[shyams]

None vul. Partner is dealer.

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You decide to lead the ♠ Ace as the opening lead. Fortunately, dummy turns up with ♠Kx and your lead does not cost.

Trick 1: ♠A - ♠7 - ♠3 - ♠2
If it matters, partner is a robot. The ♠3 is (at best) a discouraging signal; it possibly carries no significance.

Your lead at trick 2. Which card do you choose?

[pescetom]

I would probably lead another spade, anything else looks perilous although hearts could be the right move. It depends a bit upon their weak opening style: their diamonds are at most KQxxxx, how likely are they to have a side Ace?

[Cyberyeti]

If I do lead a heart, I'm leading the J to cope with 10xx with opener

Would hope to learn something about the style of weak 2 played by the opps.

[mike777]

KH seems clear

[mikeh]

Cyberyeti, on 2024-December-26, 12:20, said:

If I do lead a heart, I'm leading the J to cope with 10xx with opener

Would hope to learn something about the style of weak 2 played by the opps.

The heart jack is clearly, imo, correct if playing bridge. But you’re not…you’re playing that bizarre mutation known as robot bridge. I’ve never tried a surround play with a robot partner but I’d be extremely worried that it will pop the Acevwhen I lead the Jack….possibly even from A10xx.

[shyams]

The reason I posted this hand is that a Robot actually held these cards. It correctly found the ♥J lead at trick 2.

https://www.bridgeba...CD6%7Cmc%7C9%7C

The above was Board 8 from diana_eva's weekly free contest for BBFers. I was South (the dummy in the problem above) and I raised partner's 2♦ to 3. As did 80% of all participants.

What was amazing (to me) was that Robot cashed the ♠A and instantly switched to ♥J. I play a lot against robots and (to me) it felt like there was barely a pause (if any) in finding the play of ♥J.

It was covered by me with dummy's ♥Q and won by West with the ♥K. West continued with a heart and defenders had 4 tricks before I had a chance! Impressive! And the only lead at trick 2 that holds N/S to 9 tricks.