Leading from a Dog

Outside of a dog, bridge is a man’s best friend.
Inside of a dog, it’s too dark to play bridge.

As West you are the opening leader against 3 NT on these 10 deals from major events. Your hand may be a dog, but only a doggone fool would come unleashed. Choosing the best lead could win some tasty biscuits, I mean IMPs.

Choose your opening leads then click “Score Me” to see how you did. If you finish plus IMPs after 10 boards, you’re a candid canine. At the end you can view the actual deals and see how two experts led differently in each case.

1. Both vul	3 NT		West	North	East	South
8 6			Pass	Pass	Pass	2 NT
J 9 3 2			Pass	3 NT	Pass	Pass
Q 5 4 3			Pass
A 10 2
Your lead?  2  3

2. Both vul	3 NT		West	North	East	South
8 7 6 3					Pass	1 NT
J 5 4			Pass	3 NT	Pass	Pass
J 4 3			Pass
Q 6 3
Your lead?  8  4

3. E-W vul	3 NT		West	North	East	South
9 5 3			Pass	3	Pass	3 NT
K			Pass	Pass	Pass
10 7 6 5 3
A 10 6 5
Your lead?  5  5

4. Both vul	3 NT		West	North	East	South
9 5 4					Pass	1
K 4 2			Pass	1	Pass	2 NT
K 10 9 5			Pass	3 NT	Pass	Pass
J 9 6			Pass
Your lead?  9  10

5. N-S vul	3 NT		West	North	East	South
K 9 8			3	Pass	Pass	3 NT
5 2			Pass	Pass	Pass
9 5
K J 10 6 5 4
Your lead?  5  J

Quit

Top Leading from a Dog

6. None vul	3 NT		West	North	East	South
10 8 4 2						1 NT
J 7 6			Pass	3 NT	Pass	Pass
9 8 5 3			Pass
6 3
Your lead?  2  6

7. N-S vul	3 NT		West	North	East	South
10 8 7 5			Pass	Pass	1	1 NT
J 10 9 5			Pass	2	Pass	3
8 7			Pass	3 NT	Pass	Pass
A 7 3			Pass
Your lead?  J  8

8. Both vul	3 NT		West	North	East	South
8 5 4 3					Pass	1 NT
J 10 2			Pass	3 NT	Pass	Pass
Q 10 9 3			Pass
K 10
Your lead?  J  10

9. None vul	3 NT		West	North	East	South
J 10					Pass	1
Q 8 2			Pass	1	Pass	1 NT
J 9 8 7			Pass	3 NT	Pass	Pass
J 9 8 4			Pass
Your lead?  J  7

10. None vul	3 NT		West	North	East	South
10 7						Pass
Q J 8 7			Pass	1	1	1 NT
9 5 2			Pass	2 NT	Pass	3 NT
8 7 5 2			Pass	Pass	Pass
Your lead?  10  Q

Quit

Actual Results

Top Leading from a Dog

1. Spingold Final 1999

West deals	7 5 4		West	North	East	South
Both vul	10 8 6		Pass	Pass	Pass	2 NT
	10 8		Pass	3 NT	Pass	Pass
	K J 8 5 4		Pass
8 6		K 10 9 3
J 9 3 2		A Q 4
Q 5 4 3		7 6 2
A 10 2		9 6 3
	A Q J 2
	K 7 5
	A K J 9
3 NT South	Q 7

Billy Eisenberg led the 2 (down 2) +200, +13 IMPs.
Richard Freeman led the 3 (made 3) -600, -13 IMPs.

2. Bermuda Bowl Qualifying 2003

East deals	Q 5 4		West	North	East	South
Both vul	Q 8				Pass	1 NT
	K Q 8 6		Pass	3 NT	Pass	Pass
	K J 7 2		Pass
8 7 6 3		K 9 2
J 5 4		K 9 6 2
J 4 3		9 7 2
Q 6 3		10 8 4
	A J 10
	A 10 7 3
	A 10 5
3 NT South	A 9 5

Marcelo Branco led the 8 (made 4) -630, +2 IMPs.
Rossen Gunev led the 5 (made 6) -690, -2 IMPs.

Note: Choices offered by this quiz assume standard leads, so the 4 was substituted for Gunev’s nonstandard 5.

3. USBC Semifinal 2005

West deals	A 8 2		West	North	East	South
E-W vul	J 10 9 8 7 5 3		Pass	3	Pass	3 NT
	J		Pass	Pass	Pass
	J 2
9 5 3		K Q 4
K		6 2
10 7 6 5 3		A Q 9 8 4
A 10 6 5		9 8 3
	J 10 7 6
	A Q 4
	K 2
3 NT South	K Q 7 4

Zia Mahmood led the 7 (down 4) +200, +12 IMPs.
Peter Boyd led the 5 (made 3) -400, -12 IMPs.

4. Bermuda Bowl Qualifying 2005

East deals	J 10 6		West	North	East	South
Both vul	Q 7 6 5				Pass	1
	7 4 2		Pass	1	Pass	2 NT
	A 10 8		Pass	3 NT	Pass	Pass
9 5 4		Q 8 2	Pass
K 4 2		J 9 3
K 10 9 5		Q J 8 3
J 9 6		Q 5 2
	A K 7 3
	A 10 8
	A 6
3 NT South	K 7 4 3

Justin Hackett led the 10 (down 1) +100, +12 IMPs.
Kenji Miyakuni led the 4 (made 4) -630, -12 IMPs.

5. USBC Round-of-32 2006

West deals	J 7 5 4		West	North	East	South
N-S vul	J 8 7		3	Pass	Pass	3 NT
	Q 8 6 2		Pass	Pass	Pass
	A 7
K 9 8		A 6 2
5 2		Q 10 6 4 3
9 5		10 4 3
K J 10 6 5 4		9 2
	Q 10 3
	A K 9
	A K J 7
3 NT South	Q 8 3

Will Ehlers led the 10 (down 1) +100, +12 IMPs.
Samuel Cohen led the 5 (made 4) -630, -12 IMPs.

Quiz 8L01 Main

Top Leading from a Dog

6. Bermuda Bowl Semifinal 2007

South deals	9 7 5		West	North	East	South
None vul	8 4					1 NT
	A J 2		Pass	3 NT	Pass	Pass
	Q J 9 8 4		Pass
10 8 4 2		A Q 6 3
J 7 6		A 9 5 2
9 8 5 3		10
6 3		A 10 7 5
	K J
	K Q 10 3
	K Q 7 6 4
3 NT South	K 2

Ton Bakkeren led the 4 (down 1) +50, +10 IMPs.
Boye Brogeland led the 6 (made 4) -430, -10 IMPs.

7. Bermuda Bowl Qualifying 2007

West deals	K J 9 4 2		West	North	East	South
N-S vul	Q 4		Pass	Pass	1	1 NT
	9 4		Pass	2	Pass	3
	K 10 5 2		Pass	3 NT	Pass	Pass
10 8 7 5		6 3	Pass
J 10 9 5		K 8 6
8 7		A Q 6 5 2
A 7 3		9 6 4
	A Q
	A 7 3 2
	K J 10 3
3 NT South	Q J 8

Carlos Pellegrini led the J (down 1) +100, +13 IMPs.
Zia Mahmood led the 8 (made 5) -660, -13 IMPs.

8. Spingold Round-of-32 2008

East deals	10 7 2		West	North	East	South
Both vul	K 8				Pass	1 NT
	A 5 4 2		Pass	3 NT	Pass	Pass
	A J 8 7		Pass
8 5 4 3		A 9 6
J 10 2		Q 7 6 5 3
Q 10 9 3		—
K 10		9 6 5 4 3
	K Q J
	A 9 4
	K J 8 7 6
3 NT South	Q 2

Andrey Gromov led the J (down 1) +100, +13 IMPs.
Bas Drijver led the 10 (made 5) -660, -13 IMPs.

9. Vanderbilt Quarterfinal 2009

East deals	K 7 6		West	North	East	South
None vul	A 10 9 5				Pass	1
	A 4 2		Pass	1	Pass	1 NT
	Q 10 5		Pass	3 NT	Pass	Pass
J 10		8 5 4 3 2	Pass
Q 8 2		K 7 4
J 9 8 7		K 5 3
J 9 8 4		A 6
	A Q 9
	J 6 3
	Q 10 6
3 NT South	K 7 3 2

Bobby Levin led the J (down 2) +100, +11 IMPs.
Gary Cohler led the 9 (made 3) -400, -11 IMPs.

10. USBC Playoff 2009

South deals	6 3		West	North	East	South
None vul	K 2					Pass
	A J 10 7 4 3		Pass	1	1	1 NT
	K Q J		Pass	2 NT	Pass	3 NT
10 7		A J 8 5 4	Pass	Pass	Pass
Q J 8 7		A 9 6 5
9 5 2		8
8 7 5 2		A 9 6
	K Q 9 2
	10 4 3
	K Q 6
3 NT South	10 4 3

Jeff Meckstroth led the J (down 2) +100, +11 IMPs.
Marty Fleisher led the 10 (made 4) -430, -11 IMPs.

Results are from actual play, so the winning leads are not necessarily correct in theory.

If you finished with plus IMPs and are wondering where your “treat” is, I’m sorry — I lied. Next time you walk into your local pet store on a leash, try to look emaciated, and the owner may throw you a biscuit.

Quiz 8L01 Main

Top Leading from a Dog

“Outside of a dog…” paraphrases a quote by Groucho Marx
© 2009 Richard Pavlicek