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Home > Defence > Passive opening leads against no-trump contracts

 

 

 
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Passive opening leads against no-trump contracts

With the exception of slam contracts, passive leads should never be employed against no-trump contracts.

Our preferences (all active), in order, will be:-

  • Lead our own long suit (an honour if we have three or more, or fourth highest)
  • Lead partners' suit
  • Try to guess partners' long suit if the opponents have bid yours
  • Try to guess partners long suit if you have too few entries to bring home your own long suit

Against a slam contract, leads such as 2 from K972 are worthless as essentially these slow tricks will never have time to materialise. Prefer a suit in which you have no high cards, its length being immaterial.

S K9432 Against 6NT, lead a heart or a club. A spade lead will almost certainly give a trick away.
H 975
D K72
C 97

S 9753 Supporting honours offer a fine lead against a slam. The KH  is fine here.
H KQ32
D 975
C 97
 

Do you lead your Ace or  not  against a  slam  contract ? I follow Terence Reece's advice to do so only if you have a good chance of a second trick.

S A97 The Ace of spades followed by the King of Hearts offers a good chance of two tricks.
H KQ32
D 432
C 975
 

 

S A32 Hold onto your Ace for the moment. To lead it would probably establish tricks for the opposition. Lead a heart or a club.
H 432
D 5432
C 432
Try your hand at this quiz which incorporates questions on trump and no-trump contracts, and also looks at active and passive leads.
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