| A New Feature: The Mail Box
This e-mail arrived a few weeks ago:
Dear Mr. Andrews:
In your book and in your columns I read (that) you say a player who does not lead spades early in a hand has spade problems.
I am not very experienced, but I find that early spade leads tend to result in a haphazard distribution of the queen, whereas there are always 3 players looking to stick it on low man.
I can see why you would push spades if you were winning and didn't hold her, but pushing spades early when you are losing can result in a fellow high man getting smoked out (and then smoking mad at you!). So many times I see a player who does NOT have spade problems nonetheless not leading them.
Am I missing something?
Best regards,
Mike
Dear Mike:
Your question is excellent! In an "ideal" Hearts world, players would endeavor to "hit" the low man, and not toss or "drive" the spade Queen at the first opportunity. In the "real" Hearts world, it just does not always work that way. Often, you must protect yourself first. Can you always trust an opponent to work with you? Suppose that you are in second or third place in the middle of a typical game. The score is close with less than a 26 point spread from first to fourth places. You hold any of these hands after the pass. | |
| In hand A, your minor (club and diamond) suits are very weak. What is your plan? It all depends on where the spade Queen lies, and of course, you have no real information. Because you have six spades (and serious "pushers"), the chances are very favorable of driving out her Nibs! If you do NOT lead spades, you may rest assured that ANY player with a weakly guarded spade Queen will dump her at FIRST opportunity; after all, you have some rather serious Spades, here. Furthermore, the failure to lead spades often implies that YOU hold the spade Queen or have spade problems. Your high cards in the minor suits in this situation provide little chance of pinning the low player. Thus, in this case, you MUST lead spades. If this were during the endgame, and an opponent was at risk of going out with 13 points, then you would have take your chances, try a minor suit, and hope for a heart discard. This hand provides little maneuvering room.
Hand B has lots of "wiggle" space! Remember, you are in 2nd or 3rd place. Take the Ace of clubs, and lead the five of diamonds. If the player in first place grabs the diamond trick and shifts to spades, you and your tablemates will know what to do. If the low player wins the diamond and shifts to clubs, the path is much clearer. Finally, if the low player plays a low diamond, and one of the opponents win this trick, he or she will have a decision to make. Always watch the cards played by everyone.
Hand C is very sticky for you. The heart suit is a sure "end game" killer! What is the best plan? Play the nine of clubs on the first trick, and hope that anyone besides the low player wins this trick and leads spades. If you happen to win the club trick, then try the Jack of diamonds, and hope for some help. Personally, I would get the spades rolling with the hope of dropping a heart or two on later spades leads.
This brings us to the final point. If you DON'T lead spades early in the hand, you are alerting the other players to the possibility that YOU hold the Queen or a bad spade suit. What reason do they have to think the contrary? If you DO lead spades early, then you may be helping the low person by driving out the spade Queen from the high player. Pretty brutal, eh? It comes down to your actual holding for each hand. And if there is a shot at the Moon, you must take that into consideration too. The actual score is also a factor. Finally, some tourneys have a two-player advance format, and a "comfy" second place might be acceptable.
Note: if you are dead LAST place with these holdings, the plan is drive out the spade Queen ASAP! You just cannot afford to pussyfoot around. Ironically, if you are in FIRST place with these hands, you will be very eager to lead spades. The judgment calls come from 2nd or 3rd position.
Mike had a very good question, to be sure. If you have a Hearts question or play scenario, please send e-mail to: heartsmoon@aol.com. | |
| A Tribute to Lady_Lauren, by Joe Andrews
I have known Lady_Lauren for nearly six years now. When I first came to Zone.com in late 1997, I had the good fortune of "meeting" Lady_Lauren online. It was obvious to me that she was a truly great player. But there was a lot more to her than just Hearts prowess. She befriended me, and introduced me to the Tournament rooms and the competitive areas. We had some terrific games with many of the great players who frequented the Rated and Tournament rooms.
Partnership Hearts was especially ferocious, and Lady_Lauren clearly bested my partner Eccy and me. However, I had some revenge in the individual games. It was always in good fun, and we often had a laugh or two after each game. The Atrium (room) was the place to compete in those days, and the action was hot and heavy. Challenge games abounded! As I became busy with my books, columns and "live" events, I had less and less time to "hang" with my Hearts buddies. However, I did notice the tournament victories and accolades for this dear lady accumulate as the years passed. She is a gracious person whether she wins or loses, and has always been there to help the newcomer to improve his/her game. Someday, I hope to meet her at a "live" event. I am very grateful for my acquaintance with a wonderful person and fantastic player!
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