Opening Leads against Suit Contracts 1 by Paul Bowyer

A: Lead the ♠6.

You have a fistful of garbage here, so the only hope of beating 4♥ is to take a ruff or two. Lead your singleton and hope partner has the ♠A and a fast entry somewhere. If partner doesn’t have much, then 4♥ will be making easily.

No other lead looks at all attractive, in any case. A classic case of lead your singleton and pray.


Your result so far:

A: Lead the ♣9.

Desperation measures again. Partner is unlikely to have four tricks in his own hand so you will have to conjure up a ruff from somewhere.

Lead a Club, the higher card from a doubleton, hoping partner has the ♣A K. If he does, you might collect the first three tricks and can sit patiently and wait for a fourth to appear from somewhere.

Your result so far:

A: Lead the ♦J.

Leading any suit other than Diamonds is unattractive, so the ♦J seems best. You have a chance of making a third-round ruff and, with the ♦10 as a back-up card, you have what might be described as a micro-sequence in Diamonds.

There are two reasons to lead the ♦J (one is that it may set up Diamond tricks for partner, the other is that it may pave the way for a ruff); anyway all other leads are worse.

Your result so far:

A: Lead the ♣J.

Now, compared with Q3, it is unattractive to lead a Diamond from ♦J × as this may well open up a frozen suit, giving East a trick that is not rightfully his.

Better is to lead from the Club sequence, hoping to establish a trick (maybe two) in that quarter. Too many players lead doubletons at every opportunity – it isn’t good practice.


Your result so far:

A: Lead the ♦10.

This is both passive and constructive. The idea is that you either might set some Diamond tricks up or, if partner has nothing here, give nothing away.

Note that you shouldn’t lead your singleton Heart – you don’t want to make Spade tricks by ruffing. Your long trumps are a nuisance to East and should be kept intact.

Your result so far: