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In this series Andrew, features one improtant point per Article. Bit by bit the reader will improve their game.
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Andrew:
Fourth Highest?
If “fourth from the top of the longest and strongest suit” is the normal opening lead against a notrump contract - length being of paramount importance - the question is:
When should you NOT lead “fourth highest of the longest”?
There are two issues here.
- (a) When it is best to lead a different card in your longest suit.
- (b) When it is best to lead a different suit altogether.
This deal we begin looking at (a). Say you hold KQJ75. Clearly you would like to force out the ace with your lead, so as to promote your other honours with the hoped-for length to come. Leading the seven runs the all-too-likely scenario that, unless partner holds the ten, declarer will win a cheap trick with the ten, with the ace yet to be dislodged.
Instead of leading the seven, you must lead an honour, making sure you force out the ace. Although it doesn’t matter to you which of your picture cards you lead, the conventional card to lead, giving the proper information to partner, is the top of the sequence, here the king.
Following similar top-of-a-sequence principles, lead the red card from the following holdings:
QJ1063 J10973 109832
Take Wests cards and defend 3NT
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South Deals None Vul |
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| West | North | East | South |
| 1 NT | |||
| Pass1 | 3 NT | Pass | Pass |
| Pass |
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| 3 NT by South |
| Lead: ♠ J |
On our featured deal, West carefully led the jack of spades. Had he led the six, dummy’s seven would have taken the first trick, and West would only score his three top tricks (game made plus one). It was a different story on the jack of spades lead.
Declarer won dummy’s ace, and led the queen of diamonds (needing to force out the ace-king). West won and persevered with the ten of spades. Declarer won his queen (East discarding), and led a second diamond. West won the ace and continued with the nine of spades, pinning dummy’s eight and promoting his six-five.
Declarer won his last spade stopper, the king, cashed his two promoted diamonds, but still needed a heart trick to bring his total to nine. When he led the king of hearts (hoping East - with no more spades - held the ace), he saw West win, and cash the six-five of spades. Down one.
As we shall see over the next deals, a two card sequence can suffice if no more than a one card gap exists between the second and third cards.
