Deal 11     3NT	♠ ♥ ♦ ♣		WEST   NORTH   EAST   SOUTH 1♣ 1♠ 2NT pass 3NT pass pass pass The bidding has been as shown. The contract is 3NT and it is your lead. When you have made your choice click NEXT .
♠ 7 6 ♥ Q J 10 7 3 ♦ 10 5 3 ♣ 8 6 2		♠ ♥ ♦ ♣
	♠ ♥ ♦ ♣

 

Deal 11     3NT	♠ 8 5 2 ♥ A 6 5 ♦ K J ♣ K Q 10 9 4		Lead the ♠7, the suit your partner overcalled. If partner had not overcalled, the ♥Q would be the perfect lead against 3NT. But partner DID overcall, perhaps to give you a hint on what to lead if South became declarer. As you see, a ♠ lead will defeat the contract this time while the ♥Q would let declarer make 11 tricks. Consider this: even if partner has a high ♥ to help you establish the suit it is not very likely that you would be able to get the lead with your entryless hand. There is another, more subtle, reason for leading partner's suit. If the lead turns out wrong, and the ♥Q lead would have beaten the conract, partner will not blame you in the least. But if you lead the ♥Q and it turns out that a ♠ lead would have let you set the contract, well, that would not be too good for partnership harmony.  Deal 12
♠ 7 6 ♥ Q J 10 7 3 ♦ 10 5 3 ♣ 8 6 2		♠ K Q J 9 3 ♥ 4 2 ♦ 9 7 6 2 ♣ A 5
	♠ A 10 4 ♥ K 9 8 ♦ A Q 8 4 ♣ J 7 3