You have ♠432♥KJ32♦1098♣1098. You're on lead against 4♠. Hearts have not been bid and partner has passed throughout the auction. Against what types of auctions would you lead a heart? Against what types of auctions would you lead an unbid minor?
I have found that in most game contracts, declarer can eventually find enough tricks to make his contract if you remain passive. The object is to get the setting tricks before declarer fulfills his contract. With this hand, the easiest way to set up your tricks first is to find partner with a heart honor. Therefore I would lead a heart. I would lead a heart even if my RHO opened 2NT.
Always lead a heart
Bobby Wolff:---There probably is an exception somewhere, but trying to think of the exception I come up empty. LEAD A HEART. No second choice and no excuses accepted.
Lead a heart most of the time
Bob Hamman:---This does not look like a clear-cut situation. My style is to lead from strength.
Eddie Kantar:---Notwithstanding the hand given, some situations in which I would lead a heart against a 4♠ contract are: If hearts was the only unbid suit; if dummy appears to have sidesuit length; if I was stronger in hearts than the other unbid suit (but not if I had the ace of hearts); I would lead a heart from shortness, particularly if I had a quick trump entry; if I had four trumps headed by a high honor and hearts was my longest unbid side suit; if I had a perfect sequence in hearts.
Zeke Jabbour:---I often say that if we always knew what to lead, we'd win most of the tournaments in which we play. There are very few auctions that failed to include the heart suit that would not induce a heart lead from this holding. The theory is that our side should establish our winners before the opponent establishes his side suits for discards. Partner can have at least two (or even three) cards that might be helpful — the Ace, the Queen, or possibly even the ten.
Lead a heart if the bidding indicates a long side suit
Mike Passell:---I would lead a heart if hearts were the unbid suit in an auction such as 1♣-1♠-2♦-2♠-3♣-4♠. I would also lead a heart if an opponent had bid and rebid a minor. Other auctions I would go passive on lead since I wouldn't feel the need to cash early.
Jill Meyers:---I would lead a heart in a situation where opener has made a game try in a minor or possibly in a 1♣-2♣-4♠ auction. I would not lead a heart where LHO made a limit raise. I would probably lead a trump otherwise.
Barry Rigal:---Listen to the auction and decide whether action or passivity is called for and how likely partner is to have a finessable trump holding. Listen to whether the opponents have stretched to reach game or bid there on power.
Henry Bethe:---I would lead a heart against any auction that shows a minor suit source of tricks. Obviously, also against any auction that suggests heart weakness. I would lead a minor when RHO is known to be strong: 1♦-2♣-2NT-4♠. I would lead a trump on many auctions where little is known and they both have strength.
Marty Bergen:---I would lead a heart if the auction suggested that I needed to be very aggressive, such as a long, strong minor in dummy. I would lead a minor against most other auctions.
Ron Smith:---I think a heart is right if they show a source of tricks and you need to get yours now. If they show reasonably balanced hands and scattered strength I go neutral.
Kerry Sanborn:---When LHO has responded two-of-a-minor to 1♣ and has been raised, I would lead a heart. When RHO preempts in spades and has been raised to game, I would lead a heart. I would lead a minor when neither side has shown much distribution, or when leading into a notrump type hand.
Mel Colchamiro:---I would ALWAYS lead a heart after a 2/1 auction such as 1♠-2♦-2♠-4♠ or the like. I would lead passively on a 1♠-2♠-1NT auction. When the opponents arrive at a 4♠ contract without bidding one of the minor suits naturally, I would lead the unbid minor. I would lead the unbid minor ALWAYS against an auction that started with a strong 1NT opening bid.
Larry Cohen:---If the opponents seem to have a source of tricks, then I'd attack with hearts. If they seem on shaky ground with no running suit, I'd go passive with a minor. This is a basic textbook answer.
David Bird:---When dummy has indicated a long minor: 1♣-2♦-2♦-4♠, you need to set up or cash your available tricks in hearts/clubs before the diamonds are established. After an auction such as 1♠-2♣-4♠, I would lead a minor, but only because of the 10-9-8 sequences.
Kit Woolsey:---Assuming IMPs (matchpoints might be another story), I would lead a heart if the opponents had made a slam try. I would lead a heart (probably) if it looked like there was a long minor suit in dummy. Otherwise, I would definitely not lead a heart. I might be leading a trump on some auctions.
If you knew for sure whether or not an opponent's auction showed a long suit, you could lead a heart when he showed a long suit and lead passively otherwise, but there are lots of auctions where long suits are never even bid. Therefore, I always lead a heart from KJ32. I get an extra trick at matchpoints or beat the contract at IMPs at least 50% of the time. If you lead a heart only 50% of the time, you could pick the 50% where a heart lead is bad and beat the contract or get an extra trick at matchpoints zero times. Isn't it better to be consistent? One less thing to worry about.