Harold Schogger Says Lead Through Strength ometimes you might not know Note the risks on C. If declarer has the West leads the jack of hearts to the ace, what to lead at trick one and be queen, your lead gives him a trick. If he three (discouraging) and queen. Sunhappy with the ‘usual suspects’. has a singleton, you might lose your ace. Declarer then calls for the jack of You might have Q-x in the only unbid Now let us study three common cases: spades, which runs to the king. suit, for example. Sometimes later in the It looks as if there are no more tricks play, you are unsure what to lead next. 1 You have the opening lead and the to come in the majors, so West looks for In each case, you might like to try a opponents have shown strength in all three tricks in the minors. ‘Lead through Strength.’ You do this in four suits. You will do better to lead East is quite likely to hold club values the hope that your partner has a good through strength rather than up to it. but club values are no good. Any holding over dummy (or declarer). honours partner has in clubs will be In the layouts below, you lead through sitting under declarer’s strength. Even strength for a finesse against dummy. ♠ 10 9 5 the ace-queen will not be good enough. N Diamond values, over dummy’s ♥ Q 6 5 3 W E ♦ J 6 4 S strength, will be more useful. West a) ♣ K 7 5 2 ♣ A 10 4 should switch to the jack of diamonds. N ♣ J 10 4 W E ♣ A Q 9 3 You gain the lead with dummy on S West North East South your right. You might switch to a suit ♣ 8 6 3 1♣ Pass 1♥ bid or implied by declarer. Pass 1♠ Pass 3NT End b) ♣ A Q 5 2 ♠ K 7 6 South should have diamonds well held ♥ A 5 2 N ♣ 10 9 4 W E ♣ K J 8 to leap to 3NT. If the opponents have a ♦ K Q 9 5 4 3 S weak spot, it is likely to be in dummy’s ♣ 3 ♣ 7 6 3 second suit. Lead the ten of spades. ♠ 9 5 ♠ 8 4 2 N ♥ K 9 4 W E ♥ J 10 6 2 You may be on declarer’s left and ♦ 10 7 2 S ♦ A 8 6 c) ♣ K 7 5 2 have won a trick. Now seeing dummy, ♣ J 10 8 6 2 ♣ A K 9 7 you can judge whether a lead through ♠ A Q J 10 3 N ♣ A 10 6 3 W E ♣ Q 9 4 its strength might achieve something. ♥ Q 8 7 3 S On this example, South plays in 4 ♠ after ♦ J ♣ J 8 a 20-22 2NT and a transfer. ♣ Q 5 4 Layout A: leading the jack lets you cash ♠ J 10 6 4 2 West North East South three tricks. ♥ A 2 1♠ Layout B: the ten lead puts your side ♦ K 8 3 Pass 2♦ Pass 2♥ well on the way to two tricks. ♣ 8 5 4 Pass 4♠ End Layout C: needing two quick tricks, ♠ K 8 5 ♠ 7 you decide to underlead your ace. You ♥ J 10 9 6 N ♥ 8 7 5 4 3 Partner leads the jack of clubs, which would not employ this tactic very often ♦ J 10 9 W E ♦ A Q 7 2 you win with your king. S in a suit contract. To ensure one trick ♣ J 10 9 ♣ 7 6 3 You look to the dummy and see no and not expecting you to have underled ♠ A Q 9 3 future in the minors. So, you switch to the ace, declarer is likely to play low ♥ K Q the jack of hearts, South’s second suit – from dummy. Trustworthy partner plays ♦ 6 5 4 through strength – and are pleased when third-hand high and gets a pleasant ♣ A K Q 2 your side can make four tricks with two surprise when the queen wins. hearts, a club and a diamond. ■ Page 33 Andrew Kambites Says Use the Rule of Total Tricks n this article, I intend to look at some which works for North-South. This 3♥. Now the spotlight falls on West. seemingly mundane hands on which seems only fair: each side has one West has six good spades when he has Ieach side holds around half the success and one failure. North-South shown only five so he competes to 3 . ♠ points. Each side finds a fit. Although can make 2 ♥, losing two spades and Each side has good reason to suspect neither side intends to bid game, each three diamonds. East-West can make 2 ♠, that it has nine trumps, and that the other wants to buy the auction in its chosen losing two hearts and three clubs. Each side probably also has nine trumps. 18 trump suit, or at least push the other side side has eight cards in its best fit: each total trumps means 18 total tricks and to a level at which they might go off. side can make eight tricks. Total tricks indicates competing at the three level. The auction starts like this: and total trumps both equal 16. The law of total tricks works well at game level. The bidding starts: West North East South 1♥ Deal B West North East South 1♠ 2♥ 2♠ ? ♠ 5 1♥ 1♠ 4♥ ? ♥ J 10 6 5 2 South has to decide whether to sell out ♦ K 7 6 2 South has this hand: to 2 ♠ or compete to 3 ♥. There is a very ♣ J 10 8 useful guideline called the Law of Total ♠ A K Q J 9 2 ♠ 10 7 4 Tricks (or LTT). The total number of ♥ 3 N ♥ 9 8 7 ♠ K J 5 4 2 tricks that North-South can make if W E ♦ J 9 4 S ♦ A Q 10 ♥ 8 hearts are trumps, added to the total ♣ 9 5 3 ♣ K 7 6 2 ♦ Q J 4 3 number of tricks that East-West can ♠ 8 6 3 ♣ 9 5 2 make if spades are trumps, gives you the ♥ A K Q 4 total number of tricks. The number of ♦ 8 5 3 hearts held by North-South, added to the ♣ A Q 4 He knows that his side holds ten spades number of spades held by East-West, because North’s overcall guarantees a gives you the total number of trumps. 5-card suit. East-West probably have The LTT states that the total number of Deal B has just a minor change from deal nine hearts to justify bidding to 4 ♥ when tricks equals the total number of trumps. A. North-South can make 3 ♥, losing one each side has roughly half the points. So spade and three diamonds. East-West can South assumes there are 19 total trumps. make 3 ♠, losing one heart and three If there are 19 total tricks, it is quite Deal A clubs. Each side has nine cards in its best likely that either 4 ♥ makes with 4 ♠ ♠ 5 2 fit – each side can make nine tricks. Total going one off or 4 ♠ makes with 4 ♥ ♥ J 10 6 5 tricks and total trumps both equal 18. going one off. Whichever is true, it is ♦ K 7 6 2 Points do not tell you whether to bid correct for South to bid 4 ♠. ♣ J 10 8 on. It is shape, or length in the trump The only time you might be a little ♠ A K Q J 9 ♠ 10 7 4 suit. The player who bids on should be more cautious is if only your side is ♥ 3 2 N ♥ 9 8 7 the one with undisclosed trump length. vulnerable and your opponents clearly W E ♦ J 9 4 S ♦ A Q 10 On deal A, there is little case for South have the majority of points. A large ♣ 9 5 3 ♣ K 7 6 2 to bid 3 ♥ over 2 ♠. He has no reason to adverse penalty is painful, even if your ♠ 8 6 3 believe that his side has more than eight opponents can make their game. ♥ A K Q 4 hearts, or that East-West have more than Finally notice one point that hugely ♦ 8 5 3 eight spades. However, North, if non- helps your judgement in estimating total ♣ A Q 4 vulnerable, should bid 3 ♥. Even if there trumps. are only 16 total trumps, it is better to go On deal A each side had eight trumps. one down (even doubled) in 3 ♥ than let On deal B each side had nine trumps. It On deal A, there is a finesse position in the other side make 2 ♠. is often the case that your opponents diamonds, which works for East-West; On deal B, South will pass but, with have the same length of fit in their best there is also a finesse position in clubs, extra trump length, North competes to suit as you do. ■ Page 34 machines also had a facility the same time, so our games to play in a ‘teams of four’ are very irregular. format, so that we could However, April 21 was the READERS’ compare our play to the charity’s Annual Bridge Drive computers play. and I offered to play. We have had hours of Nevertheless, at the age of pleasure playing at home (as 95, I found it rather well as playing at a bridge embarrassing to be joining LETTERS club) but, unfortunately, the three players who were Probridge 510 has developed complete strangers to me.