Opening Leads against No-trumps - Part VII by Paul Bowyer

We continue with a series on opening leads against No-trumps.

You are always South, on lead to East's contract.

In this section the bidding plays an important part in telling you what to lead (or, rather, what not to lead).

Question 1

Your Hand
♠ A Q 10 3 2
♥ 10 9 7
♦ 10 2
♣ 7 5 4

Q: 1 - You are South, on lead to 3NT after the opponents have reached 3NT.

Given the bidding, what is your choice of lead?

South	West	North	East
-	-	-	1♥
P	2♣	P	2NT
P	3NT	P	P
P

A: The ♠3.

This is an easy one - but why not give you an easy starter question?

The ♠3 is the fourth-highest-of-your-longest-and-strongest and you have no reason at all to lead anything else on this hand.

Your result so far:

Open Question

Question 2

Your Hand
♠ A Q 10 3 2
♥ 10 9 7
♦ 10 2
♣ 7 5 4

Q: 2 - You are South, on lead to 3NT after the opponents have reached 3NT.

Given the bidding, what is your choice of lead?

South	West	North	East
-	-	-	1♠
P	2♣	P	2NT
P	3NT	P	P
P

A: The ♥10.

Without East’s opening bid you’d have led the ♠3 like a flash (see Q1); after East has shown long Spades such a lead becomes pointless.

Best is to sit and wait for your Spade tricks and make a passive lead. The ♥10 (from a sort of a sequence) looks best here.

Your result so far:

Open Question

Question 3

Your Hand
♠ 6 4
♥ K 10 9 8 4
♦ 7
♣ J 10 9 8 7

Q: 3 - You are South, on lead to 3NT after the opponents have reached 3NT.

Given the bidding, what is your choice of lead?

South	West	North	East
-	-	P	1♣
P	1♦	1♠	2NT
P	3NT	P	P
P

A: The ♠6.

Partner has stuck his neck out with a cheeky overcall to attract the lead (he hasn’t got the values to open the bidding, note).

You mustn’t let him down by leading your suit (Hearts) or declarer’s suit (Clubs). As ever, lead the higher card from a doubleton.

Your result so far:

Open Question

Question 4

Your Hand
♠ Q 9
♥ J 9 3
♦ A J 6 4 2
♣ 8 6 4

Q: 4 - You are South, on lead to 3NT after the opponents have reached 3NT.

Given the bidding, what is your choice of lead?

South	West	North	East
-	-	-	1♦
P	1♥	P	2NT
P	3NT	P	P
P

A: The ♣6.

You shouldn’t think of leading a Diamond after East has opened the bidding in that suit.

A Heart (dummy’s suit) is highly inadvisable. Spades are also highly unattractive to lead, so we come down to a passive Club lead. The ♣6 is second-highest from muck.

Your result so far:

Open Question

Question 5

Your Hand
♠ A 10
♥ Q 9 5 3
♦ 9 7 4
♣ Q 9 6 2

Q: 5 - You are South, on lead to 3NT after the opponents have reached 3NT.

Given the bidding, what is your choice of lead?

South	West	North	East
-	-	-	1♣
P	1♦	P	1♥
P	2♣	P	2NT
P	3NT	P	P
P

A: The ♦7.

It’s usually wrong to lead an opponent’s suit. However, leading the unbid suit (Spades in this case) looks the wrong thing to do with just the ♠A 10.

Better is to lead through the dummy than around to one of declarer’s suits, especially as declarer figures to be short in Diamonds on the bidding. A thoroughly unappetising choice.

Your result so far:

Open Question

Overall Results

Your results: out of Average:

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