Lead Conventions: Speaking the Same Language from Trick One
Your partner makes the opening lead. You’re sitting in dummy’s seat, watching that card hit the table, and here’s the truth: that single card carries more information than a long conversation ever could. But only if you’re both speaking the same language.
Lead conventions are the foundation of defensive bridge. They’re not just about which card you play—they’re about what that card tells your partner. Get this right, and you’ll defend like mind readers. Get it wrong, and you’ll be defending in the dark.
Why Lead Agreements Matter
Opening leads happen before you see dummy. You’re flying blind, making educated guesses based on the auction. Your partner needs every scrap of information you can give them, and they need it encoded in that first card.
Think of lead conventions as partnership communication. When you lead the ♠K, is that from KQ? Or are you showing the ace too? When you lead the ♦5, is that your fourth-highest card, or is it top of nothing? Your partner has to know, or they’re just guessing.
The beauty of lead conventions is that they work both ways. When you’re on lead, you’re sending a message. When your partner leads, you’re reading one. Master this conversation, and you’ll win tricks you have no business winning.
Standard Leads: The Foundation
Most partnerships start with “standard leads,” which is actually a complete system covering different holdings. Let’s break down what standard really means.
Fourth Best from Length
When you have length in a suit (four or more cards) without a touching honor sequence, you lead your fourth-highest card. This is the most common opening lead convention in bridge.
From ♥K9742, you lead the ♥4. From ♣AJ863, you lead the ♣6. The fourth-best convention gives partner information about your length through the Rule of Eleven: subtract the card you led from eleven, and the answer tells you how many higher cards are in the other three hands.
If you lead the ♠6, partner subtracts from eleven and gets five. Looking at their hand and dummy, they can count how many cards declarer holds above the six. It’s detective work, and it’s powerful.
Third and Fifth Leads
Some partnerships prefer “third and fifth” instead of fourth best. The principle is similar: from a five-card suit, you lead fifth-best; from a four-card suit, you lead third-highest.
From ♥K9742, you’d lead the ♥2 (fifth-best). From ♣AJ86, you’d lead the ♣8 (third-highest). The advantage? Your partner knows more about your exact length. The disadvantage? It’s harder to calculate on the fly.
Most modern partnerships stick with fourth-best because it’s simpler and the Rule of Eleven works. But third-and-fifth has its fans, especially among more experienced players who want to know length immediately.
Top of Sequence: When Touching Honors Lead
When you hold touching honors (cards in sequence), you lead the top of the sequence. This is where things get interesting, because the card you lead tells partner which honors you have.
Classic Sequences
From ♠KQJ4, lead the ♠K. Partner knows you have the queen and probably the jack too. From ♥QJ102, lead the ♥Q. From ♦J1098, lead the ♦J.
The rule: lead the highest card from a sequence of two or more touching honors. This is true whether you’re leading against suit contracts or notrump.
What counts as a sequence? Generally, you need at least two touching honors, and the ten counts as an honor for this purpose. KQ10 is a sequence (lead the king). QJ9 is a sequence (lead the queen). But K109 isn’t—lead fourth-best from that holding.
Interior Sequences
Here’s where it gets tricky. What about holdings like ♣KJ109 or ♥A1098? You have an interior sequence (the 109 or 1098) hiding behind a higher honor.
Against notrump, you typically lead the top of the interior sequence. From ♣KJ109, lead the ♣J (top of the J109 sequence). From ♥A1098, lead the ♥10. This tells partner about your holding structure while potentially preserving your top honor.
Against suit contracts, the approach often differs. Many partnerships lead the king from ♣KJ109, planning to continue with the jack to show the sequence. The specific agreement matters less than having one.
MUD: Leading from Three Small
You hold ♦842. No honors, no help, but you need to lead something. What card do you choose?
Enter MUD: Middle-Up-Down. From three small cards, you lead the middle card, then play the higher card next, then the lower one. From ♦842, you lead the ♦4, then play the ♦8, then the ♦2.
Why MUD? It tells partner you have nothing in this suit. When they see you lead the four and then produce the eight, they know you started with three worthless cards. You’re not leading fourth-best from length, and you’re not leading from an honor.
Some partnerships use “top of nothing” instead, leading the ♦8 from 842. This looks like the start of a doubleton, which creates ambiguity. MUD is clearer, which is why most modern partnerships prefer it.
Attitude Leads: Spot Cards That Speak Volumes
Not every lead is about count or honor structure. Sometimes you’re trying to tell partner whether you like this suit or you’re just making the least-bad choice.
Attitude leads typically come into play when you’re leading a suit partner bid or when you’re making a clearly desperate lead. A high spot card (♠9, ♠8) says “I like this suit, partner—I have something useful here.” A low spot card (♠3, ♠2) says “I’m leading your suit because you bid it, but I don’t have much.”
From ♠Q93 in partner’s suit, lead the ♠9 (encouraging). From ♠832 in partner’s suit, lead the ♠2 (discouraging, but I’m leading it anyway because you bid it).
This gets subtle. If partner bids spades and you lead the ♠2, they know not to expect much help from you. They’ll look to develop the suit themselves or find tricks elsewhere.
Top of Nothing: When You Have No Good Options
Sometimes you have no four-card suit, no sequences, no honors worth mentioning. You’re leading a doubleton or a hopeless three-card holding, and you just need to pick something.
“Top of nothing” means leading your highest card from a short, weak holding. From ♥93, lead the ♥9. From ♣74, lead the ♣7. This tends to look like the start of a doubleton, which gives partner information about your distribution.
The distinction between top-of-nothing and MUD matters. If you lead the ♦8 from ♦842 (top of nothing), partner doesn’t know if you have three or two. If you lead the ♦4 from ♦842 (MUD), your next card clarifies everything.
Leads Against Suits vs. Notrump: Different Languages
Here’s the twist: lead conventions change depending on whether you’re defending a suit contract or notrump. The cards look the same, but they mean different things.
Against Suit Contracts
Against suit contracts, you’re often leading from shortness, hoping to score ruffs. You’re less worried about establishing long suits (declarer will ruff) and more focused on quick tricks and disruption.
From ♠AK64, you lead the ♠A (ace from ace-king). From ♥KQ7, you lead the ♥K (top of touching honors). From ♦842, you lead the ♦4 (MUD). These leads emphasize quick information: do you have the touching honor, or don’t you?
Many partnerships use “ace from ace-king” against suit contracts to avoid ambiguity. When you lead the ace, partner knows you have the king. When you lead the king, you might have the queen or you might be underlead the ace—the auction usually clarifies.
Against Notrump
Against notrump, you’re trying to establish long suits. You’ll often lead from broken holdings, hoping to set up small cards. Fourth-best becomes critical because you’re racing to establish your suit before declarer establishes theirs.
From ♠KJ942, lead the ♠4 (fourth-best). From ♥Q1086, lead the ♥6 (fourth-best). From ♦KQ103, lead the ♦K (top of sequence).
The key difference: against notrump, you’re much more likely to lead away from honors, hoping partner has something useful. Against suits, you’re more conservative, looking for safe leads that don’t give up tricks.
Example Hands: Lead Decisions in Action
Example 1: Standard Fourth-Best
Your hand: ♠K9742 ♥A6 ♦Q83 ♣J104
Auction: 1♥ - 1♠ - 2♥ - 4♥
You’re on lead against 4♥. Spades are your longest suit, and you have a decent holding. Lead the ♠4 (fourth-best). Partner will use the Rule of Eleven to figure out declarer’s spade holding, and you’re hoping to establish spade tricks before declarer can pitch losers.
Example 2: Top of Sequence Against Notrump
Your hand: ♠84 ♥QJ103 ♦A72 ♣9653
Auction: 1NT - 3NT
Lead the ♥Q (top of your QJ10 sequence). This is a classic notrump lead: you have a solid sequence in a four-card suit, and you’re hoping partner has the ace or king. Even if they don’t, you’re establishing tricks in your longest suit.
Example 3: MUD from Desperation
Your hand: ♠Q3 ♥864 ♦KJ7 ♣108542
Auction: 1♠ - 2♦ - 2♠ - 4♠
Nothing looks safe. You don’t want to lead from your ♦KJ, and your club suit is terrible. Lead the ♥6 (MUD from three small). It’s passive, but it’s unlikely to cost a trick. Partner will know you have nothing in hearts when you follow with the ♥8 next time.
Example 4: Ace from Ace-King
Your hand: ♠AK6 ♥742 ♦J1063 ♣985
Auction: 1♥ - 3♥ - 4♥
Lead the ♠A (ace from ace-king against suits). You’ll see dummy and partner’s signal, then decide whether to continue spades or shift. Leading the ace asks partner to give you attitude: high card means “I like spades,” low card means “please shift.”
Common Mistakes and Partnership Disasters
Not Discussing Your Agreements
The biggest mistake? Assuming your partner plays the same conventions you do. “Standard” means different things to different people. Always discuss your lead conventions before the first deal.
Do you lead ace from ace-king or king from ace-king against suits? Do you use MUD or top of nothing? Fourth-best or third-and-fifth? These aren’t trivial details—they’re the difference between reading your partner’s lead correctly or completely misunderstanding it.
Leading the Wrong Card from a Sequence
From ♠KQJ4, you should lead the ♠K. Leading the ♠Q creates ambiguity—do you have the king or the jack? Leading the ♠J is even worse. Always lead the top of your touching sequence, and partner will know what you have.
Confusing Suit and Notrump Conventions
Leading the ace from ♥AK6 against notrump is terrible—you might block the suit or give up a critical tempo. Against notrump, most partnerships lead the king from ace-king (though some lead the ace). Know your partnership’s agreement and stick to it.
Failing to Follow Through with MUD
You lead the ♦6 from ♦864 (MUD). Next time diamonds are played, you need to play the ♦8, not the ♦4. If you play the ♦4, partner thinks you led fourth-best from a five-card suit. MUD only works if you complete the sequence.
Building Your Lead Convention Framework
Start with the basics: fourth-best from length, top of sequence from honors, MUD from three small. Agree on ace-from-ace-king versus king-from-ace-king against suits. Decide whether you’re using attitude leads in partner’s suits.
As you get more comfortable, you can add refinements. Maybe you adopt third-and-fifth leads for more precise length information. Maybe you develop special agreements for specific auctions (what do you lead when opponents splinter?).
But remember: complexity without clarity is worse than simplicity. Better to play simple conventions well than complicated conventions badly. Your goal is to have a conversation with your partner through your leads, and the best conversations happen when both people are speaking the same language.
Lead conventions turn the opening lead from a guess into a message. Master them, and you’re not just putting a card on the table—you’re telling your partner a story. And in bridge, the best stories start with chapter one being crystal clear.