Thursday, June 23, 2005 7:33 AM

Patterns & Opening Leads

 

PITBULLS:

 

          Opening leads are a bidding skill. When there has been bidding , your suits and card combinations are almost irrelevant. You make opening leads based solely on the bidding. Lets take that a step further . You translate the bidding into a hand pattern and then make your opening lead accordingly. Opening leads and patterns obtained from the bidding are a marriage and you can not have one without the other. BJ Trelford used patterns from the bidding to get off to an excellent opening lead against a 3NT contract Thurs nite. He heard          1-P-1-P

                                1-P-2-P

                                3NT-P-P-P

 

 BJ held xxx AQx A10xx xxx and he knows on these auctions declarer usually holds a 5-4-3-1 hand . Attacking one of declarers suits seemed futile so BJ laid down the heart Ace. The board came down with

xxx KJ9x xxx ♣ 10xx .  If BJ is right about the pattern , this whole hand is going to be one gigantic “hand lock” as the dummy is dead. I played the heart 2  which may show 5 hearts and BJ switched to a club. Declarer won the club queen and lead the queen of diamonds. BJ knows the diamond pattern from the bidding ( 5-4-3-1) so he ducks to my stiff king . Declarer wins my club return with the King and cashes the Ace and leads the diamond 9. BJ wins his 10 and cashes the diamond Ace and throws declarer back into his hand with the last diamond. Declarers hand was AKJx  x QJ987 AKQ . So he now cashes his 5th diamond and AK of spades and conceded two down to my spade queen and 13th club.  Note if BJ did not apply patterns on any stage of this hand , 3NT would make !!

 

 

          Bridge players can not defend properly without getting a tentative “lie of the land” by applying patterns. Usually you can do this from the bidding or analyzing partners opening lead. You plug in the pattern so you have some idea on how to defend a hand. There is another more subtle way of “counting out a hand” . That is to take into consideration what partner did not lead. Using this method you get +100 in a 3 contract tonight. Tom held Ax void QJ10543 ♣ QJ432   The board has Kxx   Q10xx xx  ♣ K1097  .  The auction went 1-P-2-2NT  3 and all pass. Partner leads a small trump and you discard a diamond. Declarer wins the heart and returns a heart with partner winning the Ace . You discard another diamond and partner leads another heart won on the board and you discard a low club. Declarer now calls for a small club. Which club do you play ?  Partner did not lead a stiff club so declarer can not hold Axx (  5-4-3-1 ) . Partner has 3 clubs or a doubleton so declarer must have a stiff Ace or Ace doubleton. Therefore you do not have to split your club honours. Little things like splitting honours are based on patterns. Sometimes how you get these patterns need some detective work. Playing a small club gets you +100 .

         

          Why partner has made the opening lead that she did or how she is defending the hand gives valuable information on how to defend a hand. Also when there are voids floating around you can get a pretty accurate count of partners hand which help you defend . You hold A10xx xxx xx J98x and the opponents get to 5♣X after you raised partners spade opener to 2. Partner leads the diamond king and the board comes down with   Jx Axx  QJ9xxxx ♣ x  . Declarer ruffs the diamond at trick one !  Showing out of a suit gives you an instant tentative count of partners hand. Knowing partners hand can assist you in figuring out declarers hand and finding the correct defense. You know partner has 5 spades and 4 diamonds. Applying patterns she is 5-4-2-2 or 5-4-3-1 . Declarer now leads a small spade towards the doubleton jack and partner plays small and you win you Ace now what ? A heart back is silly as declarer must hold 5 or 4 hearts . You know you have 4 spades but partner does not. If you lead a spade back,  partner with his stiff club might lead it back finessing you out of your Jxxx . It looks to him that declarer wants to ruff a spade. Therefore a spade is the last card you return. You return a trump and declarer plays the queen and partner the Ace. Partner is no longer end played and can get out with a spade. Not applying patterns just makes Bridge defense a series of guesses. You may guess right you may not. Applying patterns takes the guess work out of defending !!

 

          Patterns are essential for your opening leads . I held AQx K10xx Kxx Qxx and Susan and Steve Bates get to a vulnerable 5 contract . Steve opened a heart and Susan bid 2♣. Steve bid and rebid diamonds and Susan placed the contract in 5. What is your opening lead ? Declarer is 5-5 in the reds and the club suit behind your Qxx does not look good. So you lead your spade Ace . Susan puts down Jxx x  Kxx ♣ AKJxxx and Tom plays an encouraging spade. You cash the spade queen and if declarer is unfortunate to be 5-5-3-0 you are beating this hand. I continued a spade and Tom wins it ! Down 2 vul on an uppercut and a top board for just applying patterns before you lead.

 

            Make it a habit to apply patterns in all hands in which you are on lead and there has been bidding . You have memorized the patterns to help you with your declarer play anyway. Why not apply them when defending or making opening leads ? I find this detective work fun on defense. Good players apply patterns as a matter of course when they are playing the hand. It is not a gigantic leap to doing the same thing on defense. Patterns -  do not leave home with them !