Lead Problem

Here is your hand:
♠KQ74
♥AT5
♦K842
♣43

The contract is 4♥.

RHO opened the bidding 2♥ and LHO bid 4♥. Partner did not bid anything.

What card do you lead?

Show Answer

Probably the best lead is the K♠. TOP of two touching honours. This lead will work out. The lead at the table was the 4♠. Fourth highest from their longest and strongest. This fourth best lead works when you only have one honour or non-touching honours. In NT you need a three card honour sequence to lead from. But a SUIT contract is different. You lead top of TWO touching honours.

Is it really that big a deal if you don't?

If you lead the 4♠ (which most players did) watch what happened.

The ♠ holding was this:

	Dummy ♠A98
You! ♠KQ74		Partner ♠T65
	Declarer ♠J32

If you started with the K♠ you will eventually get your Q♠.

If you started with the 4♠ Declarer played LOW and managed to win the trick with their J♠! They still had the A♠! They threw away their last ♠ on another suit and you scored NO ♠ tricks.