Opening Leads against Suit Contracts 5 by Paul Bowyer

A: Lead the ♦J.

This example illustrates the principle of leading sequences so that you don’t risk opening up frozen suits.

Against 4♥ you should realize that leading your long suit is generally pointless – even when a long suit has been established it is of little use to you. That rules out a Spade lead.

A trump lead away from the Queen is plain silly and a Club lead is pointless. You don't want, or need, a Club ruff.

The best lead is the ♦J from a near-sequence as it is a safe, as well as a constructive, lead.

Your result so far:

A: Lead the ♠K.

This is easy stuff – it is written in the good book, “Thou shalt always lead thy partner’s suit”.

Here, you should lead the ♠K and hope to continue the suit to your partner's ♠A. With luck you may be able to score a third-round ruff.

There should be no difficulty for North in knowing what to do at trick three. From a holding of ♠K × × You would lead your lowest Spade, so it follows logically that when you lead the ♠K without the ♠Q you must have shortage.

Thus, North can deduce you have only two Spades. Long, long ago it was fashionable to lead “top of partner’s suit”. That style went out with the Charleston and the Lindy Hop…

Your result so far:

A: Lead the ♥Q.

Some misguided souls like to lead the ♣A and another Club, hoping to get a Club ruff. That is a low percentage shot; even if North has the ♣K you may lose a tempo even if you do get a third-round ruff.

Best, as usual, is to lead a sequence, or near-sequence, if you are lucky enough to have one. The ♥Q is the clear favorite here as it is both constructive and relatively safe.

Second choice would be a trump.

Your result so far:

A: Lead the ♥9.

You have to lead from a garbage dump against a confidently bid game. What to do?

Well, when you hold a fistful of trash you have to hope that partner has some goodies so that your side can take four tricks. A short-suit lead is often a good idea in these circumstances, hoping for a third-round ruff. Here, a Heart lead (the ♥9) looks to be the best odds.

Sure, it's unlikely that partner has the ♥A K (or a well placed ♥A Q) but where is the passive ♦10 lead going to get you?

It is a truism that the worse your hand is, the more effective a short-suit lead is.

Your result so far:

A: Lead the ♦3.

Not only is this the unbid suit (often a decent choice as an opening lead) but you have nothing in your hand to worry declarer (the Hearts and your ♣Q look well placed – for declarer).

Try to get some Diamond tricks in the bag quickly before the East gets his losers away on his Hearts.

This may well be a tempo hand, where you need to cash your winners before the rats get at them.

Your result so far: