AUCTION BRIDGE.

Auckland Star, Volume LX, Issue 224, 21 September 1929, Page 8

AUCTION BRIDGE.

QUESTION OF A LEAD. (Br A. E. MANNING FOSTER.) The following Land, which occurred in actual plav. has -several points of interest: •

j Score, game all. Z dealt and l)id "One Heart"; I A "One No Trump"; Y, "Two Diamonds'; I>, j -'Three Clubs""; Z, "Three Diamonds"; A, j "Double"; Y. "No bid"; B. "Four Clubs": all j past?. My opinion is asked of the bidding, j I consider both Z and A were right in J-heir j initial bids, but. I do not approve of Y's bid oi I -Two Diamonds'! over tile "No Trumper" when ! it would have been his lead if the '"No Trunlper had been left iD. The subsequent bidding seems to rue also questionable. B was justified iu bidding Three Clubs" over the Diamonds, and I think Z was right in supporting Diamonds. A's double was bad. It was not. a free double, and sitting under the Diamond caller he had not sufficient strength to be sure of penalising Y. Why B should take out the double into four Clubs I do not see at all. unless lie \vas anxious to drive A back into No Trumps. After the four Clubs bid in A's place I should have called Three No Trumps. B could not make four Clubs. He lost two tricks in trumps, a Heart, a Spade, and a Dia- ! mond. Could A have made three No Trumps? j Well, that depends, of course, upon the play of Y and Z. If Y opens a Diamond (which he might do on his partner's support cf the suit), A should make the game. Suppose Y opens his 6 of Diamonds The trick is taken with dummy by the 9, and A tries to clear the long Clubs' Y must, df course, let A make two Club tricks and put his Ace on third round, thus exhausting A's Clubs. But what is Y to lead then? If he continues Diamonds he leads up to A's tenace. If he leads his singleton Heart Z must put up his Ace and lead a Diamond. But it is now too late. A should put up his Queen and let Y take the trick so as to be sure of keeping command of the Diamonds and being able to exhaust Z, and A must make three, or possibly four. No" Triimps. But let us take another method of starting play. Suppose Y opens his singleton Heart. Z must take with the Ace and lead a Diamond. A passes it up and Y wins with his Jack. If Y now leads a Spade and Z puts up his Ace and ! I leads another Diamond the situation is awkward I for A. If he puts up the Queen. Y takes with | | the King and leads another Diamond, clearing j ! the suit, while he still holds Ace of Clubs as ] j entry. If he puts up the Ace Y's Diamonds are likewise cleared, while he holds Ace of Clubs as i entry, and A loses four tricks in Diamonds and j J three Aces. The reason I have dilated on this I ! hand i:s because it illustrates the paramount j | importance of the opening lead. If Y opens a ! j Diamond. A, if he plays properly, goes game, as j { the whole issue depends upon his extracting Y's I j Ace of Clubs before Y's Diamonds are established, j j If, however, Y open; a Heart and the play is i i continued as given above. A, so far from going j I game, is three down on his contract. I j Now, you may ask what is Y ; s correct lead? Many authorities condemn a singleton lead of partner's suit against a No Trumper, but I do | not. I think in the absence of an obviously better lead it is wiser to open partner's suit than start another. There is something to be said for Y opening a Diamond in the circumstances. Z had supported his Diamond raid. But against this it- must be remembered that A had called No Trumps and had also doubled the three Diamonds bid. A suit headed by King, Jack is always dangerous to lead from, and without judging by results, I consider Y ought to open with a Heart.