[antonylee]

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Matchpoints.
Righty leads the ♥3 (4th best) out of turn. What option do you exercise?

[Mbodell]

Normally I'd say accept the lead and declare using the old saying that if the opponent didn't know who's turn it was to lead they probably didn't know what to lead. But here if I can paint in the opponents mind that I have heart weakness (even though I think this is probably UI) and if I can get my LHO to lead a spade up to my honors, I think that is probably good for my side.

[Zelandakh]

I can't see the point of accepting the lead - seems in all cases to be inferior to choice 4. So the answer must be choice 3. Of course choices 4 and 5 are simply subsets of choice 3 so including both is a little pointless.

[gordontd]

Zelandakh, on 2015-January-20, 04:03, said:

I can't see the point of accepting the lead - seems in all cases to be inferior to choice 4.

Any reason partner can't have ♥Jx? Do we want to give them a chance of leading a diamond instead?

[campboy]

Zelandakh, on 2015-January-20, 04:03, said:

Of course choices 4 and 5 are simply subsets of choice 3 so including both is a little pointless.

I assume that choice 3 means "reject the lead, and don't use either lead restriction at this point".

[Fluffy]

if heart lead is good for su, it will also be good at trick 2 so make the card penalty and let LHO shoot into the dark.

[whereagles]

Accept lead, because pard's holding might contribute to a tenace-like position, ♥Jxx for instance.

And declare hand, OF COURSE

[antonylee]

Zelandakh, on 2015-January-20, 04:03, said:

Of course choices 4 and 5 are simply subsets of choice 3 so including both is a little pointless.

No, if you choose to force or forbid a heart lead by lefty, the H3 is picked up and is no longer a penalty card (although UI still applies). It stays a penalty card only if you choose to let lefty free to lead whatever he wants -- in which case the three options (force a heart, forbid a heart, keep the H3 a penalty card) applies as long as he stays on lead.

[bigbenvic]

I like the idea of making it a penalty card and giving lefty open slather.

Unless he has solid diamonds to cash, righty will win and be forced to lead the heart thus regaining the tempo if I have to lose a club trick to them before setting up partners long suit (assuming 3c showed 5+) unless they lead a heart at trick 1 in which case I have some chance to 'hide' one of my honours so it looks like I was hoping for a free trick in some way. And you never know they could lead a spade for me and give up an extra trick.

[Free]

Option 3 seems best imo. This gives us options in consequent play, for example to make opps lead ♥ if West would decide to start with ♦s and that turns out badly.

[antonylee]

Free, on 2015-January-21, 13:13, said:

Option 3 seems best imo. This gives us options in consequent play, for example to make opps lead ♥ if West would decide to start with ♦s and that turns out badly.

Indeed, I didn't notice that I could prevent them from knocking out my stopper if necessary.
At the table I simply thought "it's so likely that this gives away a trick to partner's Jx" that I accepted the lead, and, for good measure, let partner play it.
He held Ax xxx AQx KT7xx but both pointed finesses offside and clubs 5-1 meant -1, when I would have made on the normal lead of a small spade from Qxxxx Jxx Jxxx x
EDIT: One too many hearts

This post has been edited by antonylee: 2015-January-22, 11:42

[Zelandakh]

antonylee, on 2015-January-22, 00:46, said:

I would have made on the normal lead of a small spade from Qxxxx Jxxx Jxxx x

Those weak 5441 hands are always tricky to lead from.

[FrancesHinden]

I don't understand partner's 3!C bid at all. Why did he want to emphasise a KTxxx suit?
I chose to declarer, because I didn't want the xxxx in diamonds to appear in dummy.

[antonylee]

FrancesHinden, on 2015-January-25, 03:41, said:

I don't understand partner's 3!C bid at all. Why did he want to emphasise a KTxxx suit?
I chose to declarer, because I didn't want the xxxx in diamonds to appear in dummy.

What's your rebid otherwise? I guess it's more a systems question, as I'd expect 2M to show 4 and 2N to promise stoppers.
Obviously you may not like a system where 2D is a catchall (well, I don't know your favorite methods) but you'd have even less room on any other rebid.