Leads after partner's double by Matthias Huberschwiller

A: ♣8 : In spades, you have a good five-card suit, but you must not touch it ! The first reason is that you’d risk losing your partner…
Rather lead a club (showing the doubleton) for your partner, as it is he who has entries to his hand: He’ll be able to establish his suit and later get his tricks from length.
Your opponents are no beginners! If they have bid 3NT, it means that they have the necessary points. Your partner does not double just to hear his voice, but in order to provoke the “impossible lead”.


Your result so far:

A: ♠Q: Your partner has doubled the final contract… This is a Lightner double, which means that he thinks that there is a lead that beats the contract but that normally you are not supposed to find this lead.
A surprising lead would be the opponents’ suit, generally the dummy’s, because you help partner leading through dummy.
Here, your partner gives you the information that he has a beautiful length in Spades and this is probably the only lead that beats the contract. Trust him!
Hence, lead the Spade Queen in order not to block the suit and to lead through a possible King in dummy.


Your result so far:

A: ♦9: Here, partner has not doubled the final contract, but he doubled the Blackwood answer of 5♦. The double of an artificial bid is a lead directing double.

Your partner requests a diamond lead, and you have no reason not to follow. Lead the nine in order to show that you don’t have an honor in the suit.


Your result so far:

A: ♦6: South has jumped to Six Hearts, he probably has everything except one missing Ace.

The double of a slam is a Lightner double. Your partner doubled without much information; he does not expect a lead in dummy’s suit (we do not even know what dummy has!!), but a lead in his void.

Look at your hand… In which colour does partner have a void? Probably Diamonds!

It is best to lead a middle card because you have no preference for the suit that your partner returns after ruffing.



Your result so far:

A: ♥J: Your partner, who has doubled the final contract, has again made a Lightner double. He thinks that there is a special lead that beats the contract. As we have said before, in most cases it is dummy’s suit and partner needs you to lead through it.

But what has dummy shown? That he has four cards in Hearts!

Therefore, you need to lead a Heart, but you also need to choose the right card. Without any entry to your hand, the best is to lead the Jack in order to play a forcing finesse against the dummy and capture for example a fourth Queen.


Your result so far: