{"id":2660,"date":"2011-08-10T17:24:19","date_gmt":"2011-08-11T01:24:19","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.bridgehands.com\/bridgeblog\/?p=2660"},"modified":"2012-01-13T14:51:28","modified_gmt":"2012-01-13T22:51:28","slug":"polling-you-72-passive-leads-against-suit-contracts-day-3","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.bridgehands.com\/bridgeblog\/?p=2660","title":{"rendered":"Polling You #72, Passive Leads Against Suit Contracts, Day 3"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\">Click the above Title\/Heading to view entire article &amp; comments<br \/>\n<\/span><br \/>\n.<br \/>\n<script type=\"text\/javascript\" src=\"http:\/\/survey.constantcontact.com\/poll\/a07e4kl897cgr71cnhr\/start.js?v=1&amp;w=300\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p><noscript><\/noscript><br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/survey.constantcontact.com\/poll\/a07e4kl897cgr71cnhr\/start.html\" target=\"_blank\"><br \/>\nClick here if you have problems viewing\/completing the above\u00a0poll<\/a><\/p>\n<p><strong>In our prior episode we progressed from the basics of opening leads against suit contracts to active and more aggressive leads in situations where we need to capture our tricks before the declarer magically makes them disappear! \u00a0\u00a0In this lesson, we explore situations where we may be rewarded for making a more passive lead avoid giving away tricks deserved by our side.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong><strong><a href=\"http:\/\/bridgehands-videos.s3.amazonaws.com\/Polling_You_72_Part_1_everyone\/Polling_You_72_Part_1_everyone.html\">Click here to view Part 1 of the video commentary<\/a><\/strong><\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>Passive Defense Situations when declarer is in a suit contract:<\/strong><\/p>\n<ol>\n<li><strong>Partner gives us clear lead direction<\/strong>\n<ol>\n<li><strong>Partner opened\/overcalled a major suit (5+)<\/strong><\/li>\n<li><strong>Partner doubled the opponent\u2019s artificial bid (Stayman, Transfer, cuebid)<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<\/li>\n<li><strong>Trump lead reduces opponents ruffing ability<\/strong><\/li>\n<li><strong>Safe sequence lead is best (Ace from Ace-King, top of sequence, etc.)<\/strong><\/li>\n<li><strong>Opponents have minimal strength (partscore)<\/strong><\/li>\n<li><strong>Partner not likely to hold a helpful honor (bust)<\/strong><\/li>\n<li><strong>Declarer (Right Hand Opponent) bid strongly but not in a slam suit contract<\/strong>\n<ol>\n<li><strong>Opens 1 Notrump (15-17), rebids 2 Notrump (18-19), opens 2 NT (20-21)<\/strong><\/li>\n<li><strong>Opener reverses as:\u00a0 1C \u2013 1H; 2D\u2026 (17+ points)<\/strong><\/li>\n<li><strong>Opener strong jump shift as:\u00a0 1D \u2013 1H; 3C\u2026 (19-21 points)<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p><strong>As always, thoughtful defenders should attentively listen to the auction.\u00a0 Even aside from the bidding, shrewd defenders monitor the opponents\u2019 mannerisms, gestures and the like.\u00a0\u00a0 And when it comes to assessing the bidding and play of the hand against a suit contract, here is our short list of extras to consider when making leads:<\/strong><\/p>\n<ol>\n<li><strong>count, Count, COUNT and <\/strong><em>Think<\/em><strong>\u00a0<\/strong><\/li>\n<li><strong>Count points<\/strong><\/li>\n<li><strong>Count Distribution<\/strong><\/li>\n<li><strong>Count Tricks (auction level)<\/strong><\/li>\n<li>\n<h3>Integrate auction inferences into partnership plan<\/h3>\n<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p><!--more--><\/p>\n<h3>Polling You 72, Hand 1<\/h3>\n<table cellpadding=\"4\">\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td align=\"left\" valign=\"top\"><strong><em>Board 3<\/em><\/strong><br \/>\nSouth Deals<br \/>\nE-W Vul<\/td>\n<td colspan=\"2\" align=\"left\">\u2660 A J 2<br \/>\n<span style=\"color: #ff0000;\">\u2665<\/span> J 6 2<br \/>\n<span style=\"color: #ff0000;\">\u2666<\/span> J 4 3<br \/>\n\u2663 7 6 5 4<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td align=\"left\">\u2660 K 6 5 3<br \/>\n<span style=\"color: #ff0000;\">\u2665<\/span> 7 5 4<br \/>\n<span style=\"color: #ff0000;\">\u2666<\/span> A Q 7<br \/>\n\u2663 K Q 9<\/td>\n<td>\n<table width=\"64\" border=\"0\" frame=\"void\" rules=\"none\" bgcolor=\"#008000\">\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td colspan=\"3\" align=\"middle\"><span style=\"font-family: Arial, sans-serif; color: #ffffff;\">N<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td align=\"left\"><span style=\"font-family: Arial, sans-serif; color: #ffffff;\">W<\/span><\/td>\n<td>\u00a0<\/td>\n<td align=\"right\"><span style=\"font-family: Arial, sans-serif; color: #ffffff;\">E<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td colspan=\"3\" align=\"middle\"><span style=\"font-family: Arial, sans-serif; color: #ffffff;\">S<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/td>\n<td align=\"left\">\u2660 10 9 8 4<br \/>\n<span style=\"color: #ff0000;\">\u2665<\/span> 3<br \/>\n<span style=\"color: #ff0000;\">\u2666<\/span> 10 9 8 6 5<br \/>\n\u2663 8 3 2<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>\u00a0<\/td>\n<td colspan=\"2\" align=\"left\">\u2660 Q 7<br \/>\n<span style=\"color: #ff0000;\">\u2665<\/span> A K Q 10 9 8<br \/>\n<span style=\"color: #ff0000;\">\u2666<\/span> K 2<br \/>\n\u2663 A J 10<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<table>\n<colgroup>\n<col span=\"4\" width=\"64\" \/><\/colgroup>\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td><em>West<\/em><\/td>\n<td><em>North<\/em><\/td>\n<td><em>East<\/em><\/td>\n<td><em>South<\/em><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>\u00a0<\/td>\n<td>\u00a0<\/td>\n<td>\u00a0<\/td>\n<td>2 \u2663<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Pass<\/td>\n<td>2 <span style=\"color: #ff0000;\">\u2666<\/span><\/td>\n<td>Pass<\/td>\n<td>2 <span style=\"color: #ff0000;\">\u2665<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Pass<\/td>\n<td>3 <span style=\"color: #ff0000;\">\u2665<\/span><\/td>\n<td>Pass<\/td>\n<td>4 \u2663<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Pass<\/td>\n<td>4 \u2660<\/td>\n<td>Pass<\/td>\n<td>5 <span style=\"color: #ff0000;\">\u2665<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>All pass<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<table>\n<colgroup>\n<col span=\"5\" width=\"64\" \/><\/colgroup>\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td><em>Trick<\/em><\/td>\n<td><em>West<\/em><\/td>\n<td><em>North<\/em><\/td>\n<td><em>East<\/em><\/td>\n<td><em>South<\/em><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>1. W<\/td>\n<td><span style=\"color: #ff0000;\">\u2665<\/span> 5<\/td>\n<td><span style=\"color: #ff0000;\">\u2665<\/span> 6<\/td>\n<td><span style=\"color: #ff0000;\">\u2665<\/span> 3<\/td>\n<td><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><span style=\"color: #ff0000;\">\u2665<\/span> 8<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>2. S<\/td>\n<td>\u2660 5<\/td>\n<td><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">\u2660 J<\/span><\/td>\n<td>\u2660 8<\/td>\n<td>\u2660 7<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>3. N<\/td>\n<td><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">\u2663 K<\/span><\/td>\n<td>\u2663 4<\/td>\n<td>\u2663 8<\/td>\n<td>\u2663 10<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>4. W<\/td>\n<td><span style=\"color: #ff0000;\">\u2665<\/span> 4<\/td>\n<td><span style=\"color: #ff0000;\">\u2665<\/span> 2<\/td>\n<td><span style=\"color: #ff0000;\">\u2666<\/span> 5<\/td>\n<td><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><span style=\"color: #ff0000;\">\u2665<\/span> K<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>5. S<\/td>\n<td><span style=\"color: #ff0000;\">\u2665<\/span> 7<\/td>\n<td><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><span style=\"color: #ff0000;\">\u2665<\/span> J<\/span><\/td>\n<td>\u2663 2<\/td>\n<td><span style=\"color: #ff0000;\">\u2665<\/span> 9<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>6. N<\/td>\n<td><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><span style=\"color: #ff0000;\">\u2666<\/span> A<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"color: #ff0000;\">\u2666<\/span> 3<\/td>\n<td><span style=\"color: #ff0000;\">\u2666<\/span> 8<\/td>\n<td><span style=\"color: #ff0000;\">\u2666<\/span> K<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>7. W<\/td>\n<td><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><span style=\"color: #ff0000;\">\u2666<\/span> Q<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"color: #ff0000;\">\u2666<\/span> 4<\/td>\n<td><span style=\"color: #ff0000;\">\u2666<\/span> 6<\/td>\n<td><span style=\"color: #ff0000;\">\u2666<\/span> 2<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<p>South holds a strong 19 High Card Point hand plus at least 2 points for the two extra Hearts.\u00a0 Feeling a bit frisky and figuring the Club Ace-Jack-10 compensates for the Spade Queen-doubleton, South opens a strong 2 Clubs.\u00a0 North responds 2 Diamonds waiting and South starts with a 2 Heart rebid.\u00a0 Despite North\u2019s questionable three Jacks, with one in South\u2019s trump suit and another supported by the Spade Ace, North rebids 3 Hearts \u201cslow shows extras\u201d instead of 4 Hearts (fast denies extras).\u00a0 With North\u2019s encouragement, South cuebids 4 Clubs showing a Club control \u201cup the line\u201d by suit rank.\u00a0 North wants to cooperate and must bid 4 Spades to show the sole control so South elects to signoff in 5 Hearts.\u00a0 Without any hidden secret honors left to show, North agrees and passes 5 Hearts.<\/p>\n<p>On lead 14 High Card Points, no way will West make an active lead, opting for the Heart 5 figuring standard middle from three trump cannot hurt. After winning the Heart 8, South switches finessing West\u2019s Spade King \u2013 low to dummy\u2019s Jack. \u00a0Next declarer goes for a Club finesse, lowing to West who falsecards the King since playing the correct bottom of sequence Queen cannot benefit partner East who must be bust.\u00a0 \u00a0Passively returning a second Heart to the King, South plays a third Heart to dummy\u2019s Jack to pull the last of the 3-1 trump split.\u00a0 Now switching to a Diamond finesse through declarer\u2019s King, a second finesse also fails.\u00a0 West cashes out the Diamond Queen to set South, down 1 trick.\u00a0 \u00a0In retrospect, not only did declarer have poor luck with West holding an opening hand and all finesses failing but North\u2019s 3 Heart bid was a bit aggressive with a flat 4-3-3-3 shape.<strong> <\/strong><\/p>\nPlease login or register to view this content.<br \/>\nPlease login or register to view this content.<br \/>\nPlease login or register to view this content.\u00a0<\/h4>\n<h4>Happy Bridge Trails and Tales,\u00a0<\/h4>\n<h4>BridgeHands\u00a0<\/h4>\n<div><strong><strong><strong>\u00a0<\/strong><\/strong><\/strong><\/div>\n<div><strong><strong><strong>\u00a0<\/strong><\/strong><\/strong><\/div>\n<div><strong><strong><strong>\u00a0<\/strong><\/strong><\/strong><\/div>\n<div><strong><strong><strong>\u00a0<\/strong><\/strong><\/strong><\/div>\n<div><strong><strong><strong>\u00a0<\/strong><\/strong><\/strong><\/div>\n<div><strong><strong><strong>\u00a0<\/strong><\/strong><\/strong><\/div>\n<div><strong><strong><strong>\u00a0<\/strong><\/strong><\/strong><\/div>\n<div><strong><strong><strong>\u00a0<\/strong><\/strong><\/strong><\/div>\n<div><strong><strong><strong>\u00a0<\/strong><\/strong><\/strong><\/div>\n<div><strong><strong><strong>\u00a0<\/strong><\/strong><\/strong><\/div>\n<div><strong><strong><strong>\u00a0<\/strong><\/strong><\/strong><\/div>\n<div><strong><strong><strong>\u00a0<\/strong><\/strong><\/strong><\/div>\n<div><strong><strong><strong>\u00a0<\/strong><\/strong><\/strong><\/div>\n<div><strong><strong><strong>\u00a0<\/strong><\/strong><\/strong><\/div>\n<div><strong><strong><strong>\u00a0<\/strong><\/strong><\/strong><\/div>\n<div><strong><strong><strong>\u00a0<\/strong><\/strong><\/strong><\/div>\n<div><strong><strong><strong>\u00a0<\/strong><\/strong><\/strong><\/div>\n<div><strong><strong><strong>\u00a0<\/strong><\/strong><\/strong><\/div>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h3>\u00a0<\/h3>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Click the above Title\/Heading to view entire article &amp; comments . Click here if you have problems viewing\/completing the above\u00a0poll In our prior episode we progressed from the basics of opening leads against suit contracts to active and more aggressive leads in situations where we need to capture our tricks before the declarer magically makes [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[39],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bridgehands.com\/bridgeblog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2660"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bridgehands.com\/bridgeblog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bridgehands.com\/bridgeblog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bridgehands.com\/bridgeblog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bridgehands.com\/bridgeblog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=2660"}],"version-history":[{"count":25,"href":"https:\/\/www.bridgehands.com\/bridgeblog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2660\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2663,"href":"https:\/\/www.bridgehands.com\/bridgeblog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2660\/revisions\/2663"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bridgehands.com\/bridgeblog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=2660"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bridgehands.com\/bridgeblog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=2660"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bridgehands.com\/bridgeblog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=2660"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}