Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-12-10
BRIDGE TALKS
BY MRS. JOHN MUNcE, JR.

Continuing the discussion of original
leads against a no-trump bid, when
your partner has bid a suit, there are
seven types of holding which the leader
may have in the suit bid by his part
ner, and there are certain definitely
established conventions for their play.
The first of them is when holding a
singleton of the suit your partner has
bid. The majority of authorities do
not advocate leading the singleton, but
prefer the lead of the fourth best from
your longest and strongest suit, thereby
indicating to your partner no assistance
to help establish the suit he has bid.
In other words, it Is a denial lead,
similar to denial bid.
The second is when you hold two or
three cards of the suit bid by your
partner, headed by the 1O-spot or a
lower card. Always lead the highest
and follow on each succeeding trick
with the next lower card. This lead
shows your partner your highest card
and helps him play his own cards to
the best advantage, because he then
knows what high cards of his suit
are in the declarer'S hard. For in
stance, your partner has bid spade
and declarer wins the contract at l
no trump. If you hold the 10-spot,
6-Spot, 3-Spot, or any similar combina-
ton of spades, lead the highest, and
as the suit is played, play your high
est remaining card and on the third
trick OF this suit playing a still low
er card tells your partner you have no
more.
The third Is when holding four cards
to the 10-spot or lower card, the
generally accepted rule among expert
players is to lead the lowest. There are
some authorities who believe in the
lead of the highest, but the majority
now seem to think the thunderstorm
ing method, namely, leading low, tells
your partner how many cards you hold,
and that this is Of more value to him
than to know what your highest card
may be. For instance, If your partner
has bid a club, and the declarer /
no trump, and you hold the lO-spot,
5-spot, 4-spot and 2-spot, lead the
fourth best, which is the 2-spot, there
Dy telling your partner by this lead
that you hold four cards of his suit.
The fourth is when holding two cards
OF the suit bid by your partner, and
one of them is a jack or a higher card
and the other a small card, you always
lead the honor. For instance, your
partner bids one diamond and the de-
clarer gets the contract for no trump,
and you hold the queen and 6-Spot OF
diamonds, and it Is your lead. You
lead the queen, thereby telling your
partner that you have only two Of
his suit.
The fifth is when holding three or
four cards headed by the ace, the king,
the queen or the jack, you should al
ways lead low. This is done so that
you may be able to make an extra
trick on a later round with your high
card, which trick the declarer ahd ex-
pected to take. -
The sixth is when holding five cards
of the suit bid by your partner, and
1t is possible that your partner has bid
on tour-card suit, or that the part
ner Of the declarer has none of that
suit. Therefore, lead fourth best. For
instance, your partner bids a heart and
the declarer wins the bid at no trumps,
and you hold the jack, 7-spot, 5-spot,
3-spot and 2-spot. With this holding
you would lead the 3-spot, which is
the fourth best.
The seventh is q situation which &C.
ours occasionally, that is, If you hold
three or four cards of the suit bid
by your partner, and the said holding
consists Of two honorS and one small
card; or two honorS and two small
cards; II the honors are what are
known as touching honorS," such as
queen-jack, or jack-10-Spot, always lead
the higher of the two honors. If the
honorS are not touching honors, such
as king jack, king -10-Spot or uueen-IO-
spot, always lead the lowest card to
your partner.