Against notrump, lead your longest suit, the fourth card from the top, or the top card of a strong sequence, to set up tricks from length. Against a trump contract, prefer safe leads: the top of a sequence, partner's suit, a singleton when you hope for a ruff, or a trump when dummy will ruff; and never lead low from an ace.
The opening lead is the only card you play before you see dummy, so it is the card where rules help most. The rules below are standard in 2/1, SAYC and Acol alike.
Leading Against Notrump
In notrump nobody can ruff, so the side that sets up its long suit first usually wins the race. Your first choice is the suit where you and partner hold the most cards.
| Your holding | Lead | Why |
|---|---|---|
| ♠KQJ74 | ♠K | Top of a solid sequence |
| ♠KQ1074 | ♠K | Top of a broken sequence (two touching honors and a near miss) |
| ♠KJ1074 | ♠J | Top of an interior sequence |
| ♠K10752 | ♠5 | Fourth from the top |
| ♠9762 | ♠7 | Second highest from four small cards: no honor to show |
Partner's suit comes first if partner bid one. Lead the top card from a doubleton (from ♥95, the ♥9) and a low card from three to an honor (from ♥K73, the ♥3).
Leading Against a Trump Contract
Against a suit contract, long suits matter less, because declarer ruffs your winners after a round or two. Fast tricks and safety matter more.
- Ace from ace-king: the ♥A from ♥AK64 wins a trick and lets you see dummy. Some pairs lead the king from ace-king; agree with partner.
- Top of a sequence: two touching honors are enough, so from ♦KQ5 lead the ♦K.
- A singleton, hoping partner wins and gives you a ruff. Best when you have a trump to ruff with and little else to do.
- A trump, when the auction says dummy has a short suit and declarer will ruff losers there.
- Never lead low from an ace. Against a suit contract, a king in declarer's hand wins the trick, and your ace may then be ruffed later.
Leads away from a king without the queen, such as ♠K74, or from a holding like ♠AQ5 often give declarer a trick, so try something safer first.
Listen to the Auction
The auction gives you more clues than your own hand does:
- Partner's suit. If partner bid or overcalled, lead it unless you have a clear reason not to.
- Unbid suits. If the opponents bid two suits, the other two are where their weakness is.
- 1NT, 3NT with no search for a major: attack. Lead a major if you have a reasonable one, because responder did not use Stayman.
- Dummy will be short in declarer's first suit, for example after 1♠ - 1NT - 2♥ - Pass: lead a trump to cut down ruffs in dummy.
- Strong hands on both sides with no long suit shown: lead safely and wait for your tricks.
For a full guide, read opening leads and what to lead against 3NT.
Watch It in a Deal
East opens 1NT and West raises to 3NT. You are South, on lead.
You are on lead against 3NT by East. Choose a card, then reveal the other hands.
You hold 10 HCP with five hearts to the king-jack and the ♦A. The heart suit is your best source of tricks, so lead the fourth card from the top: the ♥6.
Partner wins with the ♥Q or the ♥10 and returns a heart. Declarer can hold up the ♥A, but each heart trick brings your suit closer to running, and the ♦A is your entry to cash the last hearts once declarer knocks it out.
Double-dummy analysis confirms the rule. Any low heart beats 3NT by a trick. The ♥K looks stronger, but on this deal it lets 3NT make. A spade, a club or a diamond lead also lets declarer take nine tricks or more.
Choosing Your Lead
Rule of ThumbGo through the same steps on every lead. 1: What does the auction say, and did partner bid? 2: Notrump or trumps? 3: Against notrump, attack with your long suit or a strong sequence. Against a suit, choose a sequence, partner's suit, a short suit for a ruff or a trump, and never underlead an ace.
Practice: The Opening Lead
East opens 1♠, West raises, East bids game. You are on lead.
You are on lead against 4♠. Which card do you lead?
Your hand:
Leads improve fastest when you make many of them and see the result. The BridgeDummy Lead Gym has robots bid a random deal, you choose the lead, and you see how each lead would have scored. For set positions, lead puzzles deal the hidden hands many times to fit the auction and grade your lead with 1 to 5 stars.
Previous lesson: Lesson 23: Takeout Doubles. Next lesson: Lesson 25: Second Hand Low, Third Hand High. Full course: Bridge lessons for beginners.