Leads Against Suit Contracts

[Feegle]

Having returned to the game after a long gap my partner and I are trying to sort out leads against suit contracts. Our methods are fairly standard (?) but:

 

Leading small (suit contract) shows an honour, but would this include the ten? I lean towards A, K, Q or J. What is best?

 

With three small, is MUD still in fashion?

What is a sound system of leads these days?

[pclayton]

4th best is playable against suits, but many have switched to 3rd from even and low from Odd. Partner can frequently get a better picture of the layout with this method, and determine whether or not a shift is warranted.

 

From xxx and we have not bid the suit our way or raised partner, you can either lead small for count, or highest if partner can read it. MUD isn't a good idea unless you are playing it conjunction with some other methods that don't really have to do with MUD.

[P_Marlowe]

Hi,

 

usually the 10 gets treated as an honor

card, but this is a matter of agreement.

 

MUD, together with 4th best from a good

suit, 2nd from a bad suit, low from Hxx is

certainly an old fashioned lead system, but

it is certainly playable.

 

A similar leading system, and a little bit more

modern, is leading 2nd / 4th, which means

from 3 lows you dont play MUD, but MDU.

2nd means, you lead low from 2 smalls,

but you still lead high from 2 cards with an

honor.

 

The difference, the first leading system

is focusing on the quality of the suit your are

leading, the second leading system is focusing

on the length of the suit you are leading.

 

And fairly popular opinion is, that the information

about the length is more important than the

information about the suit quality.

You buy this or you dont buy this, the decision

is yours.

 

With kind regards

Marlowe