BRIDGE BITES #26
|
INTRODUCING DR GOODLEAD
Brian Gunnell |
This week we feature a terrific
opening lead, found in real life by John Brady of Jacksonville, FL (known to
some as Dr Goodlead). You are the doctor’s Partner, sitting East.
♠ QJ96
♥
J974
♦
9
♣ K874 |
|
|
N-S Vulnerable
South West North East
1♥
1♠ 2♥
Pass
4♥
Pass Pass Pass
|
Dummy
West East
Declarer |
♠
♥
86
♦
T5432
♣ QJT963 |
West, the good doctor, leads the
Spade Ten. A strange-looking lead, don’t you think? It’s not fourth best, not
top of a sequence. Has the doctor’s legendary common-sense deserted him?
While you are puzzling over that
bizarre opening lead, Dummy plays the ♠Q and you gleefully ruff. What next, Mr
East? West found a grand opening lead, and life would be even grander if only
you could get back to West’s hand for a second ruff. If that is to happen, West
must have ♦A
or ♣A. Any clues as to which?
►
The opening lead is your
much-needed clue. West led an unnecessarily high Spade, and is trying to
tell you something. Yes, he is advertising the Ace in the higher-ranking
side-suit! So, after ruffing, you shoot back a Diamond to West’s Ace and
get your second Spade ruff. Down one!
►
|
♠ QJ96
♥
J974
♦
9
♣ K874 |
|
♠ KT5432
♥
A5
♦
A76
♣ 52 |
Dummy
West East
Declarer |
♠
♥
86
♦
T5432
♣ QJT963 |
|
♠ A87
♥
KQT32
♦
KQJ8
♣ A |
|
Doctor G’s lead from ♠KT5432
was not without risk, but he saw no appealing alternative, and he reasonably
concluded that East had no more than two Spades (due to non-support in the
auction). He didn’t necessarily expect a void, but singleton was also a
possibility (in which case West would later win the
♥A
and give East a second-round Spade ruff).
What just happened was a Suit
Preference signal, whereby, in certain situations, the play of a high card
says “I have the higher-ranking suit”, vice versa with a low card. This
defensive signal is a rare bird on opening lead, it usually comes later in the
hand and even then only in specialized situations.
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