Active / Passive Leads with Barry Rigal

ACTIVE/PASSIVE

This set of problems faces you with the question of whether to go active or passive. The passive lead may cost a tempo, the active lead might cost a trick – so neither is exactly the panacea to cure all evils. Let’s try to work out what should point us in one direction or the other.

Question 1

Your Hand
♠ K Q 4 2
♥ K 9 3
♦ 10 6
♣ A 9 8 5

Q: 1 - What do you lead as South?

South	West	North	East
-	-	-	1♦
Double	3♦	Pass	5♦
Pass	Pass	Pass

A: ♠K - Even though declarer is likely to have the spade ace I would lead a top spade here. There is certainly a possibility that declarer may have a second suit and be planning to set up discards, so I would try and establish a spade trick before it went away. Second choice, definitely a trump.

Your result so far:

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Question 2

Your Hand
♠ K 6
♥ K 5 3 2
♦ 9 7 4
♣ Q 10 6 4

Q: 2 - What do you lead as South?

South	West	North	East
-	-	-	1♦
Pass	1NT	Pass	2♣
Pass	2♦	Pass	3♦
Pass	Pass	Pass

A: ♦4 - There is no reason to get cute here. Partner could easily have bid spades at some point in the auction and did not, so a spade lead is unlikely to be necessary. Equally a heart lead could cost a trick for no reason. Lead a passive trump and wait to see dummy. There doesn’t seem to be any reason that declarer is going to build discards in one suit to get rid of losers in another.

Your result so far:

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Question 3

Your Hand
♠ J 8 4
♥ K 6 4
♦ J 10 9 3
♣ A 5 2

Q: 3 - What do you lead as South?

South	West	North	East
-	1♦	Pass	1♠
Pass	2NT	Pass	3♠
Pass	4♠	Pass	Pass
Pass

A: ♥4 - The safest lead on the hand might be a diamond but I would prefer to attack with a heart, trying to set up a winner in that suit before declarer builds discards for himself on the minor suits. A trump lead is very dangerous by the way – if partner has any trump honor leading the suit could be catastrophic.

Your result so far:

Open Question

Question 4

Your Hand
♠ 9 8 4
♥ 10 3
♦ J 9 7 4
♣ A 10 6 4

Q: 4 - What do you lead as South?

South	West	North	East
-	1♦	Pass	1♥
Pass	2♥	Pass	4♥
Pass	Pass	Pass

A: ♠9 - Leading the club ace looks an unreasonable gamble. You do appear to have diamonds reasonably under control, so I would lead the spade nine, without a great deal of confidence, I must admit. This is not an auction where either declarer or dummy is really expected to have a source of discards, given your diamond holding. The heart 10 is less safe than it might appear.

Your result so far:

Open Question

Question 5

Your Hand
♠ Q 6
♥ Q J 4
♦ K J 9 4 2
♣ A 10 6

Q: 5 - What do you lead as South?

South	West	North	East
1♦	Pass	1♠	2♣
Pass	2♥	Pass	3♣
Pass	Pass	Pass

A: ♣6 - I would lead a low trump, more because everything else looked so unpleasant. The spade queen, even in partner’s suit, is just too risky here, and the problems with leading either a diamond or heart are very apparent. At least a low trump can hardly cost a trick of itself.

Your result so far:

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