Rules for Opening Leads
Most of the old slogans about leads are good guides; not fixed rules, but guides: know and use them.
Lead the top of honor sequences. With three or more to an honor (A,K,Q,J), lead the top one. This is the first lead taught in beginning bridge, and it's almost always a safe, aggressive lead.
Lead your partner's suit. If partner has bid, lead that suit unless you can name a specific good reason not to -- and your percentage of being right is above 80%.
Don't lead 'highest of partners suit' automatically -- you'll give away a trick to declarer on your right quite often. Don't lead the ©K with ©Kxx in partner's suit, for example -- you'll lose to ©Qxx in declarer's hand. This one trick can be the difference between a top and a bottom score for that board.
At No trump, Lead 4th Best From Your Longest Suit. The oldest saw in the book, but still a good, sound rule.
Lead the right card. Low from three to an honor (A, K, Q or J) -- high from any doubleton, including an honor doubleton, in partner's suit; middle or low from three small (in order to play higher the next time, giving count as having three).
Lead through strength and toward weakness. Lead suits that the person bidding after you has bid -- those where he has strength. If his suit is solid, you've probably lost nothing. If it's got holes, maybe your partner can get his trick right off the bat, or maybe you'll put declared to the test before he's ready.
Lead Trump. If other leads will hurt your defense, lead trump. There's not a thing wrong with it. If you suspect a ruffing plan by declarer, lead trump every chance you get.
Don't lead away from an Ace, King or Queen. Sometimes you can't help it, but try not to. Lead trump holding honors everywhere else.
Lead Unbid Major Suits -- especially if they've ended up in a Minor suit contract.
Lead to Remove Entries From Dummy. Lead dummy's bid suits to get them off the board before the trump's out -- maybe you'll stop a running side suit.
(c) Robert D. McConnell, 1998 All Rights Reserved