[cwiggins]

Does anyone have experience or theoretical observations on playing spot card leads as recommended by Slawinski? See http://www.new-bridge.net/Combine.htm Do any top pairs play this way?

I'm not interested in the honor leads, only the spot card leads.

I've held nothing but bad hands for 2+ months, and now believe that spot card leads are interesting. Playing fourth best against notrump and 3rd and lowest against suits, several ambiguities came up that I think would have been resolved by Combine spot card leads.

Thanks for any help you can provide.

Chris Wiggins

[paulg]

We've been playing them for some months and I've been surprised at how much we both prefer them. It does seem to make defence a lot easier since you know at trick one whether partner is "interested" in the suit or not. Perhaps it helps declarer too, but he already knows!

We use the honour leads too.

It does help if you can get his book, "Systems in Defence", as this explains the rationale behind them, and was really responsible for persuading my partner to switch as the summary is a little terse.

Fantoni-Nunes leading style is also based on Slawinski, but taken to the next level by trying out one of the ideas published in the book. Essentially your lead shows the (reverse) number of small cards you hold in the suit ... so from xx and Hxx you lead small; from xxx and Hxxx you lead the highest small card. No one else plays this way.

Paul

[Flame]

Polish players lead low from xx, i used to like it when playing it, but i never liked this lead vs NT.
With 3 cards they lead middle which i like but also lead middle for 3 to an honor which i dont like.
I like these atitude like leads, I'd go for second best rather then top, when they suggest top.
xX
xXx
xXxx
xXxxx
on second card id give currtent count like they do.

[the hog]

cwiggins, on Nov 12 2005, 05:32 PM, said:

Does anyone have experience or theoretical observations on playing spot card leads as recommended by Slawinski?  See http://www.new-bridge.net/Combine.htm  Do any top pairs play this way?

I'm not interested in the honor leads, only the spot card leads. 

I've held nothing but bad hands for 2+ months, and now believe that spot card leads are interesting.      Playing fourth best against notrump and 3rd and lowest against suits, several ambiguities came up that I think would have been resolved by Combine spot card leads.

Thanks for any help you can provide.

Chris Wiggins

Chris, I have played these leads with my partners over the past 2 years and have had good results. I find then superior to standard leads.

Quote Cardsharp:
"so from xx and Hxx you lead small; from xxx and Hxxx you lead the highest small card. No one else plays this way."

Eh!!!! Many players I know play this way.

[keylime]

Nice concept admittedly.

Doesn't Fantoni-Nunes use something similar?

[DrTodd13]

Foobar and I wanted to try combine leads and we started playing what we thought were combine leads but it turned out what we did wasn't combine leads but does seem to be exactly the same modification to it that Fantoni-Nunes uses! My partner and I haven't discussed switching back so we are pretty happy with them.