Trump leads by Matthias Huberschwiller

A: ♥Q – Dummy has length in Clubs. This implies the risk of discards.

In this case, you must not lead a trump, but lead aggressively, from a suit in which you have something, in order to get tricks rapidly. Here, such a lead is from your sequence in Hearts.


Your result so far:

A: ♠2 – You opponents have both shown a second suit outside Spades and you have a good opposition in both these suits.

You can be sure that declarer will want to ruff his losers. This is therefore an excellent moment to lead a trump, trying to prevent him from it.


Your result so far:

A: ♠J – With four trumps in dummy and a singleton diamond, declarer will always be able to ruff in dummy.

On the other hand, given your weekness in diamonds, declarer could kick out the Ace and then discard dummy’s losers on his other diamonds.

Therefore, you rather need to lead from your sequence in Spades, trying to set up tricks there.

Your result so far:

A: ♠10 – With your diamonds behind declarer’s, a trump lead could be a good option.

But in order to lead a trump, you need to be sure that it won’t cost you a trick.

Leading from Jack third could be disastrous if partner has an honour.

If you have J-x-x for Q-x, you are sure to get a trick if you don’t touch the suit. However, if you lead the suit, you’ll help capture partner’s Queen and declarer will later capture your Jack.


Your result so far:

A: ♣2 – When dummy has not raised any of declarer’s two suits, usually he has a weak hand with shortness in the declarer’s first suit and a fit in the second.

Your partner did not balance after 2♣, it is unlikely that he has heart shortness as with a singleton or void he would have made a take out double in order not to let your opponents play on the two-level.

From all this you can deduct declarer’s likely game plan: He’ll ruff his Heart losers in the short hand. In order to prevent this, you need to lead a trump, despite the queen fourth.

If you partner has an honour, you have good chances of preventing declarer from ruffing even one Heart.

For example, if your partner has A-x in Clubs and declarer has K-J-x-x, he’ll take the Ace and play another Club. Later, when you take the lead in Hearts, you can cash the ♣Q and declarer won’t be able to ruff a single Heart.


Your result so far: