[gordontd]

IMP pairs

♠ A 10 6 4
♥ 10 7 4 3
♦ J 9 8
♣ J 3

RHO opens, and their uncontested auction is:

        1♣
1♥ - 1♠
2♦*- 3NT
P

*FSF

Your lead?

[FrancesHinden]

A heart.
Not the 10.
Which pip depends on my agreements.

[pooltuna]

♠4 altho an argument could be made for any suit.

[olegru]

♥7

[AlexJonson]

A diamond.

[jhenrikj]

Small spade

[gordontd]

I was filling in for one hand for a player who was late arriving, and we had this auction - but my partner asked questions about the 2♦ call before passing. Because of this I felt constrained to avoid a diamond lead and chose a heart - which was spectacularly successful and we took them three off (though I don't think they were ever making).

It occurred to me that there were similarities with the discussion in the recent Slow Double thread. In particular an unethical player (which my partner certainly was not) might ask questions about the 2♦ bid in order to deflect a diamond lead.

It seems though that not many would have led a diamond anyway.

[AlexJonson]

gordontd, on 2011-April-16, 15:04, said:

I was filling in for one hand for a player who was late arriving, and we had this auction - but my partner asked questions about the 2♦ call before passing. Because of this I felt constrained to avoid a diamond lead and chose a heart - which was spectacularly successful and we took them three off (though I don't think they were ever making).

It occurred to me that there were similarities with the discussion in the recent Slow Double thread. In particular an unethical player (which my partner certainly was not) might ask questions about the 2♦ bid in order to deflect a diamond lead.

It seems though that not many would have led a diamond anyway.

With the upcoming Referendum in mind, you should notice that 'not many' voted for any of the options.

You really needed to give us AV so we could rank the choices.

[StevenG]

Gordon, you say that you knew your partner to be an ethical player. Why then do his questions about a diamond bid suggest a diamond lead and constrain you? If anything, you have UI that he has no interest in a diamond lead, otherwise he would have felt constrained not to ask the question.

[bluejak]

I wonder why he asked questions? Anyway, I lead a heart or a spade.

Not that I have ever done it, but may I remind people there is a feature here for polling so you can get people to vote who do not want to actually post.

[Vampyr]

Coming in a bit late, but I would have led a diamond.

[aguahombre]

All I am sure of is that I don't want to see the other 3 hands, if making 3NT is doubtful even with a non-heart lead and it is down more than one on a heart lead.

Partner probably should not have been asking anything, knowing I was on lead. But, maybe he was contemplating doubling for a heart lead. We are not told how he worded his question about the 4SF diamond bid to determine if he sounded more interested in its strength than its degree of artificiality. If MY partner started asking questions, I would merely assume she was just as taken aback by the auction as I was.

As opening leader, since 3NT would never have been passed in our style, I would want to know about the strength shown by both sides. In our world, Opener would have a balanced 18-19 and responder would have G.F. values.

If polling about the opening lead, heart 7 regardless of any extraneous information; and heart 7 if pard had doubled 3NT. The 4SF bid might have been doubled earlier if a diamond is right.

[Rossoneri]

I lead the ♥7 as well.