Which One? by Ben Norton

A: ♠A. You have a surefire outside entry, so there’s not much danger of destroying communication with your partner by leading a top one. After all, you have the vast majority of the defensive strength. Leading the Ace will gain when the Queen is dropping in two rounds and you can run the suit. In that case leading a low one could well give declarer a cheap trick and allow him to run off enough tricks for his contract.

Your result so far:

A: ♠4. Now you don’t have a sure outside entry, so you need to set up your suit while keeping communication with partner. Leading the Ace could block the suit if partner has Q x, and it could kill your chances of establishing the suit if he has x x. It’s very unlikely that leading the Ace is necessary here. It would almost certainly need partner to have four Spades.

Your result so far:

A: ♠3. It’s best to lead a low one, not an honor, because that would often block the suit, say if partner has A x or J x. The King will only gain when the Jack is coming down doubleton in an opponent’s hand and partner has 10 x x or four Spades, a very specific set of conditions.

Your result so far:

A: ♠K. This time you have the Ten, which makes a big difference. There’s a much smaller chance of blocking the suit when partner has H x now. If he has A x then he can overtake with the Ace if the scenario requires and you may well be able to finesse against declarer’s Jack on the way back. If partner has J x then you can continue with the Queen to make sure declarer can’t hold up effectively from A x x. Leading the King benefits when the Jack is coming down in two rounds in an opponent’s hand, or if declarer has the Jack and the Ace is in dummy, or if declarer has A J x and you are able to find partner’s entry when declarer ducks.

Your result so far:

A: ♠5. Leading the Queen will only be necessary if the King is in dummy and partner has the Ace and Ten, or A x x x, or if declarer has the Ace, King and Ten, in which case you probably won’t be setting the suit up anyway. Leading low is best when partner has either 10 x, K x or A x, because it keeps the suit flowing, giving you the best chance of establishing the suit.

When you have a choice between leading an honor from a sequence or a low card against a No-trump contract, keep in mind that your spot cards and outside entries are important factors. If you have good intermediates, then there’s more of a case for leading an honor because it won’t block the suit as often when you can afford to finesse against declarer or overtake partner’s card. On the other hand, if your spot cards are poor then it’s generally best to lead a low one, since less can go wrong.

If you have lots of outside entries then leading an honor is most likely best, since communication won’t be a problem, even if you do block the suit. The opposite applies when you don’t have much outside. Then try leading a small one so as to hopefully start establishing the suit and keep the link with partner.

Of course, every situation in Bridge should be taken in its own context, thus there will always be exceptions to these guidelines, for example if you need to cash your tricks quickly or if there’s a big danger that leading a specific card could give declarer a trick. If in doubt, try not to commit yourself to a certain line of defense on lead. Do the thing that keeps more of your options open, so that if you’re wrong you may still be able to recover. This often involves leading an honor instead of a small card.

Your result so far: