English golf champion Henry Cotton said, "Golfers have analyzed the game in order to find 'the secret.' There is no secret."
At the bridge table, if you analyze each auction, you will find the secret — the best opening lead — with an acceptable frequency. (No one finds the best opening lead every time.)
Look at only the West hand. What would you lead against three clubs?
North used the Unusual No-Trump to show at least 5-5 in the two lowest unbid suits: here, the minors. (It was a debatable choice because his suits were weak, but it did describe his hand better than any other bid would have done.) South gave preference to clubs.
When you have an ace-king holding in a side suit not bid by the opponents, it is normal to lead that ace. If you do that here, though, you give South a chance to make his contract. When you belatedly shift to a trump at trick two, declarer covers with dummy's 10 and takes East's jack with his ace. South plays a diamond to dummy's ace, ruffs a diamond in his hand, trumps a spade on the board, ruffs another diamond in his hand, and plays a heart. The defense is helpless.
You should lead a trump at trick one. Now the defense is a step ahead. Declarer gets only one ruff in his hand and goes down one.
Here is the guideline (but be warned that it isn't cast in stone): If an opponent shows a two-suiter and the advancer (the overcaller's partner) seems unhappy, consider leading a trump. If the advancer looks happy — or positively excited — it is unlikely that a trump lead will be best (but it might!).
At the bridge table, if you analyze each auction, you will find the secret — the best opening lead — with an acceptable frequency. (No one finds the best opening lead every time.)
Look at only the West hand. What would you lead against three clubs?
North used the Unusual No-Trump to show at least 5-5 in the two lowest unbid suits: here, the minors. (It was a debatable choice because his suits were weak, but it did describe his hand better than any other bid would have done.) South gave preference to clubs.
When you have an ace-king holding in a side suit not bid by the opponents, it is normal to lead that ace. If you do that here, though, you give South a chance to make his contract. When you belatedly shift to a trump at trick two, declarer covers with dummy's 10 and takes East's jack with his ace. South plays a diamond to dummy's ace, ruffs a diamond in his hand, trumps a spade on the board, ruffs another diamond in his hand, and plays a heart. The defense is helpless.
You should lead a trump at trick one. Now the defense is a step ahead. Declarer gets only one ruff in his hand and goes down one.
Here is the guideline (but be warned that it isn't cast in stone): If an opponent shows a two-suiter and the advancer (the overcaller's partner) seems unhappy, consider leading a trump. If the advancer looks happy — or positively excited — it is unlikely that a trump lead will be best (but it might!).