the 9 partner's eyes light up. He never imagined that you'd lead to his KQJTxx. The Ace of diamonds served as an entry and down the contract went.

1 comment:

  1. Nice lead. And agree that it's the right approach on the hand. However, 2C over a short club should be natural, so I'd have also expected partner to have denied a 2C overcall.

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