January 2022 - 47

Newer Players
BY ADAM PARRISH
adam@adamparrishbridge.com
adamparrishbridge.com
L
ast month we started looking at
ways declarer can use the defenders'
instincts against them.
We were exploiting the learned reaction
of covering when an honor is led
from dummy. We can apply a similar
principle when leading honors from
our hand. Here's my rule:
When leading from a sequence, lead
the highest card when you want them
to win, and a lower one when you
want them to duck.
Look at an example from the point
of view of a defender.
Dummy
 10 5 4 3
 A 7 2
Say declarer leads the K. There's
no particular reason for West to duck.
But say declarer leads the Q. From
West's perspective, East might have
the K. It could even be singleton.
There's no rush to take the A; they
will probably duck. So, if you want
West to duck, you do best to lead the
queen (or jack); if you want West to
take the ace, lead the king.
This can be particularly useful in
the trump suit.
 10 5 4 3
k J 4 3 2
l Q 9 5 4
' 6
 K Q J 9
k A K Q
l J 10 6 2
' A Q
Contract: 4. Lead: k5
This looks simple: we're going to
lose two diamonds and the ace of
 A 6 2
k 10 6 5
l K 8 3
' K 9 5 4
 K Q J 9
k A K Q
l J 10 6 2
' A Q
If West takes the first round of
spades, they can switch to a low
diamond; East wins the lA, returns
a diamond, and gets a diamond ruff.
If West ducks the first spade, it's too
late to get the ruff. Whether West
will find the diamond shift is out of
your control. But if you can get them
to duck the first spade, it's moot. A
defender is simply more likely to take
their ace if you lead the king than if
you lead the queen or the jack. Use
this against them.
Here's an example from a recent
game I played with a student:
Parrish the Thought
Lead high for cover
trumps. Barring 4-1 trumps, the only
danger is that the opponents can get
a ruff. The lead might have been a
singleton. They can potentially get a
ruff in diamonds if one of them has
honor-x or x-x.
We want to get trumps out ASAP.
And we'd like them to duck their A
on the first round so we can get a
second round drawn. If you lead the
K, the defender with the ace is almost
surely going to take it. And now
they'll get whatever ruffs they may or
may not be able to find. But if you lead
the Q or J, West might duck from
A x x, letting you draw a second
round of trumps immediately.
 10 5 4 3
k J 4 3 2
l Q 9 5 4
' 6
 8 7
k 9 8 7
l A 7
' J 10 8 7 3 2
West North East
1k 3l Pass
All Pass
Lead: k6
 A 3
k 4 2
l 7 6 5 4 3
' J 10 7 4
 J 9 6
k A J 9
l A K J 9 8
' K Q
The lead goes to East's kQ, which
you take with the ace. You have five
diamond tricks plus the two major-suit
aces. You can set up three
tricks in clubs, but the suit could
block, and your only entry to dummy
is the A. (Stupid diamond spots!)
Say you run your diamonds, and from
the auction and the defensive signals
you think West has both the kK
and the 'A. That makes setting up
the clubs perfectly safe, since West
can't attack hearts without setting
up your kJ. Do you lead the 'K or
'Q? Technically it doesn't matter -
they're equal cards. But practically
it can make a huge difference. Ask
yourself, do you want West to take
the first round of clubs? No, because
that would block the suit. You'd much
rather they take the second round.
So, lead the 'Q. West will very likely
duck, hoping their partner has the
king and can lead a heart through.
Now lead the 'K, and hopefully West
will take their ace and you have two
January 2022 | Bridge Bulletin |
continued on page 67
47
South
1l
3NT
http://www.adamparrishbridge.com
January 2022

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of January 2022
