The Trump Lead: When It Kills Ruffing Plans
Browse topics:
An defence article titled "Dummy type #3 - Dummy that is good for ruffing" looked at situations where dummy is fairly weak and generally doesn't have much potential for setting up long suits. Often these dummys are most useful for their ruffing value.
When the auction suggests that dummy is fairly weak with support for declarer's suit, it may be a time to lead trumps. This hand came up in recent play, where a trump lead was deadly
Example 1.
Dummy is expected to be fairly weak, but will have ruffing value. It's likely that the tricks you have in the side suits won't be running anywhere.
Example 2.
In this example dummy is going to be strong and have a quality diamond suit, and you can see the King is on side and the suit is breaking well for declarer. Its time to seize the initiative and lead aggressively, possibly with a club or otherwise a heart, rather than a trump.
Lets keep the hand the same but place it in the context of a different auction.
Example 3.
Once again dummy has advertised that it is weak, and is unlikely to have a very menacing side suit. A trump lead looks very reasonable.
Example 4.
This is one of the most standard times to lead a trump. Dummy will have 0-2 spades, and longer diamonds. It is also going to be weak. It mainly will be useful for its ruffing value.
Example 5. Lets take one final look at the situation where dummy has a long suit.
In this example, you can be sure that declarer is not going to get much use out of dummy's long suit, so there is probably no rush to take tricks in Hearts and Clubs. Dummy might be used more so for its ruffing value than its diamond suit. For that reason, a trump lead in this context could work out well.
Summary
When thinking about leads, think about what type of dummy you are dealing with. A ripe time to lead trumps is when dummy is advertised to be weak with a few trumps. Conversely, if you're dealing with the dummy type that has a long menacing side suit, trumps might be too "slow", as you may need to take your other side suit tricks ASAP.
Where to next
Build the habit with guided practice
Reading helps, but trainer reps are what make bidding decisions automatic under pressure. Use the trainer to train your mind and lock this theme in.
Sign up first, then choose your subscription plan. Includes a 7-day free trial.