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Andrew:
When your longest suit is headed by three touching cards…
We are considering the opening lead to a notrump contract. The normal choice is “fourth from the top of the longest suit”, but this will not always be wisest.
When your longest suit is headed by three touching cards (i.e. AKQ, KQJ, QJ10, J109, 1098), it is correct to lead top of that sequence as opposed to the fourth from the top. This clarifies the position to partner, and makes sure declarer does not win an unnecessarily cheap trick.
Preventing declarer/dummy from winning an unnecessarily cheap trick is so important that you should lead top of near-sequences too. Take the following holdings - a one-card gap between the second and third cards:
KQ1042 QJ965 J10832
Leading the red card is correct in each case, as is illustrated by the following suit layout:
| J6 | ||
| KQ1042 | 973 | |
| A85 |
Lead the “fourth highest” four, and dummy scores his jack; you have still to knock out declarer’s ace. Lead the recommended king, however, and you can pin dummy’s jack with your follow-up of the queen. All declarer scores is his ace, whereupon your suit is ready to run.
Take West's cards and defeat 3NT
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South Deals N-S Vul |
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| West | North | East | South |
| 1 NT | |||
| Pass | 3 NT | Pass | Pass |
| Pass |
| 3 NT by South |
| Lead: ♥ Q |
On our featured deal, West correctly led the queen of hearts. If he led the fourth highest six of hearts, declarer could run it to his hand and win the trick cheaply. He could then knock out the ace-king of diamonds, and withstand a further attack on hearts (his ace-king of hearts still being intact). He would breeze home with 11 tricks.
The queen of hearts was a very threatening card for declarer to see hit the table. He did the best he could, rising with dummy’s king to lead a low diamond. But East now rose to the occasion (literally), winning his ace (key play). He was then in a position to lead a second heart, crucially through declarer’s ace-ten.
Declarer’s ten lost to West’s jack, and a third heart was taken by declarer’s ace. Needing to force out the king of diamonds to make his nine-trick game, declarer led a second diamond. No good - West won the king and cashed his two long hearts. Down one.
It is interesting to note that, although it is normal to lead fourth highest (not the queen) from QJ8xx, QJ7xx, QJ6xx etc, the queen would work best from those suits too, should the layout be as above (i.e. dummy Kx and declarer A10x).
