[A2003]

Greatest defensive lead

How many will find this lead? what is the basis?

[ggwhiz]

Not a great lead if his pard had a stiff diamond instead of a void.

The basis for it is just money odds. I don't care if I threw away 1 or 2 imps if I might go plus and Madala was probably hoping for Kx of diamonds and getting the setting ruff that way. A ♦A lead would work too and I might find it at the table ................... in the next century

Best lead I ever saw was against me. I'm in 6♥ on a 9 card fit and lho led the A♥ from AQx, saw the KJxx in dummy and continued low, smooth as silk.

[The_Badger]

My take on it is that if you are going to underlead an ace against a suit contract, you certainly wouldn't do it in your longest suit. Dead lucky in my opinion, especially as declarer opened 2NT.

More likely to go wrong than right I feel. But I would be interested in other players' take on this. Maybe I am missing something?

[Winstonm]

The_Badger, on 2017-July-26, 00:27, said:

My take on it is that if you are going to underlead an ace against a suit contract, you certainly wouldn't do it in your longest suit. Dead lucky in my opinion, especially as declarer opened 2NT.

More likely to go wrong than right I feel. But I would be interested in other players' take on this. Maybe I am missing something?

There is most likely a good reason for trying this lead but it is the kind of action that makes me feel like this pair should surreptitiously be monitored for a few sessions.

[Kaitlyn S]

ggwhiz, on 2017-July-25, 21:41, said:

Not a great lead if his pard had a stiff diamond instead of a void.

The basis for it is just money odds. I don't care if I threw away 1 or 2 imps if I might go plus and Madala was probably hoping for Kx of diamonds and getting the setting ruff that way. A ♦A lead would work too and I might find it at the table ................... in the next century

Best lead I ever saw was against me. I'm in 6♥ on a 9 card fit and lho led the A♥ from AQx, saw the KJxx in dummy and continued low, smooth as silk.

I made that lead once. Declarer finessed

[gszes]

Some players are just plain great at fast math. N showed 5 spades and less than 4 hearts (at least in theory no stayman) which leaves N with at least 5 minor suit cards and S has 3 spades (no jump to game and preferring spades to NT) and a max of 4 hearts (once again in theory) so that leaves them with at least at least 6 minor suit cards. P probably has around 6 hcp but could easily have only 3. So if p has 6-8 minor suit cards and only 3hcp what 3 hcp will most likely result in a set? That seems to be Kx of diamonds. Additional benefit is that the A is hugely unlikely to go away given the bidding and trump trick held by west. That means the risk factor plummets while the reward factor remains quite high. Finding p with a void only made a reasonable opening lead choice look suspicious.

[ggwhiz]

If I remember right Boye Brogeland once led the ♣J from KJ9x against 3nt in a big cheesy NABC KO, caught dummy with Qxx, partner with Axx and declarer with Txx.

He had a side Ace and the opponents were known to have a (probably) running diamond suit and his partner, not too much. Why? I dunno but you are guaranteed a write up in the Bulletin next day even if the opponents club holdings are reversed and this is the only lead to let them make it.

[PhantomSac]

My personal favorite lead:

AQ
KJxxx
Kxx
Axx

Auction starting on your right is:

1S 1N X XX*
P 2C P 2D
p P X** P
2H P 3D P
3N AP

XX showed a one suiter, X of 2D was takeout (as would X of 2C had been). I was watching on Vugraph and the opening leader (kevin bathurst) took 15 minutes and came up with...

Spoiler

The heart King

Dummy had Jxx Ax xx KQJTxx so this took out the entry in dummy. I believe declarer could have still made it but didn't. I liked this lead a lot because I think the opening leader with so many high cards knew that the dummy must have had a long good suit which is obviously clubs (passed 2C but then kept bidding strongly) and an ace, so the HK is quite a solid shot and not just lucky.

[PhantomSac]

ggwhiz, on 2017-July-26, 13:20, said:

If I remember right Boye Brogeland once led the ♣J from KJ9x against 3nt in a big cheesy NABC KO, caught dummy with Qxx, partner with Axx and declarer with Txx.

He had a side Ace and the opponents were known to have a (probably) running diamond suit and his partner, not too much. Why? I dunno but you are guaranteed a write up in the Bulletin next day even if the opponents club holdings are reversed and this is the only lead to let them make it.

I have seen this one multiple times, sometimes you know its more likely dummy has the queen and sometimes its combined with they might have AQ. IIRC kranyak did it once on 1D p 1S p 2H p 2N p 3N with KJ98 of hearts for example with dummy having bid a slow 2H. They had Qxx and declarer had Txx but they might also have had AQx where you don't want to lead the 8 and have them run it to the ten.

[Cyberyeti]

My favourite was an auction where I WJOd on Axxxx, partner raised on Qx, I underled, declarer played low and we took Q/A/ruff.

[Fluffy]

My favourite was to lead my queen from Qxx pinning declarer's stiff ♠J against 3NT on the auction

1♣-1♠
2♥-3♦
3NT

too bad dummy had ♠AK109x and no side entry.