Friday, March 04,
2005 8:00 AM
Hand Evaluation -
Guaranteeing Leads
PITBULLS:
Saying
opening leads are important is the biggest
understatement in Bridge . Studies show a very high percentage of all
contracts can be beaten with the correct opening lead. In 3rd seat
you open
for a lead . Quite often you just overcall or back in for a lead .
You double artificial bids for leads etc . The lead
directing double is an important tool for defenders. If no bidding
for your side , the double defaults for dummy’s first
suit.
If
there was competitive bidding , the lead directing double negates the obvious lead. This
“obvious lead” needs definition. If you make an opening bid or overcall that is the “obvious
lead” . If no bidding by your side , the “unbid suit” is the obvious lead . If
partner has bid & raised your suit , the obvious lead is the combined suit. Playing 5 card majors , a
minor opening bid does not promise a good suit . Therefore a minor is not an obvious lead , if the opponents get
to 3NT.
The
Bridge World does not subscribe
to this theory in NT contracts.
They want to guarantee the obvious lead by
doubling . If you make non lead
directing bids quite often , this is a good policy because partner gets shy so
does not lead your suit anyway . Therefore ,you must hit him over the head with
a double to lead his suit or the “obvious lead” . A disciplined partnership does not need this style of lead directing doubles. If
you are going to beat the hand with the obvious lead , why double ? If they are
really overboard , you can double anyway because any lead will beat the
contract.
The
bad part of doubling for the “obvious lead” is that the opponents will bail out to a suit. If you
pass , just accepting the obvious lead you get your +200 instead of –130. If
there is no other reasonable alternatives , the double of a NT does call for
the “obvious” lead . 1♠-1NT-P-3NT X-P-P-P
is the only situation which
demands the obvious lead in my opinion. There are many more situations where
you want to get partner to make a different
lead than the obvious lead of your suit. You can not have it both
ways.
If after opening a minor , a double demands that lead when the opponents have
arrived at a NT
contract. When you have bid a systemic toy and partner bids one of your suits ,
the obvious lead is that suit. A double negates that obvious lead. If you have
raised partners suit , they get to 3NT a double negates the obvious lead .
You open 1♦ with ♠xxxx ♥xx ♦AKJx ♣Axx , partner responds a
spade . The opponents are in the auction so you raise to 2♠. They get to
3NT, so you double as you want to negate
the obvious spade lead. Partner
leads a diamond so you can come through a spade for partner. Change your hand
to ♠KQ10x
♥Kx ♦Jxxx ♣Axx so you quietly pass
3NT waiting for the obvious spade lead.
Sometimes
you need a pecking
order to sort out lead directing doubles . Sometimes you have had a chance to
raise partners suit but did not. Sometimes the opponents have jammed you from supporting
partners suit. Sometimes there is dummy’s first bid suit to complicate the
issue. If you have opened a minor , they get to 3NT
, a double calls for that minor lead regardless. If you have
opened or overcalled a major , the double says do
not
lead my suit so your suit or dummy’s 1st bid suit is the winning
lead. If I had a chance to support your suit but did not , the double calls for
dummy’s first bid suit. If I got jammed from raising your
suit , the double calls for your suit to be led. When you overcall the assumption is that you want
that suit led. If you double , you are telling partner not to lead your suit so not
just guaranteeing that you do.
Doubling
to guarantee your overcall is led is bad strategy. Opponents open bad
minors , artificial minors so you can make a reasonable overcall with their minor as a 2nd
suit. This happens very often .
The opponents get to 3NT & your good 2nd suit happens to be
dummy’s 1st bid suit. Double to negate partners lead of your suit. Opponents quite
often open their worse minor as a tactic to inhibit that lead when they get to
3NT. They open 1♣ with Jxx , you overcall 1♠ on ♠KJ10xx ♥xx ♦x ♣AKQ10x , they get to 3NT .
Doubling to guarantee a spade lead makes no sense to me . You are almost
assuming that the opponents are bidding NT with no stopper in your suit. If
they are , they have a better spot as there is no duplication of value .
Doubling with solid spades will certainly drive them to a superior spot.
Just pass & collect your spade tricks if that is the case. Partner is not
void in your suit.
Two
schools of thought for lead directing doubles against NT. Negating the obvious lead or guaranteeing the obvious lead. If
your overcall style is non disciplined, then you need a double to tell partner
you have a real overcall , so lead my suit. If you play a disciplined style , you need a double
to say do not
lead my suit. I subscribe to the latter. Discuss with
partner.