September 2021 - 45

Newer Players
Parrish the Thought
Unexpected lead
S
ometimes we expect our opponent
to make a particular
lead, most commonly when
they have bid a suit, especially if they
have bid and raised a suit. It could also
be the unbid suit or a suit where our
auction suggests weakness.
Here are some sample auctions
where I would expect a spade lead:
West North
East
1k 1
1' Pass
2' All Pass
1
4k All Pass
1k Pass
2l Pass
3NT All Pass
1k Pass
4' Pass
1k 1
Dbl
2
2' Pass
3l Pass
3k Pass
4k All Pass
When they lead the expected suit,
it's not particularly noteworthy,
though you should pay attention to
which card they lead (and their leading
agreements - do they make standard
honor leads, fourth-best, does a
low card suggest an honor?).
When they make an unexpected
lead, that is a big clue. Why didn't
they lead the suit you were expecting?
You can often make a useful inference
from this non-lead. Why wouldn't
they lead the expected suit, particularly
one they have bid?
The most common reason is they
have an unattractive holding to lead
from. This almost always includes the
ace. Consider leading from this hand
against a heart contract when your
side bid and raised spades:
South
2k All Pass
 A J 8 7
 K 4 3
Leading the ace costs a trick in both
scenarios. Underleading could be
even worse; a spade trick might never
be won if declarer or dummy has the
king or a singleton and can pitch their
spade loser.
The other reason an opponent
might not lead the expected suit is
that they have a more attractive lead
in another suit. They could think a
trump lead is called for to cut down
on declarer's ruffs. They could have
a singleton or a solid sequence in
another suit. Consider leading from
these hands against a heart contract:
K 8 6 3 2 k7 6 lK Q J 10 'Q 7
K Q 8 7 3 k8 7 2 l7 'A 10 5 2.
Even if spades have been bid and
raised, a diamond lead is more attractive.
How
do we effectively use this
information as declarer? A lot of good
declarer play is about placing the high
cards in the appropriate opponent's
hand, so these inferences can be very
useful. It can also help us identify an
" attractive " lead, especially when we
have the ace of their suit.
September 2021 | Bridge Bulletin |
45
A J 8 7 k6 4 lK 9 5 3 '7 3 2.
Even if partner has the king, leading
the ace could set up a trick for declarer's
queen. Consider these potential
layouts of the spade suit:
 6 5
A J 8 7
Q 4 3
 6 5
 Q 10 9 2
K 10 9 2
BY ADAM PARRISH
adam@adamparrishbridge.com
adamparrishbridge.com
 8 7 4
k K Q 9 8
l J 6 3
' A Q 3
 A 3
k A J 10 4 3
l K Q
' J 8 7 5
West North
East
1 2 Dbl
South
1k
4k
All Pass
Lead: '4
Why did West lead a club? It's not
because they have an unattractive
spade holding; they don't have the ace,
and partner made a lead-directing
double of 2. It's not because their
club holding is much more attractive:
They're leading from either the king
or an empty suit. The only logical explanation
is a singleton. Therefore, do
not take the club finesse at trick one
(it's not going to win). Win the 'A
and draw trump. You can lose the 'K
later, after knocking out the lA, allowing
you to throw your spade loser
on the lJ.
http://www.adamparrishbridge.com
September 2021

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of September 2021
