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 To lead or not to lead trumps? by linda j green

How often do we know when to lead a trump verses a suit lead? If we listen to the bidding we may get a clue. Everything depends on various situations.

1. Do we hold all the remaining high card points?
2. Do the opponents have a fit?
3. When the opponents have bid three or four suits and wind up playing in one of them.
4. When partner has doubled the opponents' part-score contract for penalty. Low-level penalty doubles usually indicate a big trump stack and it is therefore very attractive, if not mandatory, to lead a trump.

Let us look at the following hands to help you make these decisions.

Question 1

  Your Hand
♠ 8 7 3
♥ K 7 6 2
♦ Q J 10 8
♣ A 7 		 
Q: 1 - As South what suit do you lead?
SouthWestNorthEast
---1♠
Pass2♦Pass2♠
Pass4♠PassPass
Pass


 Your choice:
A: 3♠. When the responder showed a long diamond suit, opener is most probably short. Dummy will be short in another suit, therefore a trump lead is best to prevent declarer ruffing the long suits in the opening hand.

Your result so far:
Open Question

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Question 2

  Your Hand
♠ 10 7 6
♥ 7 5 4
♦ 9 8 7
♣ A Q 4 3 		 
Q: 2 - As South what suit do you lead after listening to the bidding?
SouthWestNorthEast
---1♣
Pass1♦Pass1♠
Pass4♠PassPass
Pass


 Your choice:
A: 6♠. When the opponents settle in a 3rd suit, invariably they are short in each other's suit. They will try to cross ruff the hand, making each trump separately. Each time either opponent gains the lead, leading a trump will thwart their plan at every opportunity.

Your result so far:
Open Question

Question 3

  Your Hand
♠ Q 6 5
♥ Q 8 7 2
♦ J 10 7
♣ A 3 2 		 
Q: 3 - As South, what suit do you lead?
SouthWestNorthEast
---1♠
Pass2♦Pass2♠
Pass4♠PassPass
Pass


 Your choice:
A: 2♥. One cannot lead a trump on this bidding as they may have a natural trump trick. LHO may have a strong diamond suit, so it is necessary to build a trick quickly. We do not lead unsupported Aces (Aces from spaces that do not hold the touching card the King).

Your result so far:
Open Question

Question 4

  Your Hand
♠ 7 6 5
♥ J 10 8 6 5
♦ K 2
♣ 9 8 7 		 
Q: 4 - As South what suit do you lead?
SouthWestNorthEast
---1♠
Pass2♣Pass2♠
Pass3♣Pass3♠
PassPassPass


 Your choice:
A: J♥. When they do not fit, we cannot lead a trump. It may pick up a finesse for declarer, once their partner did not show support. We need to lead the top of a sequence.

Your result so far:
Open Question

Question 5

  Your Hand
♠ 9
♥ K 5 4 3
♦ Q 7 2
♣ K J 6 5 2 		 
Q: 5 - As South what suit do you lead?
SouthWestNorthEast
---1♦
Pass1♥Pass1♠
Pass2♠Pass2NT
Pass3♠PassPass
Pass


 Your choice:
A: 5♣. NEVER lead a singleton trump! It will disclose a bad trump division and help declarer pick up a free finesse. Leading the unbid suit seems the safest lead.

Remember: Try to avoid leading from Qxx as invariably one will lose that Queen and pick up a free finesse.

Your result so far:
Open Question

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What next? You may enjoy playing our prepared hands series.
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