Ann Kuperberg
Valentine’s Day allowed us to share sweets and calories. But one way to keep away from those goodies on an ongoing basis is to play duplicate bridge at the MountainView clubhouse. We meet at the Catalina Room every Tuesday, except the second Tuesday of the month. If you need a partner or further information, contact JoAnn Aiken at [email protected] or phone 520-256-2702. Our website is www.bridgewebs.com/mountainview.
When I first started playing duplicate, my partner told me to lead trump one day. So, I kept leading trump every chance I got; wrong.
In recent issues of Bridge Bulletin, Adam Parrish and Michael Berkowitz addressed that topic.
Parrish said, “Lead trump against a preference auction.” He explained the sequence where opener bids 1 spade, partner bids 1NT, opener rebids 2 clubs, partner goes back to 2 spades. If you lead trump, opener has fewer cards to ruff.
He continued to say we should lead trump when we expect dummy to have a singleton, especially if they bid a “splinter.” Berkowitz gave another example when declarer is playing in their second suit.
Example: 1 spade, 1NT, 2 diamonds, pass.
He continued, “Leading a trump can be good when no other lead stands out.” Also, when your side has the balance of power, lead trump.
Another topic, addressed by Lynn Berg, was leading a sequence. She said, “Against a notrump contract, lead from Queen, Jack, 10, etc., or lead an interior sequence King, Jack, 10, etc., leading the Jack. If partner has led the suit, I play the lowest touching cards. It helps partner to locate the missing higher honors. If I am forced to discard from a sequence, I play my highest. Partner can assume I wouldn’t be discarding a singleton high honor except under the most dire circumstances, so when I throw a King, he’ll put the Q-J remaining in my hand.”
So, now we know when to lead trump and a sequence. Berg mentioned when we lead a high card, like 9, we don’t have an honor in that suit. We just have to hope our partner is watching the cards, not eating chocolate.