Skip to content

Info: Leads and Carding

Because the methods outlined below are reasonable methods that most players should find familiar, we chose them for purposes of Real World Bridge publications. Unless a particular Quiz specifies otherwise, we assume that you and your partner follow ‘standard bridge’ carding agreements with ‘standard’ signals. Specifically:

  • When partner leads a suit, and you are not contesting the trick, the spot card you play shows attitude.
  • In attitude situations, to encourage, you play the highest spot card you can afford; to discourage, you play your lowest.
  • When declarer or dummy leads a suit, and you are not contesting the trick, the spot card you play shows count.
  • In count situations, to show an even number of cards, your first play is the highest spot card you can afford; to show an odd number, your first play is your lowest spot card.
  • In suit-preference situations, a low spot card indicates values in the lower of the two side suits; a high spot indicates values in the higher of the two side suits.
  • When returning partner’s suit, lead the higher of two remaining cards. With three or more remaining cards, and lacking a sequence, return the original fourth best.

We assume that you and partner have these agreements about leading when you have a sequence:

  • You and partner lead the higher of touching honors: Ace from Ace-King, King from King-Queen.
  • When you are following suit, you play the lowest of touching cards (7 from 78, Jack from QJ).
  • When you are discarding, you play the highest of a sequence (the Queen from QJ, QJ10, QJ109, etc.).

Regarding what card you lead, we assume that you and your partner have these agreements:

  • For opening leads, when all of your cards are small, we assume that you lead the highest from two, the lowest from three, and the second highest from four or more.
  • For opening leads, when you have three or more cards headed by honor, with lacking a sequence of honors, we assume that you lead the lowest from three cards, and fourth best from four or more cards.
  • During the play, we assume that if you lead a low spot card, you are suggesting that it’s OK for partner to return the suit; if you lead a high spot card, you are discouraging partner from returning the suit.