If
you want to show a good defense, you must follow opponents' calls in
the auction very carefully.
Sometimes, the best defense is attacking. If declarer has long suits,
he will discard his losers to low cards of this long suit, after he
clears your trumps. If you feel such a danger in the sky, don't lead trump
as opening lead. Your opening lead must be aimed at collecting declarer's
losers, before he can find a way to establish these losers. So, you must
be aggressive if you decide declarer has long suits.
Sometimes, you
would like to hide
your strong suit. You may like to see the dummy
and have an idea about declarer's strength. Then, you can attack with
your strong suit. In order to attack with
your strong suit later, your oponening lead may be a
card that has no chance to make a trick. So, you must be passive if you
decide declarer has a balanced hand.
We can divide
defending into two groups:
1- Defending
suit contracts:
2- Defending no-trump contracts
Before looking into
these groups, let's take a look at general rules for opening leads:
a)Your partner's
suit.
b)Lead from an unbidded suit.
c)If all suits bidded, dummy's 2nd suit.
d)Lead the highest of touching high cards.
e)Avoid opening leads in a side suit heading with an Ace, but lacking
the King.
f)Avoid opening leads in declarer's first suit.
Defending suit
contracts:
Lead from an
unbidded suit. Opening leads in partner's suit are the safest. You can
lead a trump in order to ruin declarer's plans and prevent him winning extra
tricks by ruffing. Don't use your singleton trump as an opening lead.
Since you are lack of trump suit your partner may have long one.
Especially, if your
opponents showed unbalanced hand (by refusing no trump contract)
trump opening will prevent them winning tricks by ruffing.
If you are planning an opening lead from your singleton or doubleton
suit to obtain ruffing later, your trumps must be low. In other words,
don't plan to spend your winner trumps by ruffing. You must also be sure
that your partner will win your opening lead to turn the suit for you to
ruff.
Lead the high card
from a doubleton. Like 9 6, J 7. Avoid
opening leads in a doubleton with a gap (like: AQ, Q10 etc.)
Lead lowest card from three cards which
is not headed by two touching high cards.
Like: 9 6 4, Q 7 4, but
Q J 7.
Defending no-trump
contracts:
If you are making
an oppening lead in a no trump contract, you can lead the forth best card from your longest and strongest suit.
If contract is no trump
in the hand diagram at
the left, you can lead  7
(forth best card) as an oppening.
Also, choose a mojor suit for opening
lead in no trump contracts: Your opponents made no trump contract because they don't have long
major suit. With a long
major suit they would prefer a major contract.
You can confidently
make an openining lead with touching honors like, AKQ, KQJ or
QJ10.
Lead the highest of
touching high cards. Even if the sequence is begining after a gap.
A J 10 9
Lead the high card
from a doubleton. Like 9 6, J 7. Avoid
opening leads in a doubleton with a gap (like: AQ, Q10 etc.)
Lead lowest card from three cards suit which is not headed by two
touching high cards. Like: 9 6 4, Q 7 4, but
Q J 7.
Good Luck!
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