grizz: Hi everybody, thanks for attending another of a series of lessons on Defense. analisals: I don't jacquiek: How? grizz: First some preliminaries nome: shift+print Screen and past it anywhere grizz: Chat logs and hand records are stored in your computer for later review. For information on how to retrieve them, go the BIL homepage or email me at grizz.den@gmail.com. grizz: Secondly, I teach private and pair lessons. If you would like to know more please email me at grizz.den@gmail.com grizz: There will be lots of questions. I want to address them all, but in a manner helpful to all. So please save questions until I ask for them, or after the play of the hand is ... grizz: complete. LadyStar17->Kibitzers: !D!DGrizz Tourney # 228 will feature hands specifically designed and annotated grizz: On rare occasions there is a burning question supremely relevant to one particular comment, bid or play of the cards, and if so please ask it in open chat. I cannot respond to ... grizz: private chat during a lesson. grizz: Unfortunately, we will not have annotated hands available for the tournament today, so they will be random deals grizz: Are there any questions so far? grizz: Good, let's roll. wyoming33: n grizz: There are rules for leading and following, and they are all designed to allow defenders to figure out how the suits are divided, where the strength is, and how to take the maximum ... grizz: number of tricks. grizz: Each card should have a purpose, and defenders should always be looking for ways to communicate with each other. Cooperation and trust are the keys to good defense. grizz: Lots of people ask about opening leads. They are very important, and something of a black art. grizz: Actually, the type of defense you plan is more important than deciding what card to lead. grizz: The type of defense you plan will drive the suit you lead. grizz: And the choice of suit will then drive the single card led. grizz: That said, today we will deal with notrump defense, assuming that you have decided which suit to lead and are concerned only about which card. grizz: Notrump is usually a race to see which side can establish and cash its winners first. grizz: Both sides usually have enough tricks to get the job done, but one side runs out of time. grizz: Notrump defense is about long suits and entries. Long suits are where the extra tricks are, and entries allow you to cash them. grizz: That is why it is usually best to start with your side's long suit. grizz: The race to develop tricks starts at Trick 1, and if the defense does not get on with its Job #1 then momentum and timing shift to the declarer. grizz: If you watch and play enough notrump hands, you will see that 'top of nothing' leads almost never work. Attacking leads are far more likely to produce better scores. grizz: Here are some general rules for NT leads, and some example hands to illustrate. grizz: 1. If your partner has bid a suit, lead it, UNLESS: grizz: A. You have a strong suit of your own, AND grizz: B. An outside entry. grizz: Why? If you have a long suit, partner is probably short in it. So declarer can hold up until partner is out, then get on with his master plan. grizz: This is true even though RHO has bid NT after your partner. He may not have a real stopper, and if he does it may be gone by Trick 2. Think Kx, Ax, or KJ. grizz: 2. Strong top-of-sequence leads from 4-card suits (KQJx. KQTx. QJTx) are better than weaker but longer suits (Jxxxx, Qxxxx). grizz: 3. If you have the choice between an unbid major or an unbid minor with similar strength in each, the major is usually a better prospect. grizz: Why? Ops frequently conceal long minors, but rarely conceal major length during an auction. Major suits rule these days, and all modern systems emphasize finding major fits. grizz: If ops haven't announced one, or inquired about one, they probably don't have one. ckleiber: it's like susan's class..it's all preworded grizz: 4. If dummy uses Stayman he can be assumed to have one or two 4-card majors. grizz: The exception would be if ops use a system in which a 2NT response is not natural and invitational, such as 4-suit transfers where 1NT-2NT transfers to 3D. LadyStar17: !H grizz: question? wyoming33: n grizz: So if the auction goes 1NT-2C-2D-2NT, dummy may not have a major at all. grizz: But in general, if dummy bids 2C be alert that he may have one or both 4-card majors. Many auctions will tell you which one he has. Reinhard M: if there is a transfer, you attack majors? grizz: It rarely pays to attacks ops long suit(s) Reinhard M: ok grizz: Although of course there are exceptions Reinhard M: sure grizz: In fact, it's usually a big no-no to help ops set up their long suits grizz: Even if you must delay cashing winners in order to make that happen grizz: If RHO opens 1NT, and the auction goes 1NT-2C-2S-3NT, you can assume that dummy has 4Hs. Otherwise why would he bid Stayman? So don't lead Hs unless you have a strong sequence. grizz: 5. If your hand is dreadful, try to hit partner's long suit, even if he hasn't bid. Any suit that he might have bid at the 1 level but didn't will be an unlikely candidate for ... grizz: this desperation lead. grizz: 6. If dummy has announced during the auction that he has a long, strong suit, you must make an aggressive lead in another suit. AKx. KQx or QJx are better in this case than ... grizz: weaker but longer suits. grizz: You must play aggressive defense, and collect your tricks before they go away. grizz: Any questions before we go deeper? jacquiek: yes grizz: fire away jacquiek: why would the bidding ever go 1nt-2c-2d-2nt? as in your earlier example kyno40: fromsequences let as say A 10987 you most lead 8 or can you lead the 10 pl. ? grizz: if ops play a system where direct 2nt is NOT natural and invitational, they must use a bogus stayman call to describe that hand jacquiek: ok jacquiek: thanks grizz: we will discuss that lead in just a few minutes kyno40: ty grizz: 7. Partner needs to know whether you have any honors in the suit you lead. If a switch must be made at Trick 2, partner needs to know and act quickly. grizz: A. The lead of a low card in an unbid suit promises an honor. So if you lead low, expect partner to return that suit if he gets in. If you lead the 2 from 5432, he will not be ... grizz: happy - if you must lead this suit, play the 5 and hope that partner figures it out. grizz: B. Likewise, the lead of a big spot card tends to deny an honor. A 7 or 8 is usually the highest or second-highest in a long suit. It says "Partner, I have length but no ... grizz: strength here. If you have some face cards then continue the suit, otherwise look elsewhere." grizz: C. Leading from a strong 4-card suit like AQTx, AQJx, AJTx, or AKTx usually costs a trick. Odds are that RHO has the missing honor, and a lead from one of these sequences goes ... grizz: right into declarer's tenace. grizz: You can establish 3 tricks by leading from a suit like this - that plus the entry you hope partner has makes 4, but then other good things must happen to set a 3NT contract. grizz: But if you hold fire on that suit, and let the lead come to you, there is a good chance that you will win 4 tricks. That plus partner's hoped-for entry means victory for the ... grizz: defense. grizz: Let's look at example hand #1 grizz: If W leads any !s, S takes one grizz: but if he waits for !ss to come to him, it's a different story grizz: Since top-of-nothing leads don't usually work, W looks for the next best lead grizz: A 4 card suit is a good place to start. grizz: But if he leads low, pd will play him for an honor and return the suit if he gets in later. grizz: W is dying for a !s return, not a !h. grizz: The T is too valuable a card to throw away, but the 8 will tell the story to partner. grizz: S can fool around with side suits for a while, but the hand will come down to the !d finesse so let's get it over with. grizz: East looks at the board, can see that both minors look grim, and the !h8 opening lead did not request a return. So out pops a !s, and the party's over. grizz: S is finished. Whether he plays high or low makes no difference. grizz: So by using deduction and exercising patience at Trick 1, W engineered the killing defense. jacquiek: I just learned a Boat Load!!! ty ->jacquiek: :) minnie m: plese claim analisals->Club: if heart ten is an honor, why not lead the 3 then? grizz: See above. A small card indicates an honor in the suit, and asks partner to return it when he gets in. kyno40->Club: for the s return analisals: yes Miksa: I see the reason for leading high !h in this case, but want to ask you: do you treat 10 as honour card for the lead? grizz: T is a minor honor, but a very slow one grizz: hardly ever Dianne0516: How do you know that the 8 is not 4th down? Miksa: ty grizz: and especially not here, with that glorious !s suit grizz: Good question. If 8 were 4th best, there would be 3 higher cards in N, E and S minnie m: can u plese say next hand at each new hand so can keep chat separated noanswer needed grizz: E can see 3 of them in his hand, and S bid NT. It is possible but unlikely that W underled the AKT LadyStar17: !D!DGrizz Tourney #1228 will feature hands specifically designed and annotated grizz: does that explain it? grizz: Does everybody know the Rule of 11? illiria: no grizz: OK grizz: If you lead 4th best, subtract the number of the card (the 8 here) from 11 grizz: That tells you how many cards are higher than that, in all 3 hands around the table grizz: Understood? analisals: y illiria: y grizz: :) grizz: Back to general principles now, the situation is totally different if you have a strong 5-card suit, such as AQTxx, AQJxx, AJTxx, or AKTxx. grizz: Any of those suits would be an excellent lead, since 4 tricks can be established after surrendering 1. grizz: The difference between a 4- and 5-card suit here is of crucial importance. grizz: D. The lead of a Q shows either the top of a sequence (QJT, QJ9) OR a powerful combination headed by the KQT9. If the opening leader may have that combination, that is you do not ... grizz: see the K,T or 9 and you do have the J, you should play it at Trick 1. grizz: This is a form of unblock play, and tells the opening leader that when the A is cleared, the suit will run. Naturally, if you have AJ, you overtake with the A and return the J. grizz: That may not be clear, so we have an example hand. grizz: OK, it's West's lead and look at that !s suit wyoming33: 1NT? LadyStar17->Kibitzers: !D!DGrizz Tourney #1228 (starts in 45 mins) will feature hands specifically designed and commented on by Grizz to practice what Grizz is teaching. Please register to play-click on ... LadyStar17->Kibitzers: tourney button on the right of your screen by the chat window to register if you are currently playing. Grizz believes that immediate practice and for reinforcement which makes for ... LadyStar17->Kibitzers: ideal long-term learning!H!H ->wyoming33: :) i goofed grizz: Most of you would lead the K, T or 9 grizz: But the correct lead is the Q grizz: E can see the J, so he knows that W did not lead from a sequence. grizz: And the Q is an unusual lead otherwise, but he was paying attention and remembers that it commands him to drop the J if he has it grbradt: S has 9 off the top... grizz: If S ducks, W now knows that the !ss run grizz: so W will continue drgarie2xx: please remind me how to retrieve this lesson .LINK? grizz: in the real world of course S would take his tricks and run grizz: but since this is a lesson, S makes a fatal mistake oilysome: 3) grizz: Without the drop of the J, West would not know that it was safe to continue the !ss minnie m: is the Q considered top of broken seq grizz: No, this is a special case grizz: Where leader needs to know whether partner has the J grizz: And partner MUST tell him! grizz: One other special case that calls for the lead of a Q is a long suit headed by the AQT. grizz: Let's look at example hand #3. grizz: Without an outside entry, W seeks to create an entry in !s grizz: By forcing declarer to win a trick that he would rather duck, but can't afford to. grizz: If S ducks, and W continues the A, we take the first 6 tricks grizz: And S has some fast talking to do during the post mortem. grizz: So S takes the K grizz: Eventually he must take the !d finesse, so let's cut to the chase grizz: This works almost every time, whenever partner has 2 or 3 of the suit grizz: Next hand jacquiek: OK....does "long suit" mean 6 or would 5 qualify for this same treatment? Dianne0516: Are these leads all pending no outside entry? grizz: 5 would qualify for the same treatment grizz: though it won't work as often grizz: And yes, this is assuming no outside entry Dianne0516: What would you lead if outside entry grizz: Playing partner for 2, and forcing declarer to take his stopper prematurely is the strategy here grizz: with an outside entry, I would lead 4th best Dianne0516: thnks grizz: E. The lead of a K shows either a sequence or a short suit (AKx, KQx). mei ann: 4th best of that long suit? ->mei ann: y mei ann: ty grizz: Back to general principles now grizz: E. The lead of a K shows either a sequence or a short suit (AKx, KQx). grizz: F. Leading an A shows a very strong suit, headed by AKQ, AKJT, AKJ or AQJ with an outside entry. Since the A is a guaranteed entry most of the time, it is rare to expend it on ... grizz: the opening lead. grizz: G. I have purposefully left the lead of the J,T and 9 for last. In the old days, a lead of one of these cards might have been the top of a sequence (JT9x, T98x, 987x, etc) or the ... grizz: top of an interior sequence (KJT9, KT98, QT98, Q987, etc.) grizz: That led to some confusion as to whether partner should return the suit if he got in. grizz: Sometimes it was clear, but other times it was just a guess. grizz: The confusion has been lessened by a system called Coded 9's and T's, also known as Jack Denies (and T or 9 Implies). grizz: Somebody asked about this last week, and here is the answer. grizz: Using this treatment, the lead of a J denies a higher honor, but guarantees a sequence if it is an unbid suit. grizz: Naturally if partner has bid the suit, and you had Jx, you would lead the J to drive out declarer's honor and unblock the suit. grizz: But back to the general case, the lead of a T or 9 now specifically shows 0 or 2 cards higher. If leader has 2 higher cards, they are specifically a touching tenace (KJT9, KT98, ... grizz: AT98, AJT9, etc.) grizz: If 3rd hand sees partner lead a T or 9, he looks around in dummy and his own hand to figure out whether there are 0 or 2 higher. grizz: Let's look at example hand #4. grizz: Stayman, asking whether S has a 4 card major grizz: Nope, sp grizz: Decision time for East grizz: If S has the AKJ, his Q is dead anyway grizz: But if partner has the AJ, he needs to drop the Q to set the stage for defeating the contract grizz: Here is another zinger. grizz: Ordinarily as a defender you would cover the Q, to promote a possible holding in partner's hand grizz: Such as the 9876 that you see here grizz: But since dummy has the doubleton Ace, it makes no sense to cover. grizz: S now plays for W to have the Kx grizz: No such luck minnie m: up to you ask minnie m: i give u that pts when u do ok cdt: Yea ! grizz: S is running out of chances, and tries a little swindle here lallimj: Why would S cross before running the hearts? grizz: If E has the Kx, he may rise and crash the now-stiff Q in West grizz: but that doesn't work either grizz: he can run the !hs, but still comes up a trick short grizz: That concludes today's lesson, and next week we will look at what the opening lead looks like from the point of view of the 3rd hand. sswarnendu: shoulnt E cash !C K & then play a !S? grizz: absolutely, and when you replay this hand that's exactly what happens sswarnendu: it is down 2 then........ sswarnendu: ok grizz: yes indeed grizz: That concludes today's lesson, and next week we will look at what the opening lead looks like from the point of view of the 3rd hand. grizz: If anybody needs help retrieving the hand records or chat log, please email me at grizz.den@gmail.com. jacquiek: great lesson! wyoming33: thank you:) minnie m: tu so much Dianne0516: Thanks Pete--very good class grizz: I am also available for private lessons, you can email me at grizz.den@gmail.com for more information. Miksa: Thanks for the lesson, it was excellent! analisals: thanks Pete kyno40: Thank you !!! barbhow: ty grizz: Thanks for your interest and participation, and I hope to see you next week. grizz: Thanks also to Maureen, Fred and the wonderful people at BBO who make this all possible. grizz: and thx again to all