Ask the Experts

September 2007

Question 1 : Barbara Stewart (C Flight)

When one progresses in the game of Bridge and becomes ever more familiar with 'the rules", one understands how they, do indeed, make sense - how very logical they are.  But there's one that eludes me.  When on defense, what is the logic behind leading a singleton trump?

Where did this come from ?

Panel's Responses

Ken Bland

I don't know where you read or heard this rule. It is rare when leading a singleton trump is right.

Tom Kniest

Leading a singleton trump.  Leading a trump is often the right lead when one or both opponents displays shape in the auction.  Examples are 2D bids that show 3 suited hands.  If they wind up in one, lead a trump.  Other hands where you have strength or shortness in a side bid suit, a trump lead...and continuation by partner when he gains the lead, will often protect long cards in the side suit.  If the auction suggests a trump lead, it's usually right to lead them even it might give up a trick initially.

Roger Lord

Leading a singleton trump is generally ill-advised, for many reasons.  Justification for leading a singleton trump would be an auction which would call for the lead of a trump regardless of the leader's holding.  Examples include defending a one-bid (doubled or undoubled), or defending any doubled contract when the defenders hold the balance of power and presumably have control of all three side suits, making it right to cut down on ruffs.

Tom Oppenheimer

When to lead a singleton trump. There is no absolute rule. However, when partner has doubled a low level suit contract for penalties it is most often correct to lead trump. Normally you have the majority of points and do not want declarer to find a cross rough. Also partner may have a trump stack and you do not want declarer to score a bunch of small trumps.

Leading trumps means listening to the auction. If you have determined from the auction that declarer may be needing roughs in the dummy's hand then a trump lead may be appropriate.

Nancy Popkin

The time to lead a singleton trump is usually when the declarer has bid two suits and you have cards in declarer's other suit. For example, let's say the declarer opens one heart and after his partner bid one spade he replies two clubs. The partner puts opener back in two hearts. Let's say you hold:

Spades     Hearts       Diamonds     Clubs

XX       X       JXXXXX     KQ10X   

Since you want to preserve as many club tricks as you can, a trump lead is called for. Even if you trap one of your partner's trump tricks, you will get it back in club tricks.

Fran Schiefler

I remember being taught early on that it was almost never right to lead a singleton trump and I cannot recall a hand where I wish I had. I even hesitate to lead a doubleton trump, for fear of finessing partner's Qxx, unless the auction clearly calls for a trump lead.

Ed Schultz

Don't know where it came from. The "rules" that I know of pertain to procedures of play in case of an impropriety. They were used to settle disagreements and in duplicate are administered by the director and in some cases a committee.

When on defense, the logic on leading trump is don't. A couple of times it might make sense: leading against a grand slam, although my partner has picked up my king once and my queen at least once when dummy was void; another if it is clear that declarer will cross-ruff, a trump lead would be called for.

I would think that the rules that you refer to may include:

• eight ever - nine  never
• 4th  best
• third hand  high

but don't lead a trump (especially a singleton) unless called for. Develop your judgment and use it.

Karen Walker

On most hands, the logic is fairly simple: don't do it. There are, however, some special situations where the singleton-trump lead can be the winner. One is when you believe partner's trumps are better than declarer's -- an auction such as 1C-DBL-Pass-Pass-Pass,

for example. By getting trumps started early, partner may be able to draw declarer's trumps and keep him from scoring his small ones.

Another situation is when your side has the clear advantage in high-card strength, especially if an opponent has shown a two-suited hand. An example would be when the opponent makes a Michaels or Unusual 2NT overcall, his partner chooses one of his suits and your partner makes a penalty double. You expect declarer will be short in his partner's second suit, so you want to keep him from scoring ruffs in his hand.

En Xie

I have to admit that I am not a fan of leading singleton trump. I might do it once or twice a year though. Leading trump is a passive lead. The main goal is to limit opponents' ability of ruffing side suits. Sometimes, we lead trump just simply don't want to give away a trick. There are too many downsides leading a singleton trump. You need listen to the bidding process carefully before doing so. Ideally, leading a singleton trump will be the winner when you know partner and opponents all have 4 trumps and both opponents have short suits somewhere.

Milt Zlatic

Leading a singleton trump is correct in only a few situations. 1) If partner passes a reopening double. 2) If you believe that the opponents are in a 4-3 fit. In most other cases, you'll probably pickle whatever holding partner has.

Question 2 : Mathew Diehl (B Flight)

Assume no interference from opponents ....

1NT opener = 15-18 hcp
2D = transfer
2H = accept transfer
3C = natural and forcing
4C = good club support (i think this implies some interest in club slam since bypassing 3nt)
5NT = ???

My question is this:  In that bidding sequence, is 5NT forcing asking for either small slam or grand slam?

Panel's Responses

Ken Bland

Grand slam force for clubs or by agreement pick a slam

Tom Kniest

If there are other ways to find out about trump honors, then 5NT just says pick a slam - in this case, hearts, clubs, or NT.  If your methods allow no way to ask for key cards after this auction, then 5NT would be the only way to find out if you had 2 of the top 3.  A useful addition to your arsenal would be that a new suit after transferor's 2nd suit is a cuebid and confirms that suit as trumps.  Now 4NT (or whatever variation you play) would be RKC for the 2nd suit.

Roger Lord

The bid of 5NT in an uncontested auction, when it is neither a question nor an answer in a key card asking sequence, is commonly played forcing and intended to give partner a choice of slams.

Tom Oppenheimer

I view 5 NT as a grand slam try. Normally this bid asks responder to bid 7 with 2 of the top 3 honors in the trump suit and is used when RKC Blackwood will not give you that information...normally hands with one or more voids. For example on this hand you could have Ace, King seventh of hearts and queen, jack sixth of clubs. In straight no trump auction such as 1NT - P- 5NT, I play this as quantitative forcing to 6 and invitational to 7.

Nancy Popkin

It's best to play 4C as keycard in clubs, but not having that agreement, some people would play 5NT as pick a slam, either hearts, clubs, or notrump. I prefer to play it as you suggested, asking for either a small or grand slam.

Fran Schiefler

A jump to 5NT fixes the last bid suit as the trump suit and asks partner to bid the grand slam holding two of the top three honors in that suit.

Ed Schultz

Grand Slam Force, bid 7 clubs with 2 of the top 2 honors, else 6 clubs.

Karen Walker

2 - 5NT is definitely forcing, but without any previous discussion, it's unclear exactly what it means. If partner had transferred and then bid 5NT, it would say pick a small slam (6H or 6NT). Here, though, you've already communicated your choice of slam, so it's possible that it's Grand Slam Force (bid 7C if you have two of the top three honors). If GSF was partner's intention, he surely has a spade or diamond void, else he would have bid 4NT (Key-Card

Blackwood). If he has any other type of hand -- or if he meant 5NT as some sort of grand-slam invite -- he probably should have chosen a clearer advance, as he should know that this auction will be difficult for you to decode.

En Xie

5NT looks like forcing to me. if that's the case then asking for small slam doesn't make sense to me. So it should be some sort of grand slam invitation. By bidding 4C, partner usually denies H fit. 5NT is not a pick-up a slam bid. You might sign a meaning to 5NT with your partner, otherwise the bid looks unclear, partner probably doesn't know what to do next.

Milt Zlatic
There is a lot of bidding room between 4C and 5NT so I would play this as a grand slam force. Maybe the 5NT bidder has a void.

Question 3 : Phyllis Siegel

RHO opens 3C……..What would you do with this hand?

Kx
 AJx
 AKJTx
 Axx

Panel's Responses

Ken Bland

3 no trump. Preempts make it tough

Tom Kniest

3NT -  If I have an entry to dummy, I can hold up in clubs and then take whatever red suit finesse I have into the safe hand.  Normally, you wouldn't expect the SA to be in righty's hand.  While a double might let you land on your feet and enable you to bid a slam, 3NT is the most practical bid.  3D is silly and off the charts.  I would recommend that you play the following convention over your 3NT overcalls:
  
4C asks what your overcall is based on
  
Responses:
  
Any new suit is a long suit that is your source of tricks.
  
4NT is a balanced stretch
  
A cuebid is a balanced rock crusher.
  
Some hands are borderline, but this one is the balanced rock crusher, not diamonds as a source of tricks.
    
You lose Stayman with this convention, but you can still play transfers.  Thus a transfer followed by 4NT is RKC; still, if you have that hand, you might want to use 4C to find out partner's hand type since AKQxxxx of diamonds may preclude much of a fit in your suit.

 Roger Lord

3NT.  I can't bring myself to double and invite trouble when I hold only  two spades.

Tom Oppenheimer

I recommend 3 no trump. It is too good for 3 diamonds and the wrong shape for a double. If you double, partner might by pass 3 no trump thinking you have great major suit support.

Nancy Popkin

I would bid 3NT. I have a good source of tricks (maybe too many) and I have the Ace of Clubs, which allows me the luxury of deciding when I win the supposed club lead. The only fear I have is that we may miss a slam (although 3NT could go down also).

Fran Schiefler

I would start with a double. If partner makes a minimum response at the three level, I will bid 3NT. It gets interesting if pard jumps :-) Over 4H or 4S, I will try 5D; over 4D, I will cue bid 5C.

Ed Schultz

Bid 3 No Trump. Kind of a max, but what the hand is worth.

Karen Walker

3NT. This might be a tougher problem if you had Ax of clubs (which would take away your ability to duck two clubs when that's necessary), but many would still choose 3NT. If you happen to miss a diamond slam, you can just chalk it up to "sometimes, preempts work".

En Xie

3NT. Against preemptive bids. I usually bid what I think likely to make. 3D would be an underbid. By doubling, you risk yourself playing in 4H/S with no fit.

Milt Zlatic

Any bid could be right but my choice is 3NT. You may miss a slam but it looks like 9 tricks will be easier than 10 or 11. You have the added benefit that you can hold up winning the trick if a club is led. If partner has an opening hand, he/she can bid a quantitative 4NT.