[frank0]

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I sat South, the overcall was questionable but did not get caught. What's the best lead?

[billw55]

"Responder" preferred opener's second suit. Predictably, declarer will be trying to ruff diamonds in dummy. This auction calls for a trump lead, so I cash the ace and look around.

[Hanoi5]

I might just lead a small spade. Partner may have trumps and either a spade honor and later make declarer ruff or short spades and ruff a spade when I enter with the trump ace and return the suit again.

[dkham]

Hanoi5, on 2012-May-02, 08:12, said:

I might just lead a small spade. Partner may ... ruff a spade when I enter with the trump ace and return the suit again.

But is it likely that partner has shorter spades than declarer? I'm going for a trump.

[frank0]

I led ♣A for the reason billw55 mentioned.

My partner brought another opinion, he thought because I had only 1 trump it's less likely leading trump can hurt declare too much and leading the ♣A may solve the guessing problem for declare(e.g. declare missing A and Q).

[billw55]

frank0, on 2012-May-02, 16:18, said:

I led ♣A for the reason billw55 mentioned.

My partner brought another opinion, he thought because I had only 1 trump it's less likely leading trump can hurt declare too much and leading the ♣A may solve the guessing problem for declare(e.g. declare missing A and Q).

It is true and I considered that. There is also upside, for instance if partner takes an early diamond trick we can get a second trump lead in. But it is certainly possible that the ace is wrong, I cannot be sure.

[Phil]

I would never lead the ♣A. Maybe a low spade - maybe a heart - don't know.

[Quantumcat]

Usually the "dummy preferred second suit therefore lead trump" is only applicable when the second suit got raised. Diamonds are 3-3 and only need one ruff to set them up. It's unlikely you can get rid of all three trumps in time, and you will have wasted tempo trying to do so when it only saves you one trick at most (only if declarer's diamonds are very bad, otherwise you only had 1 or 0 tricks even with no ruffs).

Leading a trump is for when you have a long strong holding in declarer's other suit, or you have a shortage, and it was not raised, making pard likely to hold length, and you hope strength.

A forcing defence is probably right. Partner has 4 clubs probably (maybe even 5, if dummy has 2-1 in declarer's suits, or if declarer bid a 4-card club suit), and you have a definite entry to play another spade. In fact this defence will work any time partner has at least four clubs, the only time it fails is when declarer has solid suits (AKQxx diamonds KQJTx clubs) and a spade stopper (ace, or king doubleton). If it turns out the opponents actually have some spades (e.g. A2 opposite KT65), then you can give pard a spade ruff when in with the ace of clubs, and declarer will probably never ever get the king of spades.

I would love to know the full deal, and see if the forcing defence works and how many off he goes :-)

[Zelandakh]

Quantumcat, on 2012-May-22, 22:45, said:

Usually the "dummy preferred second suit therefore lead trump" is only applicable when the second suit got raised.

Really? The prototypical auction for this in most textbooks is 1X - 1Y; 2Z - P where Z is lower-ranking than X.

[ColdCrayon]

Zelandakh, on 2012-May-23, 03:14, said:

Really? The prototypical auction for this in most textbooks is 1X - 1Y; 2Z - P where Z is lower-ranking than X.

Yeah I was going to say - failure to make an equal level correction is basically showing preference.

[Quantumcat]

In that auction, responder usually has only 1 more card in trumps than the first suit. When the second suit gets raised, that's when there is probably a singleton/void in the first suit and 3-4 card support for the second, and declarer will probably want to ruff several times, so a trump lead might show a profit.
If you have a long strong holding in the first suit or you have a shortage and partner hopefully does, a trump lead might be useful in the non-raising case, since they will need to ruff more than once to set the suit up. For instance you lead a trump on opening lead, you get in with the suit, lead another, and get in again, and lead another one and he never gets to ruff the suit, and you might get 2 tricks because of the bad break in the suit. But in this case, the suit breaks 3-3, and declarer will never want to ruff more than once. You will only show a 1-trick benefit if partner has AKx or AQx, so can get in twice for two more trump leads. Partner MUST have one of these two holdings if the trump lead is to benefit at all, or you can NEVER lead three rounds of trumps, and declarer will always get to ruff once, and meanwhile you haven't used your time on lead to do anything productive.

Here's an example hand

---

On leading a trump then switching to a spade, declarer might cross to the jack of trumps, take a diamond finesse, ruff a diamond, knock out the ace of hearts, ruff the spade return, draw trumps and claim, for 11 tricks. Or he might not take the diamond finesse, and take 10 (we let partner win the diamond so he can lead another trump, but alas, two trump leads are not enough).
On leading a spade, declarer might win, knock out the ace of clubs, ruff the spade return, cross to the jack of trumps, take a diamond finesse, ruff a diamond, knock out the ace of hearts, ruff the spade return, then he will play out winners and partner will probably just make his long club. 10 tricks. If he doesn't take the diamond finesse, he can be forced an extra time, so he only makes 8 tricks - partner gets two long clubs.
Imagine the possibilities if declarer isn't as solid as I made him.

[mycroft]

Well, in the ubiquitous 5cM world, 1♦-1M; 2♣-p is much different from 1M-x; 2m-p, but even so, I would expect with a 1-card difference one would take the preference. That's a problem if people frequently open 2=2=4=5 or (13)=4=5 minimums 1♦, but without that, and barring the dreaded 4441, you're playing the 5=2 at least to the 4=3; most 44m hands will have (re)bid NT.

The stiff A is a big flag. If I lead trump and it's right, partner will get in (because it's not like I am) and lead another one; if the trump lead is right and I don't lead it, I don't get to when I get in (likely after partner gets in and leads a trump). However, if another lead is right, I've just given away my entry to do it again.

I'd still lead trump into this auction; hopefully dummy is 2=4 or 2=3 rather than 3=4. I don't expect partner's ruffs are going to *help* our defence - it might be even of course.