This Week in Bridge
(566) Passive Opening Leads in Depth
© AiB Robert S. Todd
Level: 5 of 10 robert@advinbridge.com
General
Learning to listen the auction and using it to help us choose between an active opening lead or a passive opening lead is a skill that takes experience to develop. When we do decide to that the auction suggests we make a passive opening lead, our job is still not done. Now we must figure out how to select a passive opening lead or choose between multiple options. Here we look at our passive opening lead options in detail and try to understand the pros and cons of different leads.
Passive Opening Leads – Top of Nothing
One of our most passive opening leads options is to avoid any suit where we have an honor. We call this a top of nothing lead. Sometimes we have multiple suits where we have no honors. This gives us a variety of possible top of nothing leads to make.
Here are some considerations when we have multiple top of nothing options:
Length of Suit
Long Suit (4-card or 5-card suit with no honors) – Leading from length has several advantages. We are less likely to be setting up a side suit for the opponents. There is also a possibility that we might give partner a ruff if we catch them with shortness in our suit.
Three Small Cards – This is not an ideal suit to lead. It may help the opponents set up their 4-card suit. The suit could be 4-3-3-3 around the table and leading this suit may help them “win the race” to set up their suit.
Doubleton – This is also less attractive, because if the opponents have a 4-3 fit, then partner has four cards in this suit. Our lead may give away partner’s guard (if partner has Jxxx), and this will often give the opponents an additional trick. The upside of leading a doubleton is possibly getting a ruff. This is most effective when we have a control in the opponent’s suit.
Suit Bid by the Opponents
Suit Bid on Our Left – If our LHO bids a suit and we have nothing in that suit, then leading that suit is more attractive if we have shortness in the suit. If we have shortness, partner is likely to have length, especially if it is a Major suit that is not trump. Leading through dummy’s suit, when we expect partner to have length behind them, is often a safe choice.
Suit Bid on Our Right – If our RHO bids a suit and we have nothing in that suit it is a bit dangerous to lead this suit. If partner has an honor, we may help Declarer set up their suit. It is not that dangerous if we have length, as Declarer is likely to take a finesse the natural way, leading through partner. They were likely to “pick up” partner’s honor even without our lead.
More Attacking Passive Leads
When we lead away from an honor we are making an active opening lead. This type of lead has risk and reward. When we decide to make a passive lead, we are trying to minimize risk. That means that we usually stay away from suits that have honor cards. When we have multiple touching honor cards, leading our honor becomes less risky and may actually be a passive opening lead.
Let’s look at leads of touching honors and see the pros and cons of each of these leads.
3 Touching Honors – Usually Safe
KQJx – This is a great opening lead. Usually extremely safe (of course KQJT is even better), but it knocks out the opponent’s Ace and sets up two tricks for our suit immediately.
QJTx – This is also a relatively safe lead. It is not as effective because it may need to knock out the Ace and King, but it is still likely to be safe.
2 Touching Honors – Reasonable, but Some Danger (only against suit contract)
QJxx – This is potentially a nice lead, especially if partner has the King or Ace, but it also can be extremely costly if the opponents have most of the honors and spot cards.
Example 1 – Queen-Jack Danger
ATx
QJxx xxx
Kxx
The lead of the Queen in this situation is a disaster. If we don’t lead this suit, we can guarantee a trick for our side. But when we lead the Queen, Declarer can win that with their King and then finesse our Jack, using dummy’s AT. That makes three tricks for them!
JTxx – Leading the Jack from this holding can be safe if partner has some honor cards and/or good spot cards, but it can also give away the position of the Ten and make it finessable. This is especially true if dummy has a 4-card suit (then this will likely be a very costly lead).
Example 2 – Jack-Ten Danger
AQ87
JT52 K6
943
If we lead the Jack, Declarer can finesse the Queen (it loses to the King), and then our Ten becomes finessable. They will now take three easy tricks.
Leading Away From a Ten
When we have a holding like Txx or Txxx, it may seem safe to lead this suit. Often it is, but there are two common dangers. One is not leading the Ten. When we have Txxx (or even 9xxx), we may not want to throw away the Ten on opening lead. Instead, we may choose to lead second best, so it looks like “top of nothing”, but does not waste the Ten (or 9) on opening lead.
There are also dangerous card combinations that involve the Ten:
Example 3 – Danger of Leading Away from the Ten
AJ3
T742 Q85
K96
If we lead away from the Ten, Declarer plays low from the dummy and now they get three tricks, instead of the two they would get if we left them to take the finesse themselves.
Conclusion
When we make a passive opening lead, we try to avoid helping Declarer. We want Declarer to earn every trick they take themselves. But not all passive opening leads are created equal. Some leads are passive (they will not give up a trick), but also active (they attempt to build tricks) – KQJT is both a passive and an active opening lead. Choosing to make the passive opening lead that helps the declarer least and helps our side most is something that takes practice (and a bit of luck). Make sure that you work on these opening leads!