The first lead made by the defense is often crucial to whether the bid contract is made or not. There are various possible opening leads, depending on the bidding that has gone before, and the cards held :

• Partner's suit. If your partner has made a bid, the best opening lead may be a low card in your partner's suit.
• Singleton. If you hold a singleton, and the opposition contract is in another suit, the lead of that singleton card is always a good lead. This gives you a good chance of being able to 'trump in' at some stage.
• Doubleton. If you hold a doubleton, and the opposition contract is in a different suit, the lead of the higher of the 2 cards is often a good lead (known as 'petering'). When subsequently you play the lower of the 2 cards, if trumps have not yet been used up, your partner then knows that a subsequent lead from him or her in that suit may result in a 'trump in' from you, and you gain an extra trick.
• King from AK or KQ. If you hold an ace and a king or a king and a queen in a particular suit, the lead of the king is often a good lead. Whatever the result of the lead, you will normally still have a potential winner left in your hand.
• 4th highest of your longest suit. This lead is standard for a no trumps contract, and is only appropriate to this. It improves your chances of ultimately gaining tricks from the low cards in your longest suit.

Note

The same principles on leads apply to all leads, not just the opening lead, though the latter is particularly important.

Example

On this hand an opening lead from any suit is possible, depending on what has happened before :

• 7 of clubs. This is the best lead if the opposition contract is in another suit. This gives you a good chance of 'trumping in' later.
• 10 of diamonds. This is a good lead if your partner has bid diamonds, particularly if the contract is in clubs. Note that the middle of the 3 cards should be led first, so that when you next play the higher card, your partner knows you were not 'petering'.
• King of hearts. King where you also hold the queen is a good lead if there has been no bid from your partner, and the contract is in clubs.
• 5 of Spades. The 4th highest of your longest suit is the standard opening lead for a no trumps contract.