Opening leads

Your first action in defending is the opening lead. There are many things to consider. You need to

1.Send a message to partner about your hand,

2. You must be conscious of your objective against a suit and a NT contract and

3. You must use the information you gained from the bidding.

Sequences in your hand are helpful messages to partner. Against a suit contract lead the top of a perfect sequence (A K Q) or a broken sequence ( A K J, K Q T, Q J T). From an internal sequence (K J T, K T 9, Q T 9) lead the top of the touching honors. But if the top card in the internal sequence (A J T 2) is an A avoid that suit until later.

Against a NT contract you can lead top from a perfect or broken sequence and from an interior sequence if you have 4 cards in it. A big exception is a 5 card suit headed by an A K (A K 6 5 4). Here it is best to lead a low card to allow your partner to take a lower honor or drive out declarer’s high honor, setting up your suit for later. Failing any sequence holding, the old 4th from your longest and strongest is good.

Our Friday, May 12 Evergreen game was well attended. Most scores, except the 1st placers, were very close. Winning N/S 1st Dick Brisbin and Loyd Hill, 2nd Andra Cozart and Jan Glover, 3rd Ruth Bowles and Marie Pugh; E/W 1st Carol and Harold Winecoff, 2nd Georgia Sorensen and Jean Hill, 3rd John and Myrnie McLaughlin.

Featured is a board we all wish to play as N/S Board #11

No one vulnerable South dealer

NORTH:

S K Q 2

H A K J

D A K Q 6 4

C 4 2

WEST:               EAST:

S A 6 5 4            S T 9

H 8 5                 H Q 9 7 6 4 3 2

D 9 3                 D J 7 5

C T 9 8 5 3        C Q

SOUTH:

S J 8 7 3

H T

D T 8 2

C A K J 7 6

Only Patsy Reynolds and Betsy Bare bid and made 6NT while most other pairs were in 5D making 6.

The May 16 Women’s Club game winners: 1st Marie Pugh and Dick Brisbin, 2nd Judy Gealy and Pat Macon, 3rd Georgia Sorensen and John McLaughlin, 4th Nancy Brandt and Tom Johnson.