[bluejak]

Scoring: IMP

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North led the ♠K. followed with the ♠Q, then the ♠J, which his partner overtook with the ace and cashed two more for down one.

Good defence, huh?

If you were asked to have a look at this hand would you have any worries? Note that South's overtake was wrong if the lead was from KQJT.

[jallerton]

bluejak, on Oct 1 2010, 10:41 PM, said:

If you were asked to have a look at this hand would you have any worries?

Yes, I would have worries, but nothing more than that in the first instance. What did North say when asked why he selected this opening lead?

Quote

Note that South's overtake was wrong if the lead was from KQJT.

Note that North should not lead the Q on the second round from an original holding of KQJ10.

[jdonn]

What should I be worried about, that east needs a better system?

NS's defense was good and completely normal. On the second round you would lead the T from KQJT of course, although the J is unlikely to come to any harm partner would assume KQJx instead. But certainly not the queen, which would cause partner to duck again with an original Axx playing us for an original KQx.

[mrdct]

What cards did declarer play to the first two tricks and in what tempo?

[rogerclee]

Agree with Josh.

[ggwhiz]

I'm worried about those that have worries.

The lead, carding and defence are all normal for a competent pair (the lead) at matchpoints too and especially so at imps.

How on earth can you go plus on this auction with soft heart tricks and nothing in the minors?

[jallerton]

I'd be worried about anybody who couldn't construct a plausible layout where an opening heart lead is necessary to beat the contract.

[lamford]

jallerton, on Oct 2 2010, 04:49 PM, said:

I'd be worried about anybody who couldn't construct a plausible layout where an opening heart lead is necessary to beat the contract.

Indeed, both a heart and a spade strike me as logical alernatives. I think a heart is probably best, and a simulation of 50 deals suggested it was, but it was painstaking to conduct. If there is UI which suggested a spade lead, I would want to look again, but would not regard the spade lead evidence in itself of a signalling method related to the heart suit which a pair was once alleged to have implemented.

[ggwhiz]

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I'd be worried about anybody who couldn't construct a plausible layout where an opening heart lead is necessary to beat the contract.

OK, give me one. Take your time...

I can think of a couple but I can think of more where the spade lead is right or there is always time to switch.

It's not obvious that the ♠K lead had criminal intent and the carding/timing of the overtake is merely competent signalling.

I make the ♥ lead vs the ♠ lead pretty close to 50-50 despite my personal preference for a ♠.

I don't disagree with the idea that a ♥ lead may be best but strongly disagree that the defenders should have their ethics questioned on such a flimsy basis.

[nige1]

bluejak, on Oct 1 2010, 04:41 PM, said:

Scoring: IMP

 [space]W [space]N [space]E [space]S
 [space] [space] [space] [space]P [space]P
 1NT P 3NT P
 [space]P [space]P

North led the ♠K. followed with the ♠Q, then the ♠J, which his partner overtook with the ace and cashed two more for down one. Good defence, huh? If you were asked to have a look at this hand would you have any worries?  Note that South's overtake was wrong if the lead was from KQJT.

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IMO... North's ♠ lead is obvious to some (I confess I would lead a pedestrian ♥); and the overtake may be normal expert play. Nevertheless the director should ask

• North why he chose a ♠ lead and
  
  
• South why he overtook the third spade knowing that North is likely to have length in at least one major. If he advanced Josh's logic that would be fine.

ggwhiz, on Oct 2 2010, 10:05 AM, said:

I'm worried about those that have worries.
How on earth can you go plus on this auction with soft heart tricks and nothing in the minors?

Swap declarer's major holdings?

[awm]

A competent N/S will get the decision of when to overtake correct.

We can ask whether the spade lead was somehow motivated by UI, but I think leading a spade is pretty normal (perhaps a heart is mildly better). It's not like north made a really bizarre lead (like say he had Ax of spades and partner KQJxx and he lead the spade ace with a sequence in hearts).

If there is some actual UI that can be pointed to that's a different issue, but this is not a case where the lead was "so weird" that UI seems implied simply by the action taken.