If you've understood most of these examples your partners will love you in future.

Returning your partner's opening lead (Continued)

TRUMP CONTRACTS

For many trump contracts, the initiative on the lead is likely to come from your partner and it is unlikely that you will have the lead early on. Partner seeking a ruff in your hand by leading a long suit is one common case. You will peter with two cards and play your singleton with meaning, but if you do get a ruff, that plan is probably over and returning partner's suit has no meaning.

If you have bid, then partner may lead your suit. Returning her lead now is not so much an obligation as a matter of judgement of what her card means and how your hand stands in relation to dummy.

See this page for partner's thinking on her lead.

The nine looks like a doubleton so you would play the jack on trick one and the ace on trick two, giving partner a ruff on trick three when the peter is confirmed.

In this case, she is not petering so she has three cards or one card in this suit. One is comparatively unlikely unless declarer has bid the suit (improbable when we have five). Thus you will take trick one with the jack, move to another suit and wait for this one to be led again by partner.

A trump lead from partner is quite common and in this case you must decide whether to follow partner's proposal and continue this passive vein by leading another trump, or whether from your position at the table, an active lead would be suitable.

Having taken the trump lead on trick one with the king of spades, the attacking lead from your position of the queen of hearts is probably preferable to another trump.

Having taken the trump lead on trick one with the king of spades, a trump continuation looks better here than opening up any of the other suits.

If partner is adopting the forcing defence, you must continue this theme.

When you are in with the ace of spades (which may have to be held up for a round or two) it is crucial that you continue with the hearts, forcing declarer to ruff in her own hand.

Partner may be trying to find a passive lead that does no harm and is probably leading a small card from a long suit. You will beat the queen with the ace but play the ten on a small card from dummy. A singleton king with declarer is against the odds. In either case, if you are on lead at trick two, this suit should be continued.

It looks like another passive lead from a long suit. You might as well take it with the ace and return the suit.

Some of the most difficult problems will arise from having to decide whether partner's lead is from a shortage. Here it will be a great help if you have disciplined partner to play high-low from any even number of cards and upwards from any odd number. Even then, there will some indecision.

You will play the jack on trick one and if declarer follows, I could be sure that partner--who must have an odd number of cards--has only one. So I can lead a small card in the certain knowledge that partner will ruff.

Partner has one or three cards in this suit. If it is one, a small card lead will give her a ruff. But if it is three, declarer will let it run round to her king, throwing a loser. Your decision! Again, if the lead of the smallest card in partner's hand promises a decent honour (using MUD otherwise), you will know that this is a singleton (see this page).

This looks like a doubleton and your cause might be improved if you hold up your ace on trick one. Then, either you or your partner can continue this suit later on. If you take the ace at once and continue the suit, the onus for getting in and giving partner a ruff is entirely on you.