{"id":344,"date":"2016-03-09T15:26:42","date_gmt":"2016-03-09T20:26:42","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/bigfootbridge.club\/bigfootbridge\/?page_id=344"},"modified":"2016-03-09T15:26:42","modified_gmt":"2016-03-09T20:26:42","slug":"opening-leads-vs-notrump-contracts","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"http:\/\/bigfootbridge.club\/bigfootbridge\/?page_id=344","title":{"rendered":"Opening Leads vs Notrump Contracts"},"content":{"rendered":"

The fate of many NT contracts are determined by the opening lead. \u00a0Sometimes the opening lead is a killer, establishing the defensive suit for the setting tricks. \u00a0Other times the opening lead presents Declarer with the final trick they needed when they were one short. \u00a0It’s a defensive play made with the least information possible, but one has to try one’s best. \u00a0This lesson will give some guidelines that should work more often than not.<\/p>\n

Bidding Sequences Where No Suits are Bid (e.g. 1NT-3NT)<\/h2>\n

Good defense starts with the auction, but what if their auction doesn’t reveal anything? \u00a0Usually you lead your longest suit, but what if you have a choice between equally long suits?<\/p>\n

    \n
  1. When in doubt, prefer to lead a _________ over a __________ .<\/li>\n
  2. If one suit has a much stronger holding (for example, a ___________ ) then that’s a good choice, even if another suit is a bit longer.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    When They Use Stayman and End Up in NT<\/h2>\n

    (Example: 1NT – 2C – 2H – 3NT)<\/p>\n

      \n
    1. Avoid leading a major they have shown or implied unless you have a very _______ holding.<\/li>\n
    2. With equal Clubs and Diamonds, prefer to lead a _______ because your partner could have made a lead directing double of the artificial 2C bid.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

      Note: In the auction 1NT – 2C – 2D – 2NT – (P or 3NT) you need to ascertain if Responder is guaranteeing a 4 card major. \u00a0Many players play 4 suit transfers, which means they have to detour through Stayman to invite in NT. \u00a0They are\u00a0supposed<\/em> to alert the 2NT bid but sometimes forget. \u00a0You can either ask or else you can look at their convention card NT section to see if they play 2NT as a transfer to Diamonds.<\/p>\n

      If Your Partner Has Bid a Suit or Made a Lead Directing Double<\/h2>\n
        \n
      1. Your default option should be “I’m leading my partner’s suit unless I have a very good reason not to.”<\/li>\n
      2. The “Lead Directing Information Value Hierarchy (LDIVH)” (a term I just made up. \u00a0I don’t think Maslow needs to be worried about competition for naming hierarchies) is as follows:\n
          \n
        1. Lead Directing Double: \u00a0Lead this unless you are void or you don’t want to play with this partner any more.<\/li>\n
        2. Overcall: \u00a0Very strong suggestion to lead this suit.<\/li>\n
        3. Third Hand Opener: \u00a0If your partner opens in third seat and the opponents wind up in 3NT then often partner opened light. \u00a0Why? \u00a0To get you to _______ that suit. \u00a0Make them happy.<\/li>\n
        4. First or Second Seat Major Suit Opener.<\/li>\n
        5. First or Second Seat 1D opener if playing “short club”.<\/li>\n
        6. First or Second Seat Minor Suit Opener playing Convenient Minors.<\/li>\n
        7. First or Second Seat 1C opener playing “short club”.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<\/li>\n
        8. The higher you are on that hierarchy, the better the reason needs to be.<\/li>\n
        9. Remember, if you lead your partner’s suit and it’s wrong ________ win the post-mortem. \u00a0If you don’t then you ________ the post-mortem.<\/li>\n
        10. Exceptions: \u00a0A good reason not to lead partner’s suit against a NT contract is when you have a strong suit of your own and<\/strong> an outside<\/strong> ________ .<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

          When\u00a0Not<\/span> to Lead “Fourth Best from Longest and Strongest”<\/h2>\n
            \n
          1. Your partner made a lead-directing ________ or an artificial bid (Stayman 2C, 2D or 2H transfers). \u00a0Also, other situations high on the hierarchy above.<\/li>\n
          2. You have a strong 3 card major suit sequence and a weak four card minor, especially if they never bid or imply ________.<\/li>\n
          3. If the opponents have a long running suit make ________ leads from shorter, stronger holdings. \u00a0Example: \u00a02D – 3NT. \u00a0The opponents hope to run the Diamond suit and opener probably has a fitting honor in the suit. \u00a0Time to get busy and build some major suit tricks.<\/li>\n
          4. If you have a weak hand and you think your partner has most of the defensive values try to find her suit, often a suit you are ________ in.\n
              \n
            1. Given a choice of suits, pick the one that partner could not have overcalled at the one level.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<\/li>\n
            2. If partner doubles the eventual NT contract even though she never bid she’s looking for you to find her suit.\n
                \n
              1. 1NT – 3NT. \u00a0She expects you to work out which suit (hint: \u00a0one you are short in and have no honors).<\/li>\n
              2. If Dummy has bid one suit then partner is asking for a lead of that suit.<\/li>\n
              3. If Dummy has bid two suits then partner is asking for one of those suits and hopes you’ll work it out. \u00a0If you’re not sure, try Dummy’s first bid suit.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

                <\/h2>\n

                Which Card To Lead<\/h2>\n
                  \n
                1. If Partner has bid:\n
                    \n
                  1. If you haven’t raised her then lead ____\u00a0from 3 and ____\u00a0from 2. \u00a0You choose whether you lead high or low from a singleton.<\/li>\n
                  2. If you have raised then lead _______ from 3 rags and ________ from 3 or more to an _______.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<\/li>\n
                  3. If Partner has not bid:\n
                      \n
                    1. With 4 or more to an honor, lead 4th best.<\/li>\n
                    2. With 4 or more to the 9 or 10, lead 2nd highest. \u00a0(e.g. from 9743 lead the ________ ).<\/li>\n
                    3. With 4 or more to the 8 or below then you have a choice that you need to work out with your partner. \u00a0You can either agree to lead the top card or you can agree to lead second highest.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<\/li>\n
                    4. Honor Card Leads\n
                        \n
                      1. Leading an\u00a0Ace shows something like AKx(x) and is often an attempt to set the contract straight away.\n
                          \n
                        1. Holding either the Queen or 5 cards third hand should ___________ by playing high.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<\/li>\n
                        2. Leading a\u00a0King is a very strong lead and shows _______ honor cards: \u00a0a suit headed by the AKQ, AKJ, KQJ, or KQTx.\n
                            \n
                          1. Third hand encourages holding the _________, ___________, or ________.<\/li>\n
                          2. Holding a doubleton honor, third hand plays the ___________ .<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<\/li>\n
                          3. Leading a Queen shows QJT, QJ9 (usually) and rarely something like AQJ or QJx, or KQT9.\n
                              \n
                            1. Partner encourages holding the ________, __________, or ___________ .<\/li>\n
                            2. Holding a doubleton honor, third hand plays the ___________ .<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<\/li>\n
                            3. Leads of the Jack\n
                                \n
                              1. If you are playing “Jack Denies” then the lead of the Jack denies any higher _______ and usually shows a holding headed by JT9 or JT8. \u00a0Don’t lead the Jack from 4 or more not headed by a _______. \u00a0Instead lead the _________ best.<\/li>\n
                              2. If you are not playing “Jack Denies” then the leader might have AJT, KJT, JT9, JT8. \u00a0Partner has to work out which.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<\/li>\n
                              3. Leads of the Ten or Nine\n
                                  \n
                                1. If you are playing “Coded 9s and 10s” then the lead of a 9 or T implies either two higher honors or no higher honors. \u00a0For example, one might lead the T from AJT, KJT, T98, T97. \u00a0If third hand can see the Jack then she knows it’s not from AJT or KJT.<\/li>\n
                                2. If you aren’t playing “Coded 9s and 10s” then the lead of 9 or T is either the top of a sequence or the top of an interior sequence. \u00a0(AT9, KT9, QT9, K98, T98, etc.). \u00a0It’s a bit harder to read for both the leader’s partner and the Declarer.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

                                   <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

                                  The fate of many NT contracts are determined by the opening lead. \u00a0Sometimes the opening lead is a killer, establishing the defensive suit for the setting tricks. \u00a0Other times the opening lead presents Declarer with the final trick they needed…
                                  Read more<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"parent":20,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/bigfootbridge.club\/bigfootbridge\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/344"}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/bigfootbridge.club\/bigfootbridge\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/bigfootbridge.club\/bigfootbridge\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/bigfootbridge.club\/bigfootbridge\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/bigfootbridge.club\/bigfootbridge\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=344"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"http:\/\/bigfootbridge.club\/bigfootbridge\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/344\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":348,"href":"http:\/\/bigfootbridge.club\/bigfootbridge\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/344\/revisions\/348"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/bigfootbridge.club\/bigfootbridge\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/20"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/bigfootbridge.club\/bigfootbridge\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=344"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}