Leads against Partscores (Suit) by Matthias Huberschwiller

Your opponents have landed in a part-score, in a Suit contract. On the one hand, you will have to make more tricks to defeat the contract, but you will have more HCPs to do so.

How can you take advantage of this when choosing your lead?

Question 1

Your Hand
♠ 9 2
♥ Q 7 6 2
♦ Q 7 4
♣ Q 9 6 3

Q: 1 - What do you lead as West?

South	West	North	East
1♥	Pass	2♥	Pass
Pass	Pass

A: 9♠ - Your partner rates to have quite a lot of HCPs, but underleading a Queen is too dangerous. You could be leading into declarer's tenace.

Leading from the doubleton Spade can be useful for two reasons:
-You can set up tricks for your partner, who will know what to play, seeing the dummy when he gets on lead.
-You can hope for a Spade ruff. You have a natural Heart trick, but you can hope to make a second trump with a ruff, if partner can get on lead.

Your result so far:

Open Question

Question 2

Your Hand
♠ K 7 6 2
♥ 8 7 6
♦ A 3
♣ Q 10 9 6

Q: 2 - What do you lead as West?

South	West	North	East
-	-	1♦	Pass
1♥	Pass	2♣	Pass
2♥	Pass	Pass	Pass

A: 2♠ - Leading a minor is not possible. Your only two options are trumps and spades. How can you choose?

Listen to the bidding. North has a hand short in Hearts. If you lead them, you could put your partner in harm's way. They have Hearts, Diamonds, and Clubs. You have good odds of finding your partner with at least one Spade honor.

Your result so far:

Open Question

Question 3

Your Hand
♠ K 7 6 2
♥ 6 4 2
♦ Q 6
♣ J 9 6 2

Q: 3 - What do you lead as West?

South	West	North	East
-	-	1♣	Pass
1♥	Pass	2♥	Pass
2 NT	Pass	3♥	Pass
Pass	Pass

A: 2♥ - Your opponents have stopped in 3♥ after a try for game.

You have no hurry to set up tricks. If you lead a Spade or a Diamond, you could give up a trick. It's better to sit back. Lead a neutral Heart and wait for your tricks.

Your result so far:

Open Question

Question 4

Your Hand
♠ 7 6 2
♥ J 8 4
♦ Q 7 2
♣ K Q 9 3

Q: 4 - What do you lead as West?

South	West	North	East
1 NT	Pass	2♣	Pass
2♠	Pass	Pass	Pass

A: 2♠ - What is North's hand? Why did he use Stayman?

He has a weak hand, and wanted to pass every answer the South would make. This means he has Diamonds, Hearts, and Spades. He must be short in Clubs.

Your Club honors are going to get ruffed. To try and prevent this, you need to lead a trump.

Your result so far:

Open Question

Question 5

Your Hand
♠ K J 9 7 2
♥ 7
♦ Q J 10 6
♣ A J 3

Q: 5 - What do you lead as West?

South	West	North	East
1♠	Pass	Pass	Pass

A: Q♦ - You have a lot of trump tricks behind declarer's suit. Leading a singleton is not going to get you any tricks you don't already have.

You need to try and set up tricks. Your best hope is the diamond suit, since you have a good sequence. Your trump tricks are not going away.

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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