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Deal of the Week
by Mitch Snyder
A Helpful Partner
Finish What You Start
Click here to see today’s hand.
Do you open this hand? Although the major is not very strong, there is a pretty good 5 card minor and all the honors are in the long suits. This hand meets the rule of 20 and the suggestion of 22. It should be opened.
So, you open 1H and the bidding proceeds:
1H 1S P 2H
Now what? You start thinking that this hand really isn’t very good, maybe you should just pass. I don’t think you should pass. Once you’ve committed to opening a hand like this you should make your planned 2nd bid if possible. A bridge axiom that I’ve found to be accurate nearly 100% of the time is ‘if the opponents have a fit, you have a fit’. Since the opponents have a spade fit…
The auction continues:
3D 4S P P
P
If you had passed instead of bidding 3 diamonds, the opponents would still be in 4 spades. I’m not sure west should bid the game following a limit raise. 3S might be right given the weak trump suit and possible wasted king of hearts. Although if opener has the ace of hearts maybe the Rabbi won’t be in. If west stops in 3, east is likely to bid 4 anyway. In fact, this hand was played 15 times, 14 times in 4S and once in 5H doubled. (That was ugly, you don’t see -2300 very often). Here’s the auction from the -2300.
P---1S--P---2NT
3H-4S-.P---P
5D..X--.5H-X
P---P--..P---P
Of the 14 auctions ending in 4S, 3 were the same as the first above, 5 were uncontested, 5 south opened but didn’t rebid 3D and 1 where south opened and rebid 3H (misclick?).
In the July 2024 Bridge Bulletin, Lynn Berg’s column, ‘Leads to avoid’, offers a different perspective about leads. Several of her points are in play on this hand.
North is on lead. There are 3 different auctions described above that can affect the lead. (1) South didn’t bid at all, (2) south only bid hearts and (3) south bid hearts and diamonds
(1) South did not bid. North doesn’t have a standout lead. (An honor sequence such a KQJ or QJT would be standout). He could lead trumps but what is there to gain? In Lynn Bergs’s column points 4, 5 & 6 all suggest not leading a doubleton. I recommend a 4th best club. Nothing else looks better.
After pulling trump declarer will play the king of hearts. South does well to win the ace and cash the other ace before declarer’s diamonds disappear on dummy’s hearts. Making 5 (or 6).
(2) South only bid hearts. A heart lead is called for especially since north has no standout lead of his own. Lead the 3. If you lead the 9, partner will think you have a doubleton or singleton and are angling for a ruff. See #3 in Lynn’s column: (not)‘Leading the highest card you have in partner’s suit’. Note that if you had supported the suit the 9 would be right as partner already knows you are not short. After a heart lead, the defense has only 2 tricks and if south doesn’t cash the other ace declarer will make 6.
(3) South bid hearts and diamonds. Lead a diamond. Why? No matter how hearts divide, there won’t be any more that 2 tricks available in that suit, but if both opponents have at least three diamonds then maybe you’ll be able to get a ruff. Here, the lead of the 10 should suggest a doubleton to your partner who can cash two diamonds, give you a ruff and later get a heart for down 1. Lynn’s points 4, 5 & 6 deal with when not to lead a doubleton. Partner’s bid suit is not one of them.
The opening lead is difficult in that all you have to go on is your hand and the bidding. After the opening lead you have the dummy and all the played cards to help. If your partner has bid and you choose to lead his suit, it is important to lead the proper card from your holding so that partner can make the right play.
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