BY DAVID LINDOP

As declarer, we often get information about the opponents’ holdings through the auction, through their signals and discards, and as we play out the deal. However, we frequently have all the information we need even if the opponents have been silent throughout the auction and we have yet to play a card. We can infer a lot about the opponents’ distribution and their high-card holdings just from the opening lead. For example, suppose we open 1NT as South, and partner raises to 3NT. Our left-hand opponent, West, leads a two. Assuming the defenders’ agreement is to lead fourth best against notrump contracts, we can immediately infer the following:

• West has only four cards in the suit.

• West is unlikely to have a fivecard or longer suit – otherwise West would have led the longer suit.

• West doesn’ t have a solid sequence or broken sequence in the suit – otherwise West would have led the top of touching honors. This may be all the information we need to know how to play the contract. Consider this deal.

We reached 3NT after this auction:

LEAD ♠6

♠ 5 4 2 ♥ J 4 3 ♦ A Q J 7 ♣ Q 8 6

w n

s

♠ K 3 ♥ K Q 10 2 ♦ 10 9 3 ♣ A K J 4

We are going to get a trick with the ♠K and we have a sure diamond winner and four club tricks. We need three more tricks. We can promote three winners in hearts by driving out the ♥A, or try the diamond finesse, hoping West holds the ♦K. What’ s our best plan? West’ s opening lead gives us the answer right away-develop the winners in the heart suit! We can see the ♠5-4-3-2 in our combined hands, so West’ s ♠6 is the lowest outstanding spade and must be fourth best. That means the defenders’ eight spades are divided exactly 4-4. They won’ t be able to get more than three spade tricks when they gain the lead with the ♥A. West doesn’ t actually have to lead a two for us to know it is fourth best. We can take into account all the lower-ranking cards we see. This is one of the reasons we should make our plan before playing to the first trick. We don’ t want to be in a position later in the play wondering:“ Did West lead the ♠6 or the ♠7? Did dummy hold the ♠2?”

e

3NT

Here’ s the complete deal: ♠ 5 4 2 ♥ J 4 3 ♦ A Q J 7 ♣ Q 8 6

♠ Q 10 8 6 ♥ A 9 5 ♦ 8 5 2 ♣ 9 7 3

♠ K 3 ♥ K Q 10 2 ♦ 10 9 3 ♣ A K J 4

If we were to try the diamond finesse, East would win the ♦K and the defenders would have five tricks: three spades, the ♦K, and the ♥A. We can draw similar inferences from the opening lead against a suit contract. The opponents don’ t always lead fourth best against a suit contract. Sometimes they lead low from three cards, for example. Yet the opening lead may provide the clue we need to make the winning play. Suppose we reach 4♠ after this auction:

WEST NORTH EAST SOUTH

1♠

PASS 3♠ PASS 4♠ PASS PASS PASS

West leads the ♥5, and dummy comes down:

LEAD ♥5 w n

s

♠ A J 9 7 ♥ 8 7 6 ♦ K 6 4 ♣ 10 5 2

♠ K J 9 7 5 ♥ 8 3 ♦ K Q ♣ K Q 9 5

We have a sure spade loser and a sure diamond loser. We can ruff our fourth club in dummy if necessary. So, we can only afford to lose one heart trick. Our usual plan would be to lead a heart toward dummy after drawing trumps and guess whether to play dummy’ s ♥J or ♥K when West follows with a low heart. The ♥J would be right if West holds the

e

♠ Q 10 6 3 ♥ K J 6 4 ♦ 7 2 ♣ A 7 2

w n

s e

3NT

4♠

2 AUDREY GRANT’ S BETTER BRIDGE JULY / AUGUST 2017