Opening Leads against No-trumps 1 by Paul Bowyer

A: The ♠Q. Yes, we realise you don't exactly have a sequence in Spades, but we tend to count "near-sequences" as though they were full sequences.

Thus, for the purposes of the opening lead, ♠Q J 9 × counts as ♠Q J 10 ×, ♠K Q 10 × counts as ♠K Q J × and so on.

Your result so far:

A: The ♥6. When in doubt, lead the fourth-highest-of-your-longest-and-strongest-suit.

The key is length before strength, an adage that appears elsewhere in the game (in the context of bidding). Hearts is your longest suit, so that is where you look for the opening lead.

The ♥9 would be a confusing card for partner.

Your result so far:

A: The ♣K. Clubs are your longest suit, so you should lead them.

However, which card? Following the logic of Q1 you should treat the ♣K Q 10 as if it were ♣K Q J and lead the top-of-a-sequence.

Had your Clubs been, say, ♣K Q 9 × × you'd have led your fourth-highest card.

Your result so far:

A: The ♠J. Consolation marks if you opted for the ♥3 as your Hearts are stronger than your Spades.

However, it is generally better to lead from a sequence when you are lucky enough to have been dealt one. Such leads give nothing away; a Heart might kick over a hornet's nest.

Your result so far:

A: The ♠2. What's wrong with leading the ♣2? Not that much, in truth. However, there are two points here.

1. It is generally best to lead a major instead of a minor. Players happily bid No-trumps when holding long minor suits but tend to explore for major-suit fits. Dummy may have long Clubs, therefore, but is unlikely to have long Spades.

2. It's better to retain Aces as a means of regaining the lead. Here, you hope to set up your Spades and regain the lead with the ♣A to cash them.


Your result so far: