From: mie@faline.bellcore.com (Martin I. Eiger)
Subject: opening lead against 6NT -- summary of responses
Reply-To: mie@faline.bellcore.com (Martin I. Eiger)
Organization: Bellcore MRE
Date: Mon, 21 Dec 92 17:04:23 GMT

Last week, I posted:

> Matchpoints, opponents vulnerable.
> 
>                          You   LHO   Prt   RHO
> S - 9 7                   P     1D    1S    4N       4N = Blackwood
> H - 9 7 2                 P     5C    X     6N       5C = 0 or 4 aces
> D - 9 7                   P     P     X     P
> C - T 9 6 4 3 2           P     P
> 
> What do you lead and why?
> 
> Please e-mail responses to me, and I'll summarize opinions and present
> all four hands when the dust settles.

So far, there have been 3 follow-up postings and 11 e-mail responses.
Toss in what I decided to lead when this hand took place, what my
partner wanted me to lead, and one other response that I got in
person, and that's 17 opinions.  Good enough for a summary.

I'm ignoring the question of which card in a suit to lead.  Most
people didn't address that issue or said it was a matter of
partnership agreement.  And it's not important on this hand.

The final vote tally:

4 people say lead a spade.
2 people say lead a heart.
5 people say lead a diamond.
4 people say lead a club.
1 person said lead a club, then changed his mind and said lead a
  spade.
1 person said lead a club if partner is greedy, lead a diamond if
  partner is an expert, lead a spade otherwise.

I'd say we failed to reach consensus on this one, folks.

Here was the full deal:

                S - A K J 5 3
                H - A J 4
                D - A 2
                C - Q 8 7
S - Q T 8 4 2                        S - 9 7
H - K 8 6                            H - 9 7 2
D - 8 5                              D - 9 7
C - A K J                            C - T 9 6 4 3 2
                S - 6
                H - Q T 5 3
                D - K Q J T 6 4 3
                C - 5

I was east and led a diamond.  I reasoned that the double of 5C might
have been a club void, and that if partner still wanted a club, there
was no need to double 6NT.  If he wanted a spade, he shouldn't have
doubled anything.

Partner obviously wanted a club.  He claims that there can't be two
lead-directing doubles on one auction.  The first double showed clubs,
and the second double was for penalties because he had two tricks.

Two easy finesses bagged the opponents 13 tricks.  6NT doubled
vulnerable making 7 on 27 HCP earned us a bottom (big surprise).

My thanks to all who responded.  For those who are interested, the
posted and e-mail responses are included below.  (E-mail responses are
kept anonymous -- netiquette and all that.)

======================================================================

[posted by bs@gauss.mitre.org (Robert D. Silverman)]

This is a non-problem.  When partner bids a suit, then subsequently
doubles a NT contract, he is DEMANDING that you lead his suit.
[unless, of course, you play lead inhibiting overcalls]

In the above situation, If partner wanted a CLUB lead [after doubling
5C] he would NOT double the final contract. You would then lead a
club.

This is not a matter of opinion.

======================================================================

[posted by bpwing@phoenix.princeton.edu (Ben Wing)]

I thought that a double of a NT contract generally demanded an UNUSUAL
lead, i.e. NOT partner's suit, which you would have led without the
double.  I don't think a club lead is called for -- the double of 5C
may well have been based on a void.  So ...  how 'bout a diamond lead?

======================================================================

[posted by avir@chen.bgu.ac.il (Avi Roy Shapira)]

Bob's treatment is certainly standard convention, and without prior
agreement to the contrary, this is what one should unquestionably do.

However, the wisdom of this treatment IS a matter of opinion.  I for
one, expect partner to ALWAYS lead my suit, unless he is void or has
an equally valid excuse.  I take that into consideration when I
overcall, as I am sure Bob does too.  Consequently, why should I
double to force a lead in my suit is beyond me.  I think that a lead
directing double (and all doubles of vulunatarily bid slams are lead
directing) should convey the opposite message.  That is, don't lead my
suit, or lead dummy's first bid suit.  All the above is true, had
partner not doubled the conventional club call.

In this case, the double of 5C was also a lead directing double. So
without the ubsequent double, I would expect partner to lead clubs.
Since the second lead directing double reverses the usuall lead, I too
think that the 2nd double is a call for spades, just as Bob did.

I should add that a double of 3NT IS an absolute demand for leading
spades, even in my methods.

======================================================================

[e-mail #1]

I lead a heart. Without the first double I would have lead a spade.
Without the second double I would have led a club. The second double
says: "Do not lead a black suit!". The choice is between the red
suits.  If partner holds a diamondstopper plus a side ace they might
not have 12 tricks without diamonds. If he holds the heart AK or
similar they might have enough tricks on a non-heart lead, thus I lead
a heart...

Did partner psyche 1S!?

======================================================================

[e-mail #2]

Partner had no idea in what strain RHO would place the contract when
he doubled 5C.  Perhaps he has a club void and wanted a ruff if we
were on lead against a major.

In any case, if he still wants a club lead against 6N, he shouldn't
have made the second double.  If he wants a spade lead, he shouldn't
have made any doubles.

D9.

======================================================================

[e-mail #3]

Since dummy's first bid suit is a logical lead, I will lead that in
reply to partner's double.  One layout which is plausible:


Partner:  K 10 x x x x     x x    A Q x x x    -------

Declarer:  A Q J  A Q J 10 x x x    x    A J 

Dummy:    x x   K   K J 10 x x  K Q x x x

(I assume declarer has exactly three aces since (s)he blackwooded and
then went to six with a 0 or 4 response.)

Note that partner doubled 5C in order to get a club lead against
six hearts.

======================================================================

[e-mail #4]

In part, this depends on who my partner is.

If my partner's a hacker, I'll assume that the double of 5C was
lead-directing and the double of 6NT was greed, so I'll grit my teeth
and lead a club.  (Unless partner's such a hacker that he doesn't
understand what a lead-directing double is . . .)

Otherwise, I'm having trouble understanding what partner's trying to
do.  I agree with Bob Silverman, who already posted---that partner
wouldn't double the second time if he wanted a club lead, so a
non-club is indicated.  However, if he didn't want a club lead, why
did he double 5C?  Perhaps he has a void---but so far, the only suit
bid by the opponents was 1D, and *he*, not you, would be on lead
against a diamond slam.  Perhaps partner thought RHO had a long heart
suit and you would be on lead against a heart slam.  But on the other
hand, what if RHO is bidding on a long club suit instead of a heart
suit?  Then doubling 5C is risky:  RHO could redouble 5C, and then 5C
making 6 is -1400 instead of -1370 for 6C making, not doubled.  This
would be a matchpoint disaster.

The other possibility, which I've seen written up somewhere (perhaps
in Robert Ewen's book on opening leads) is that partner's "double
double" is part of a plan.  If he wanted a club lead, he'd double 5C
but not 6NT; if he wanted a spade lead, he'd double 6NT but not 5C.
So the double double must be asking for a red-suit lead.  I'd veer
toward a diamond lead, dummy's first bid suit, hoping partner has KJ
of diamonds and a side ace, and dummy has the diamond queen.  (This
requires a bit less from partner than a heart lead, which will work if
partner has KQ of hearts and a side ace.)

However, partner has to have a lot of imagination to bid like this to
get a diamond lead.  So if partner is a very good, experienced player,
I'll lead a diamond.  Otherwise, I won't know what to do, so I'll
probably lead a spade.

======================================================================

[e-mail #5]

C 10

======================================================================

[e-mail #6]

A club (which one depends on your agreements). Partner has said "Lead
a club" with his first double, and then "definitely lead a club" with
his second. If you're wrong, blame partner.

If you don't want to play with this partner again, lead something
else.

======================================================================

[e-mail #7]

9 of spades. What else am I going to lead on this Auction? If the
double is lightner, partner wants a diamond. If partner has a diamond
trick, (or two) he is getting them anyway, and now his club double
makes no sense.  Therefore, the double is not Lightner, and the spade
is the correct lead.

(If partner turns up really wanting a Heart lead, I will be
unimpressed.  I don't think his double could possibly mean "lead a
heart")

======================================================================

[e-mail #8]

Well, if I have a specific agreement with partner, I follow it.
Otherwise, I would like to assume partner could pass 5C and 6N and
expect a spade lead.  He could pass 5C and double 6N for a diamond
lead, and he could double 5C and pass 6N for a club lead.  In fact, I
would say all three statements are clear, in which case partner must
want a heart lead (since he failed to make a simple sequence of bids
requesting any other lead).

So I lead a heart.

======================================================================

[e-mail #9]

against 6n i lead the ct. i think someone may have already posted this
one, maybe you were in the same field (maybe i not posted to r.g.b but
a local maillist) i gave the same answer to them so i apologize if i
gave it twice to you.

anyway, reasoning: ns are off an ace. s has double spade stop in
anticipation of a spade lead, (so when he lose the ace...) and pard
seems to have confidence he has 2 tricks, must be kq of clubs.

======================================================================

[e-mail #10]

A spade is clear.  If partner hadn't doubled 5C, the double of 6N
would clearly call for a spade (other treatments possible, but this is
the only one that will preserve partnership harmony in the long run -
I'm talking NT doubles here, of course).

Was the double of 5C intended to initiate some sort of baroque "cancel
previous message" sequence?  I try not to torture my partner in that
fashion, and inventing that sort of sequence at the table is asking
for trouble - it's just too obscure.  Besides....

What's probably going on is that partner has a club void to go with
his spades, and doubled 5C for a club lead before he discovered that
the opponents were heading for NT.  Had the opponents landed in a suit
contract, he would have passed to collect a club lead and a ruff.

======================================================================

[e-mail #11]

My opinion:  partner doubled 5c looking for a club lead, and is now
             saying that with the lead the slam will be down and he/she
             wants to collect doubled undertricks, this being matchpoints.

             The double cannot call for an unusual lead with RHO in
             notrump.  Therefore, lead the club.  Probably low, I'd say
             the 4, depending on your agreements.  Expect partner to
             have something like the KQ of clubs, KQ of spades and QJ9 of
             diamonds.  Hope against hope that partner is not triple
             squeezed on the run of a long suit! (such as if partner has
             QJ9 of hearts instead of diamonds).


[same person, subsequent e-mail]

After reading Bob Silverman's comments, I agree.  Lead the spade.
Have to retract my earlier email.  The double of 5c was preparing
for defence against a 6d or 6h contract.  When the contract
actually became 6n, the second double requires a spade lead.
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