Opening Leads Tutorial
----------------------

There are 2 considerations to opening leads:

   -- which suit (more important)
   -- which card

Which Suit to Lead (in order of preference)

  -- partners suit
  -- unbid suit
  -- longest suit (no trump)
  -- honor sequence
     in suits, 2 card sequence is ok
     in no trump, must be 3 card (broken) sequence unless suit is 6+ cards
     (e.g KQJ, KQ10, QJ10, QJ9)
  -- trump (see below)
  -- singleton (you should either have a trump trick
     or good reason to believe partner may have the ace)

Which Suit Leads to Avoid

  -- opponents suits (if you lead an opponent's suit,
     partner should assume you have a singleton)
  -- away from an unprotected honor
     (except for longest suit in no trump)
  -- never lead away from an ace (except for no trump)
     if you decide to lead the suit, lead the ace
     if you lead low, partner should assume you don't have the ace
  -- doubletons (except in partner's suit or trump)
  
You should lead a trump when you have reason to believe dummy
(or declarer) is short in one of their partner's suits, particularly
if you are long in that suit. For example, if the auction is as follows
(your side's passes are omitted): 1H - 1S - 2C - 3C, a club lead might
very well be your best lead, particularly if you are long in hearts or spades.

Which Card to Lead (in order of preference)

  -- top of an honor sequence (K from KQ, Q from QJ, J from J10)
  -- K from AK (many players use A from AK)
  -- 4th best
  -- 3rd best from 3
  -- high from doubleton (avoid doubletons except in partner's suit or trump)
  
Quiz
----

Your hand is:

  S  A1086
  H  83
  D  QJ9
  C  Q954
  
What should you lead for each of the following auctions
(you are dealer):

P-P-P-1NT
P-3NT-3 passes

My preference is the 6 of spades. This is your longest and strongest suit,
and the opponents made no attempt to find a major suit fit.

Other reasonable alternatives are the 4 of clubs and Q of diamonds.

P-P-P-1H
P-3H-P-4H
3 passes

My preference is the Q of diamonds. Leading top of an honor sequence against
suit contracts is always a strong opening lead.

P-1S-2C-2H
P-4H-3 passes

The 4 of clubs. You never lose the post-mortem if you lead your partner's suit.

P-P-P-1H
P-1S-P-1NT
P-2NT-3 passes

The 4 of clubs, your longest suit that was not bid. Unlike hand 1, a spade
lead will not tend to work out because your opponents bid spades.

The Q of diamonds is a reasonable alternative.

P-P-1H-1S
P-2S-3 passes

The 8 of hearts. It's fine to lead a doubleton if your partner bid the suit.

P-1C-P-1H
P-1S-P-1NT
P-2H-3 passes

The 8 of hearts. This is the type of auction where a trump lead will often work out
very well.Your left hand opponent is short in diamonds (since he bid the other 3 suits),
and since you are long in 2 of the suits bid, your right hand opponent is likely to
be short in at least one black suit. A cross ruff is a strong possibility.

P-P-P-1C
P-1D-P-1H
P-3H-3 passes

My preference is the A of spades (the only unbid suit, but you can't lead away from an
ace). The opponents avoided no trump which means they are likely weak in spades.

Many good players would lead the 8 of hearts, and that could very will be right.

The Q of diamonds is not likely to be right, since your opponent bid diamonds.
Some people think that leading through dummy's strength is a good opening lead,
but my experience has been that it usually doesn't work out well.



  