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 Opening Lead for Intermediates 2 by Andy Hung

Opening Leads. They're the card that sets the tempo of all bridge hands, and it is the first strike that the defense gets. Sometimes declarer's contract is rock solid and the lead doesn't matter, or sometimes the contract is too high and declarer is destined to fail.

After an easy start you'll find that following "rules" is not always right and that some thinking shall prevail. Are you ready?

Question 1

  Your Hand
 Q 8 6 5 2
 J 6
 Q 8 6 5 2
 5
 
Q: 1 - You are South.
SouthWestNorthEast
---1 Notrump
Pass3 NotrumpPassPass
Pass
Your opponents have a typical 1NT-3NT auction. What do you lead?

 Your choice:
A: 5.
Is this a guess between Spades and Diamonds? Not quite! Look at the bidding. The opponents bid 1NT-3NT where dummy did not search for a major-suit fit (via Stayman or Transfer). Therefore, dummy won't have much in the major suits. When you come across this type of auction, opt for a major suit lead!

Your result so far:
Open Question

Question 2

  Your Hand
 8 5
 K 10 7 5 2
 10 9 5
 K 6 5
 
Q: 2 - You are South.
SouthWestNorthEast
---1 Notrump
Pass2Pass2
Pass3 NotrumpPassPass
Pass
Your opponents have made their way to 3NT after a Stayman sequence. What do you lead?

 Your choice:
A: 10.

Your opponents might not have bid Hearts naturally, but one of them has implied Hearts. West had a reason for his 2 Stayman bid. After he jumped to 3NT over East's 2, the only logical explanation was that West was looking for a 4-4 Heart fit. Try another suit - here, Diamonds appear to be a safe option.

Your result so far:
Open Question

Question 3

  Your Hand
 K J 5 2
 10 9
 Q 10 7 3
 7 6 3
 
Q: 3 - You are South.
SouthWestNorthEast
---2 Notrump
passpasspass
East opens 2NT showing 20-21 points and a balanced hand - and surprisingly, the auction ends there! What do you lead?

 Your choice:
A: 10.

West's pass of his partner's 2NT opening indicates that he has a truly weak of a hand. There's no need to be aggressive on this deal - let declarer do all the work by himself. Lead the 10 which seems like a passive lead. Leading a Spade or a Diamond may give a helping trick for declarer.

Your result so far:
Open Question

Question 4

  Your Hand
 Q 10 8 2
 J 5
 K J 8 7 3
 Q 3
 
Q: 4 - You are South.
SouthWestNorthEast
---1 Notrump
passpasspass
East, your Right-Hand Opponent opens a 15-17 NT and the bidding quietly ends there. What do you lead?

 Your choice:
A: 7.
Here you are defending against 1NT. It's true that West (dummy) didn't bid 2 Stayman (or a Transfer bid), but he may not have enough high cards to do so. As it always is in 1NT, it's a race to the first seven tricks between the declarer and the defenders. Diamonds offer us the best hope here as it is our strong five-card suit. Best to lead it!

Your result so far:
Open Question

Question 5

  Your Hand
 A 5
 Q 10 8 5 2
 Q 6
 A 7 6 5
 
Q: 5 - You are South.
SouthWestNorthEast
---1 Notrump
Pass2Pass2
Pass3 NotrumpPassPass
Pass
Your opponents have made their way to 3NT after a Stayman auction. What do you lead?

 Your choice:
A: 5.

Yes, it is true that declarer has shown Hearts from the bidding, but what other hopes do you have in beating this contract? Here, you can see that you have almost all of the defensive assets (as the opponents should have at least 24 or 25 points combined). The only hope you have is to hit partner with the K or the J. It's still entirely possible to establish your Hearts! Picture partner with J9x!

Your result so far:
Open Question

Overall Results

Your results:   out of    Average: 

What next? You may enjoy playing our prepared hands series.
More informations on our website: www.VuBridge.com

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