grizz: Hi everybody, thanks for attending another of a series of lessons on Defense.  
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.
grizz: I teach private individual, pair, and small group lessons.  If you would like to know more please email me at Grizz@GrizzBridge.com.
grizz: Archives of old sessions are available at GrizzBridge.com, on the Lessons and Archives page located at:  http://www.grizzbridge.com/Lessons_and_Archives.php
grizz: There will be lots of questions.  I want to address them all, but in a manner helpful to all, so please ask them in open chat.  
grizz: If I forget a question while answering another, please remind me.
grizz: I encourage participation by all kibitzers
grizz: So jump right in with a comment, question, or bid at any time, but please do so in open chat.
grizz: There are only 5 basic types of defensive strategy at the beginning of a hand.
grizz: These concepts are out of the book "How The Experts Win At Bridge" by Burt Hall and Lynn Rose-Hall, the Book of the Year in 1997.
grizz: By way of review, and for those who are new here, the 5 lines of defense are:
grizz: 1.  Force declarer to ruff, and lose control of his own trump suit.
grizz: 2.  Active defense.
grizz: 3.  Passive defense.
grizz: 4.  Reduce ruffing power.
grizz: 5.  Create trump tricks.
grizz: We have looked at Forcing, Active and Passive defense, Reduce ruffing power and Create Trump Tricks for several weeks, and now it is time for us to put that knowledge to work by ...
grizz: choosing opening leads.
grizz: Again, if you need review on the 5 Lines of Defense check out http://www.grizzbridge.com/Lessons_and_Archives.php and scroll down the page until you find those lessons under the ...
grizz: BIL listings.
grizz: Briefly, here are the guidelines for each of these different strategies.
grizz: 1. Forcing defense - lead your side's strongest suit.
grizz: 2.  Active defense - also, lead your side's strongest suit.
grizz: 3.  Passive defense - top of a sequence, or a worthless suit
grizz: 4.  Reduce ruffs - start a trump
grizz: 5.  Creating trump tricks - lead from your own or toward partner's shortness
grizz: So choosing a lead depends on what your defensive game plan is, referring back to the 5 Lines of Defense.
grizz: When you know WHAT you intend to accomplish, it is easier to decide HOW to get it done.
grizz: So this week we are going to look at example hands and auctions, consider defensive plans and choose leads.  
grizz: Shall we start?
pzee:  yes!
baccib: yes
grizz: In all cases you are West and must choose a lead, so kib just West if you want the full benefit of this lesson.  
minnie01: yes
AOB117: please
PedroG: y
grizz: Otherwise kib all four hands to get a birds-eye view of the layout.
Little Kid: is there any way to kib west and hide the other hands?
grizz: if you want to kib just one hand, click on the yellow gear at the bottom of the page
Little Kid: ty :)
grizz: at lower right there is a box where you can check which hand you want to kib
grizz: OK, it is decision time
grizz: what do we know about the NS hands?
grizz: N has a good !d suit
grizz: S has long !s
grizz: and N has !s support
grizz: what else do we know?
minnie01: ruffing 
grizz: looking at the W hand we know that !ss are breaking well for S
dae: D hsd no 4 card H  , probably
pzee: south will try to set up !d for discards
grizz: yes, the !d suit is the threat
dae: S no 4 H
grizz: also, looking at the W hand we know that !ds are breaking well too
grizz: and W does not have trump control
grizz: so what is our game plan for W?
pzee: lead !h
pzee: active def
grizz: perfect!
grizz: looks like a risky lead though, doesn't it?
pzee: yes
grizz: from KJx?
sascha3: sure does
grizz: but the risk is illusory
minnie01: lead trump 
grizz: if NS have the !HAQ, we won't get any !h tricks anyway
grizz: if we lead trump we surrender tempo, S plays 2 rounds of trump and runs !ds
Little Kid: why no !c?
grizz: pitching !h losers
g0ddessm0m: can I ask a question?
->Little Kid: open chat plz
grizz: sure
g0ddessm0m: what about the "old" rule..never lead from kings?
grizz: if you follow that rule, you will toss away hundreds of imps
grizz: rather, you need to know when to disregard it
grizz: experts lead away from kings all the time
dee_dee_20: low from 3 cards promises honour
grizz: yes
g0ddessm0m: good to know   ty
Little Kid: why is a !c lead wrong?
grizz: because W has no !c honors to promote 
Little Kid: ok ty :)
grizz: the closest thing to a trick in the W hand is a !h
grizz: true, W might get lucky and catch pard with !CAKQ tight
grizz: but there are very long odds on that
grizz: and even then, would be good for only 2 tricks
grizz: since the 3rd round would get ruffed
grizz: so W makes the only lead that gives his side a chance
grizz: and E has a trump trick coming too, for down 1
grizz: let's see what happens on a trump lead
grizz: auction is truncated here
analisals: what does truncated mean?
grizz: shortened, in the interest of saving time
analisals: i see
grizz: makes 6!
analisals: yes
grizz: or a  !c lead:
grizz: play goes the same as before
grizz: making 6
grizz: and if S or N has the !HA, then EW still do not get any !h tricks
grizz: so there is no downside to the "risky" !h lead, but a lot of potential upside
grizz: though there are no guarantees here -
grizz: pard may get testy about leading from kings
grizz: but your defense in the post mortem is that any other lead gives up, but the !h gives you chances
grizz: so the clue in this auction was that ops have good trumps, a good side suit, and splits are favorable for declarer
g0ddessm0m: glad that I saw this...time to revamp my thinking a little   ty
grizz: all that is known by W before he leads a card
grizz: y, some aspects of this are revolutionary
grizz: there are times in bridge where the "risky" bid or play really has very little risk at all - because of the threat of a larger danger
grizz: any questions on this one?
TapTap->Club: no
grizz: there is one other way to think about this one
grizz: your side suit tricks will go away on ops' good side suit if you don't go hunting for them right away
grizz: and let me relate this back to the conditions for Active Defense:
grizz: a.  Any time tricks can go away, such as on a long side suit in either op hand.
grizz: b.  Declarer's side suit is breaking favorably.
grizz: c.  Ops have bid strongly, showing slam interest.
grizz: d.  One op has a long running suit, such as a Gambling 3NT bid showing a running 7+ card suit.
grizz: next hand
grizz: ok, ask the same question that you should ask every time you are on lead
grizz: what do you know about the ops' hands?
dae: S   6  s and 5 H?
grizz: sounds like S is lopsided in the majors, 5-5 at least
dae: N   10 points or   more
grizz: yes, N has a good hand, good !d suit and probably a !s fit
grizz: almost certainly, since N jumped from 3!h to 4!s
grizz: certain implications flow from that info
grizz: S has max 3 cards in the minors
grizz: and W's !hs are located favorably for the defense, but there is one big danger -
grizz: !h ruffs in dummy
g0ddessm0m: why did south rebid the hearts 
grizz: bidding out his shape, with 5-5
grizz: in case N was something like !S2-!H3
grizz: also warning N away from NT
grizz: with unbalanced shape
grizz: and most of S's points are in those 2 suits
grizz: so that was a good auction
grizz: back to W's problem
grizz: what to do with this information?
dee_dee_20: Q!c lead 
grizz: one thing he can do is eliminate 1 !h ruff right away
isabable: maybe 4th s forcing as south may passjust asking ?k
grizz: a kib asks whether N should bid 3!c as 4th suit game force
grizz: rather than 2!s
kyno40: Hi watch south only ?
grizz: problem is, N doesn't have a real GF hand
->kyno40: W plz  :)
grizz: but the 2nd !h bid improves the N hand
analisals: be aggressive in lead
kyno40: ty
grizz: now it sounds like a cross ruff hand, with !h ruffs in dummy and minors in the closed hand
grizz: and it takes perfect defense to beat it
grizz: now S does not have enough tricks
grizz: his ruffs were all stolen by trump leads
dae: still kib W??
grizz: you may watch all hands now
grizz: and see the layout at this point
grizz: S has 5 top winners, and a bunch of losers
grizz: Q shows a solid sequence below it
grizz->Club: and S is lucky to escape with down only 1
dkgrab: does !C Q lead change outcome?
grizz: let's try a couple other leads, as we did on the last hand
dkgrab: ace?
grizz: hardly matters now
grizz: even a trump switch is too late
grizz: so !c doesn't work
grizz: and even a trump switch earlier by W doesn't help
grizz: still makes
grizz: and !d lead doesn't help either, for 2 reasons
grizz: 1.  helps establish the !ds
grizz: 2.  W can't overruff S
grizz: so here are the conditions for Reducing Ruffs
grizz: 1.  Ops are playing in a partial or complete misfit.
grizz: 2.  The auction suggests shortness in dummy.
grizz: 3.  Defense is strong in all other suits.
grizz: here the implication is that dummy is short in !hs
grizz: W can't tell exactly HOW short, but that is the clear conclusion 
grizz: any other questions on this one?
grizz: ok, pretend you are W and choose a lead
grizz: first though, choose a strategy
billdg: singleton d
pzee: create trump tricks lead !d
grizz: the lead follows from the strategy, not vice versa
cdt: go back to kibbing west?
grizz: aw, it's ok - just promise not to peek   :)
HaakonEide: !d lead?
grizz: i'm guessing that 95% of players would lead the stiff !d
wyoming33: pretty certain P has no points
grizz: yes
grizz: E is flat broke on this auction
sascha3: trump lead
grizz: so will never get in to lead a !d for a ruff
grizz: but there is another way to create a trump trick for EW
wyoming33: can we give P a ruff?
grizz: yes!
dee_dee_20: W needs to find pd's short suit
kyno40: e might have 2 tr underlead tr
grizz: if E is short, judging from the W hand it's likely that E is short in !cs
grizz: no guarantees, of course
grizz: but maybe E can ruff the 2nd or 3rd round
HaakonEide: !d lead, declarer plays trump, you take A and as dummy has 4c!c you see the possibility for a cross ruff?
dae: y  one exception   to NOT leading unprotected ace?
grizz: yes
grizz: W has a very clear reason for leading this unprotected ace
grizz: and just in case E is now void in !c, the !c6 has a Suit Preference message attached
grizz: which is, "my entry is in the high suit"
grizz: high card = high suit, low card = low suit
grizz: and W still has the trump A for down 2
grizz: so there are 3 things that we must count -
grizz: 1.  points
grizz: 2.  tricks
grizz: 3.  distribution 
grizz: and we must use a little imagination to envision a layout that can let us be successful
grizz: and then make the lead that can put that plan into action
billdg: ok the other day i was reading since opening bid was 1 nt and pard bid two clubs  and it is your lead try A CLUB LEAD IS THIS RIGHT?
grizz: without the !c lead NS have tricks to burn after drawing trump and knocking out the aces
grizz: might or might not - depends on many factors, as we see here
HaakonEide: but doesn't you get the same result if you lead !d and see the !c switch when you're in on !h A?
grizz: no - E gets only 1 ruff then, not 2
Miksa: but W can ruff !d return
gomites: but west gets !d ruff?
analisals: with 6 higher cards than theclub six, I would be confused as interpreting that as a signal for a spade
grizz: and declarer never needs to lead !ds for W to get his ruff
HaakonEide: y, that's my thougth too
grizz: 6 is a little hard to read there, but dummy has all big ones, and S played the J on the trick that was already ruffed
grizz: good point
grizz: you can't tell whether a signal card is big just by counting its spots
Miksa: of course, Hakon, this doesn't change the moral of this lesson :)
grizz: you must relate that to the other cards in the suit that you can see, or that have been played already
HaakonEide: !d lead-W in on !h A plays !c A and !c to ruff, E returns !d and you take !s A 5 tricks -2!
grizz: sometimes the 6 is high, other times an 8 is low
grizz: ok, you are right
wyoming33: this is unusual with singletons in both hands:)
grizz: E and W each get a ruff in that scenario
grizz: instead of both ruffs in the e
grizz: in either case, the strategy is Create Trump Tricks
grizz: either leading to or from shortness
grizz: and here are the general conditions for Create Trump Tricks
grizz: a.  You are short in any unbid suit.
grizz: b.  You are long in ops' side suit, both bid and raised.
grizz: (Then partner must be short in that suit.)
grizz: c.  You have a weak hand, and no better line of defense.
HaakonEide: !c 8?
grizz: what do we know about the NS hands now?
HaakonEide: long !s suit and long !c suit
grizz: ops are rich in the black suits
billdg: both black suits are strong 
grizz: y, and that side suit is a threat
grizz: our side suit tricks can go away on the !cs
analisals: 6[c and 4 sp
grizz: and here is another case in which a risky lead from an unsupported K is in order
dae: aggressive lead
grizz: E knows that W has the !DK
grizz: but it is wrong to lead !ds here
grizz: since W might need the !h lead instead
grizz: note that if E leads the !d there, W wins but is endplayed
grizz: E has no more entries, and S's !HKx is immune from attack from W
grizz: so we have conditions for Active Defense again
grizz: a.  Any time tricks can go away, such as on a long side suit in either op hand.
grizz: b.  Declarer's side suit is breaking favorably.
grizz: c.  Ops have bid strongly, showing slam interest.
grizz: d.  One op has a long running suit, such as a Gambling 3NT bid showing a running 7+ card suit.
grizz: any questions on this one?
grizz: what do we do here?
gomites: !c a....look at dummy?
grizz: sounds like the same kind of problem we had on the last hand
kyno40: good Question
grizz: long running suit in dummy
grizz: so E give an encouraging Attitude signal
grizz: and now E can give a SP signal
grizz: showing a !d entry
grizz: not that it matters much
grizz: S has no prayer of making 9 tricks without the !ds
grizz: Active Defense again, just as on the last hand
grizz: any questions on any of these hands?
grizz: good!
ydannac: Great lesson!H!H
grizz: go forth and defend like demons!
pzee->Club: thanks, pete!
ladygolf: thanks Pete, good lesson
analisals: thanks Pete good lesson
wyoming33: :) thnk you
grizz: That concludes today's lesson, and next week we will have more quiz hands on opening leads.
lynnieb: thanks bruce
sascha3->Club: thx grizz - great lesson:)
Miksa: :) Thanks, and I am sure we will after such good lesson from you!
grizz: BTW, your satisfaction is guaranteed, or the next lesson is free!    :)
AofHearts->Club: tx Griss :)
dee_dee_20: just proves you can win just on defence
grizz: yes - good point
grizz: half the time you are defending
isabable: ty very much Pete
cdt: Thanks Pete much appreciated :)
sascha3: rofl
wyoming33: :)
kyno40->Club: great Pete
JohnnyHiLo: i want a refund:)
leonora3->Club: tx :)
kcgal: I want a refund Grizz  lol  lol
grizz: so good defense pays big dividends
grizz: lol
grizz:  If anybody needs help retrieving the hand records or chat log, please email me at Grizz@GrizzBridge.com.   
grizz: I teach private individual, pair, and small group lessons.  If you would like to know more please email me at Grizz@GrizzBridge.com.
grizz: I am planning three different one-day courses on Defense, Declarer Play and Balancing, so it you are interested in any or all of these topics please drop me a line at ...
grizz: Grizz@GrizzBridge.com
grizz: Thanks for your interest and participation, and I hope to see you next week.
grizz: Thanks also to Maureen, Rosemary, Fred and the wonderful people at BBO who make this all possible.
JohnnyHiLo: thanks again
grizz: Thanks all for coming, i'll see you in a week
dotfl: thanks Pete
grizz: Bye now