Opening Leads Against A Suit Contract

[pbleighton]

I tend to be a chicken on opening leads against a suit contract. I also know that my defense isn't very good, and I'm looking for some tips. I know:

1) If partner bids, almost always lead his suit.

2) Rarely a non-trump suit bid by declarer. Lead a trump if the bidding suggests the dummy is short in trumps, or that declarer will use dummy's trumps to ruff.

3) If you have an AK, lead it (the K). Also lead the top of KQJ and QJ10.

4) If 1) through 3) don't apply, lead through dummy's suit, but don't (usually) underlead an honor.

5) Passive leads are indicated when the bidding suggests your partner is weak, more aggressive leads when he probably has something.

6) A low singleton is a good lead.

 

Questions:

1) Any changes or additions to the above?

2) When leading partner's suit, lead high/low from a doubleton. From KQx or KQxx, lead the K. What about Kxx, Jxx, Qxxx, etc? Lead low (I do) or lead an honor? How about QJx?

3) I think I choose a passive lead too often, even when I think partner may have some high cards. I don't like to underlead an honor, or to lead an unsupported honor, and I think this hurts me sometimes. I will lead the K from the KQx or KQxx sometimes, but that's about it. Any suggestions?

 

Peter

[Codo]

Hi Peter,

 

I think there is the one golden rule:

Always lead partners suit.

There are some small excuses not to do so:

1. You are void.

2. Your pd did not bid.

3. The bidding or your hand suggests another lead, because:

- You have a very strong suit yourself

- It is time to lead a trump

- It is time to give pd a ruff.

- It is time to prepare an own ruff.

 

Okay, nothing to discuss with point 1 and 2.

But before you lead, you surely try to understand the bidding so far and maybe you have an idea about the distributions . This will give you some clues.

 

So whenever there is an excpetion to the golden rule, these are the clues from the bidding:

 

-Responder announces ruffing values: Lead a trump

-They have a good second suit: Act very active, you will loose much less tricks from leading from Kxx then from xxx now.

-They tried for NT but returned to a suit: Lead their weak suit.

-You or you PD doubles for penalty or converted a take out double with a penalty pass: Lead a trump

-They sacrifice: Often lead a trump

-They reached the game level with much sorrows:

F.E.: 1 Heart-2Heart-3Heart-4Heart: Lead passivly

-these evil bastards gave you no clue: Search new opponents

 

These are the clues from your hand:

-You have an easy lead, which cannot be wrong, like AKQJ in a suit: Great, lead it

-You have 4+ trumps or you suspect your pd to hold long trumps: Make declarer ruff your long suit, so that he will loose control.

-How strong is your hand?

If you have a quite strong hand, the chances to reach pd to give you ruffs are very small. If you look at 14 HCPs and they reached 4 Spade with convidence, it nearly never pays to lead a singelton or worse a doubelton.

Then you need another defence, f.e. give pd a ruff or just lead passivly.

 

Okay, so when you decide to lead, what do you lead:

With touching honours, you have no problems, lead them. With 3 or 4 small: No problem, you surely have a rule like MUD or 2./4.

 

With Hxx , I will lead a small card, even in pds suit.

If pd announced this suit and I suspect him to hold some values there, I MAY lead the Honour, if I guess, that I should try to win this trick to stay on lead.

 

I "never" lead dummies suit (Exceptions if indicated), this normaly just looses a tempo. Better lead any unbid suit.

 

It is always hard to decide whether you should lead active or passive. Pasive is indicated if you are quite strong, or if you belive, that they will have problems to find enough tricks.

Activ is indicated, if you are quite weak, or if you believe, that they have no trouble in win enough tricks, but that they will have trouble not to loose to many.

F.E. 1 Spade-2Diamond-2Heart-3Diamond-3Spade-4 Spade sounds like: They have a lot of spade and diamond tricks, but maybe fears about clubs or even Heart. Against this bidding, I would always lead a club with any possible holding.

 

Kind Regards

 

Roland

[inquiry]

A very tough question. Many people have come up with canned solutions to this question, very similar to the ones you provided, and to meet your question, I provide my own short do's and don't below.

 

Top on almost everyone's list is Lead A from AK, as well as lead partners suit as second best option, etc.

 

This is all well and good, and as general rules go, definetly better than the 8-ever, nine-never rule. But the problems is, sound judgement is better than rules. Finding the right opening lead (and for the right reasons) is probably the hardest decision you have to do on defense, and falling back on such simple rules takes the fun out of trying to figure out, logically, the best lead in a given circumstances.

 

Things to consider....

did they play suit instead of 3NT? maybe a trump lead to cut down ruffs is in order.

 

Does declearer have a second suit that is breaking badly for him, maybe a trump lead is best again.

 

Did partner fail to make lead directing double (of stayman or bergen, for example), how might that affect your lead?

 

Do you have a short suit and a reasonable expectation that partner has an entry so you might play for a ruff? Attacking the short suit might be best.

 

Do you anticipate partner has a short suit and you maybe able to give him a ruff by leading that suit?

 

Do you have 4 trumps and expect declearer might lose control in a forcing game?

 

Do you expect them to have plenty of tricks in a side suit once trumps are pulled, in which case aggressive lead is called for.

 

Are you playing MP, where the normal or natural lead is by far the "best" lead in most cases, or is this imps where you need to risk giving overtricks for a chance to set. At matchpoints, you are more likely to follow the "standard" line on opening leads.

 

Do you play "lead something else doubles" when they cue-bid our suit, and partner either failed to double the cue-bid or did double the cue-bid. Did partner use a fit jump or fit nonjump raise of my suit during the auction? Then I tend to lead that suit if undecided.

 

As far as a general rule, if partner opens one of a minor, I will lead that suit less often than if he overcalls any suit. When on opening lead, I certainly tend to lead partners suit, but I consider other possibilities and ALWAYS have a reason I can specifically state for not leading his suit when I lead something else.

 

So what are the general best leads? Understanding that these are just guidelines not to be followed blindly...

 

1) A from AK to get a look at dummy

2) Singleton when partner might have quick entry for a ruff. If I don't want a ruff, or don't expect partner to have an entry this drops off the list all together

3) Solid sequence lead from interior sequence (QJTx, KQT, KQJ, etc).

4) Suit our side has bid and raised

5) Suit partner overcalled or opened

6) Unbid major (they tend to bid a major when they hold it)

 

What I don't like to do is lead unsupported ACE, lead from a doubleton just to keep from leading from a Qxx or Kxx in a side suit, and lead a trump because I can't think of anything better (remember, however, that a lot of auctions DEMAND a trump lead--for instance when you are well heeled in declearer's second suit--or expect partner to be).

 

At the beginning of each hand, think about what you believe declearer's line of play will be (set up long suit in dummy, cross ruff, struggle to establish side suit winners) and what the defensive options are (are the suits breaking even, does it look like finesses will be working or losing). Then plan your opening lead. After the hand is over, reevaluate how well your view of the hand was and if you should have choosen something else (what was the flaw in your logic). Each hand becomes a mini-learning lesson, and you find over a very short time, your opening leads getting better...(after the hand, you will find youself discovering that "I Should have been able to figure out to lead X and this is why"... this activity an important learning opportunity).

 

Ben

[luis]

More tips, maybe you can compile all the tips in a nice document Peter :-)

 

* When dummy is strong lead agressive, when dummy is weak lead passive (a golden rule)

* Balanced dummies call for a passive lead

* Underleading a king is better than underleading a queen

* Underleading a jack usually gives up a trick to declarer

* Never lead a trump if they are in a missfit

* Leading and ace is usually bad but if you have to do it do it from a long suit (5+ cards) where the risk of stablishing discards for declarer is minimum.

* If you have a weak hand and pd bid a suit lead the K or Q of the suit if you have it, maybe it holds and you can see dummy to know what to switch

* If you know pd is broke made a deceptive lead, don't follow your leading conventions if you can't confuse your pd.

* Don't lead a short suit when you have 1 or 4 trumps against a 4-4 fit a forcing defense is usually better, lead your longest suit.

* Don't lead a trump against a moysian fit unless you know dummy has a singleton

* Check if pd could have overcalled and did'nt then don't lead the suits pd would have overcalled had he held values there.

[inquiry]

Maybe this thread would be a good place to show a few hands and get feedback on what you would lead.... Here is one from an Abalucy tournment, with the opening lead was split right down the middle.... the hand was....

 

95

KQ2

QT74

A643

 

and the auction was essential the same at all tables (either 1H-2H-4H, or 1H-2H-3H). What do you lead? Any reason why?

[luis]

95

KQ2

QT74

A643

 

Spade 9, If I have 2 trump tricks then maybe if pd has the cK I can get a spade ruff. Or pd may produce a spade trick to go with the cA and two trumps.

[hrothgar]

Low Diamond.

 

I expect that I already have two Heart tricks, plus the Ace of clubs.

 

The Diamond lead will work well if partner can produce either the Ace, the King, or the Jack.

 

The Spade lead doesn't excite me.

Partner needs much more in Spades than diamonds for us to establish a slow trick.

A ruff will likely cost me a natural trump trick

[twcho]

I remembered reading columns in e-bridgemaster about the forcing game strategy. The writer, Andrea Wirgin (The name I may remember wrongly), advocates that this strategy is completely wrong. Rather than leading from strength and length when holding length in trumps, one should lead from singleton as usual. Don't know whether he is right or not but he gave out many examples to support his theory.

[hrothgar]

Anders Wirgren

Certainly a better sounce of information about most things bridge related than yours truly

[pbleighton]

FWIW, on Ben's hand I would have led the S9, for the reasons Luis gave.

 

How about this bidding sequence:

Auction goes 1D-P(you)-1H-1S-2H-P-3H-All Pass

 

You hold:

1) Kxx-xx-AKxx-xxxx

2) Qxx-xx-AKxx-xxxx

3) xxx-xx-AKxx-xxxx

4) Qx-xx-AKxx-xxxxx

 

What would you bid with the above, and would you consider rasing to 2S with 1 or 2?

 

Peter

[Cascade]

3) If you have an AK, lead it (the K). Also lead the top of KQJ and QJ10.

<snip>

Questions:

1) Any changes or additions to the above?

 

 

I think Ace from Ace-King is standard.

 

Some partnerships are flexible and use a different message for Ace or King.

 

For example:

 

Ace asks for Attitude

King asks for Kount :-)

 

Wayne

[Cascade]

Maybe this thread would be a good place to show a few hands and get feedback on what you would lead.... Here is one from an Abalucy tournment, with the opening lead was split right down the middle.... the hand was....

 

95

KQ2

QT74

A643

 

and the auction was essential the same at all tables (either 1H-2H-4H, or 1H-2H-3H). What do you lead? Any reason why?

 

I lead a diamond.

 

I favour aggresive leads.

 

Partner is likely to have some modest values on this auction.

 

In general if partner's values fit with yours then you will take more tricks - this is valid for declarer or defenders.

 

Therefore when a diamond (aggressive) lead works it is likely to lead to more tricks than a spade (passive) lead.

 

I reject a trump or a club lead on this hand. A trump for obvious reasons and a club because leading unsupported aces (with some exceptions)is a loser in the long run.

 

Wayne

[the hog]

95

KQ2

QT74

A643

 

 

Low D. S lead may well blow a trick. D is a good aggressive lead.

Ron

[mishovnbg]

Hi Peter!

I use simple rule: active lead vs limit+ contracts(games) and passive vs limit- contracts(scores,hard reached games like 1NT-2NT,3NT). Reason is if you dont make someting over limit+ contract, opps most of time will make it. Against limit - contract you must just not to give them additional trick and wait opps to go down. Exception is when opps bidded side suit and you expect good break there, then active lead is good again.

Choice of passive lead is difficulte and best I read is from Levy, posted here by Rado.

 

"An Article from French Bridge Magazine by Mr. Alain Levy - one of the greatest French players

What to lead when bidding suggests passivelead?

Against trump contract: Priority

1. AK.....

2. singleton

3. Sequence (KQ, QJ, ..........)

4. small cards - 2, 5, 4, 3,

5. from alone Honours

5.1 longer - exeption : lead from Jxx instead Kxxxx

5.2 if equal length from smaller honour

Against No trump:

- if unbid Major - lead there

exeption: solid 4 cards minor or good 5 cards

- avoiding underleading A

 

All above when biding suggests passive lead

If not then fantasy and luck :-))))))))))

 

Hope to have your kind comments whether the above seems practical.

 

Best regards

Rado"

 

 

Misho

[inquiry]

95

KQ2

QT74

A643

 

 

Low D. S lead may well blow a trick. D is a good aggressive lead.

Ron

 

Half the field lead a spade, half lead a heart. Sadly for the sake of what is right or wrong, both were right (spade or diamond sets the contract, heart or club lets it make). The even split on the lead continued here. For what it is worth, I agree with Ron's lead, I would have lead a low diamond.