Occasional Lessons on Play Opening Leads Part 1

3 Things to consider  Active or Passive?  Which Suit?  Which Card? Honour Sequence Honour Sequence No Honour Sequence No Honour Sequence  I’ll deal with Honour sequences later  But for now a short quiz:

Which Card to Lead? K From: K K 9 4 K 4 4 Lead: 4 4 K 9 From: Lead:

4 th Highest from an Honour  Example From K lead 4 From K lead 4  Important Remember that this rule says: Remember that this rule says:  From an Honour  This is the standard lead in No Trumps and if you choose to lead a long suit against a suit contract

3 rd Highest from 3 to an Honour  Example From K 9 4lead 4 From K 9 4lead 4  Makes things easier for partner  Not a very common lead but may occur when leading: Unbid suit or Unbid suit or Partner’s suit Partner’s suit

2 nd from ‘Nothing’  Example From lead 8 From lead 8  From long suits without an honour: So it is different from leading from an honour So it is different from leading from an honour  Consider the following layout:

2 nd from ‘Nothing’ K T Q A J 5 N S EW  Quite a common lead, either: To try to establish a suit, or To try to establish a suit, or Simply as a safe lead Simply as a safe lead

MUD from 3 small  Example From 9 8 4lead 8 From 9 8 4lead 8  Middle Up Down  Differentiates between a doubleton and 3  BUT – you MUST play the 9 next Else partner will think you had a doubleton Else partner will think you had a doubleton  Not an ideal lead but use if honours elsewhere or honours elsewhere or this is partner’s suit this is partner’s suit

Top of a Doubleton  Examples From K 4lead K From K 4lead K From 9 4lead 9 From 9 4lead 9  Doubleton leads from honours are risky  But it can be effective if it is: The unbid suit or The unbid suit or Partner’s suit Partner’s suit

So – a general rule is:  Lead a low card from an honour  Lead a higher card without an honour  Why such a fuss about holding an honour?  Consider the following two situations:

Leading low from Honours A J 5 2 A J 5 2 Q 4 Q K T 6 K T 6 N S EW by South 4  by South A J 5 2  A J  7 4 Q  Q K T 6  K T 6 N S EW

Leading low from Honours  So:  It is IMPERATIVE to lead low from honours only Another example:

Leading low from Honours   A J 8  A J 8   A J T 6   T 6 4   K Q J Q 6  Q 6     A K   T K T 4  K T 4   Q 7 2   J 7   A    K 5 3   Q lead 7 lead 8 played 8 played 3NT by S

Which Card to Lead? K From: K K 9 4 K 4 4 Lead: 4 4 K 9 From: Lead:

Honour Leads K Q J 4 3 From: K Against Suit: K Q K K Q T 4 3 K Q J Q Q J Q K J T 4 3 J A J T 4 3 A K J

Honour Leads K Q J 4 3 From: K Against NT: K Q K Q T 4 3 K Q J Q J Q K J T 4 3 J A J T 4 3 J K J

Honour Leads K Q J 4 3 From: K Against Suit: K Against NT: K Q K4 K Q T 4 3 KK Q J Q4 Q J QQ K J T 4 3 JJ A J T 4 3 AJ K J

Honour Leads   T 8 6   J 9 2   A 7   K Q NT by S Now swap dummy’s holding with partner’s:

Honour Leads   T 8 6   J 9 2   A 7   K Q 5 4 3

Broken Sequences  So, the rule is:  Against Suits,  with two or more touching high cards  LEAD HIGH  Against NT,  with more than two touching high cards  LEAD HIGH  Note, for example:  K Q T and  Q J 9 etc.  count as 2 ½  but NOT eg, K J T

Broken Sequences     J 9 2   A 7   K Q T 4 3

Interior Sequences   A 6 5   9 2   Q 8 7   K J T 4 3 With three high cards, When the lower two touch lead the higher of the touchers.

Last Rule Never lead away from an Ace on the opening lead against A suit contract

Leading from an Ace  K T 7  A 5  Q 8 2  J Partner leads 4

Leading from an Ace  K T 7  J 5  Q 8 2  A Partner leads 4

Leading from an Ace  K T 7  9 5  Q 8 2  A J Partner leads 4

Honour Leads K Q J 4 3 From: K Against Suit: K Against NT: K Q K4 K Q T 4 3 KK Q J Q4 Q J QQ K J T 4 3 JJ A J T 4 3 AJ K J

Next Session  Choosing the suit  Basic leads against NT  Basic leads against suit contracts Short suits Short suits Long strong suits Long strong suits Trumps Trumps  What else? Unbid suits Unbid suits Partner’s suit Partner’s suit Active or passive? Active or passive?  Things to avoid