Lead with Barry by Barry Rigal

Some of the deals this week deal with when to lead trumps. Though a trump lead is often considered passive, this is often far from the case; frequently leading from a trump honor costs a trump trick, either your own or partner's. Equally, when dummy needs a ruff (and you can often tell when that might be) you should risk losing a potential trump trick since it comes back with interest.

Question 1

Your Hand
♠ A Q 4 2
♥ 7
♦ K J 6 5
♣ A 10 5 4

Q: 1 - As South, what do you lead?

South	West	North	East
-	-	-	1♥
dble	p	p	p

A: ♥7: Lead the heart seven. Partner’s auction implies a trump stack. It is generally sound to lead trumps to try to cut down on declarer’s ruffs, rather than open up a side-suit and allow declarer to score his small trumps.

Your result so far:

Open Question

Question 2

Your Hand
♠ A 10 5 3
♥ K Q 10 5
♦ 6 3
♣ K Q 2

Q: 2 - As South, what do you lead?

South	West	North	East
-	-	p	3♦
dbl	5♦	dbl	p
p	p

A: ♦3: Lead a trump. When the opponents are clearly sacrificing, a trump lead is generally indicated. Leading a top heart or club may allow declarer an extra trick by ruffing that suit in dummy, whereas repeated trump leads may cut down the ruffs.

Your result so far:

Open Question

Question 3

Your Hand
♠ A Q 4 3 2
♥ K 9 3
♦ K 7 4
♣ 5 2

Q: 3 - You're South. What do you lead?

South	West	North	East
1♠	2 no-trumps*	dbl	3♣
p	p	dbl	p
p	p

* Minors

A: ♣2: Lead a trump. When the opponents show a two-suiter and partner doubles, lead a trump, to stop declarer ruffing dummy’s second suit in his hand.

Your result so far:

Open Question

Question 4

Your Hand
♠ Q 3
♥ A Q 9 8 5 4
♦ K J 3
♣ J 4

Q: 4 - As South, what do you lead?

South	West	North	East
1♥	p	2♣	2♠
3♥	4♠	p	p
dbl	p	p	p

A: ♠3: Lead the trump three. When partner has enough to go to the two-level, the opponents will not make many tricks outside the trump suit. So cut down on dummy’s ruffs if you can, by leading trumps.

Your result so far:

Open Question

Question 5

Your Hand
♠ J 6 4
♥ J 10 2
♦ K 10 9 4
♣ Q J 10

Q: 5 - As South, what do you lead?

South	West	North	East
-	3♣	p	3♠
p	4♠	p	p
p

A: ♠4: Lead a low trump. You know the club suit is not running for declarer, so kill declarer’s ruffs and let him find tricks elsewhere. When a preempter raises his partner he will frequently offer him a ruff or two – and the best way to stop that is to lead trumps at once.

Your result so far:

Open Question

Overall Results

Your results: out of Average:

What next? You may enjoy playing our prepared hands series.
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