What would you say least-used weapon in the Spades player's arsenal? The trump lead comes to mind, of course, since we all know that so many players are reluctant to lead a spade. My candidate for the most underused play is the Ace underlead. Nearly every player who must lead a side suit consisting of Axxx gives absolutely no thought to any card except the Ace.

Perhaps there are good reasons not to underlead an Ace. The fourth player might win with a King that was rightfully yours to capture. Or perhaps an opponent has a singleton in the suit and you later lose your sure trick. Equally bad, the singleton may be in partner's hand. He trumps the next lead of the suit, 'knowing' that you cannot possibly win the trick.

When the Time Is Right

Due to the risk, you must not underlead an ace merely for sport. But there are times when the risk is minimal and good things are likely to happen with this quixotic play. The right time to underlead your side-suit ace is when you are reasonably sure your right-hand opponent (RHO) does not have the King.

Suppose your RHO bids only 1, and shows up early with the Ace of hearts. Now, we all have different notions of bidding, but I will always assume he does not have another count card in his hand. The same is true of a 1-bidder who is eagerly ditching his Queens and Jacks, avoiding bags. Surely he expects to win his one trick in the trump suit. Once again, assume he does not have the key King.

But what advantages are there to underleading the Ace, rather than simply cashing it at once? Admittedly, most of the time the results will be the same for either play. Let's look at some examples in which the Ace underlead is clearly the superior play.

A. North K Q West J 9 3 East 10 8 7 5 South A 6 4 2

B. North K 3 West Q J 7 East 10 9 8 5 South A 6 4 2

Example A needs no explanation. The Ace underlead sets up North-South for three diamond tricks instead of only two. In Example B, North can get a quick third-round cut in clubs; the Ace underlead smooths lines of communication. If South has an entry in another side suit, a fourth round of clubs puts North in the enviable position of trumping after West.

C. North Q 3 West K J 7 East 10 9 8 5 South A 6 4 2

D. North J 9 West K Q 3 East 10 8 7 5 South A 6 4 2

As the North hand grows weaker, South's play becomes stronger. In Example C, West innocently plays second-hand low. North wins the Q, leads back to his partner's A, and wipes out West's K on the third round.

My favorite situation is Example D. That'll teach West about not splitting honors!

Of course, a player cannot know the suit layout. Each of the above successes is due to a fortunate lie of the cards. But there are enough good distributions to make the Ace underlead worthwhile.

In addition to the above tactical reasons, there are strategic reasons as well for underleading the Ace. Let's look at a full-deal example.

Quick Entry

North J 3 K Q J 5 J 7 4 3 K 7 3 West A K Q 5 4 A 3 2 Q 6 5 2 9 East 9 2 10 9 A K 10 9 8 Q J 6 5 South 10 8 7 6 8 7 6 4 -- A 10 8 4 2 The bidding: East South West North 2 2 5 2 East led the K

South trumped East's opening lead of the K and reasoned that East probably did not have the K. If his lead were from the AK, he surely would not have the K; and if he led from the KQ, the odds were strongly in South's favor that East's second count card was anything but the K. Accordingly, South led the 2.

North won his K and gave South a second diamond ruff. That was three tricks to North and South. Even though South later lost his A, North won a heart at the finish to fulfill his side's bid.

North and South never realized how close they were to being set. As it turned out, South's strong play at Trick Two was his only winning play. The lead of the A instead followed by a second club, or a heart lead, would have been won by West. Three rounds of spades would have been followed by four diamonds (with the aid of a finesse against the Jack). North would still get a late heart, but without the second diamond ruff, North and South emerge with only three tricks.

South needed a quick entry to his partner's hand. It may seem as though South was lucky to try a low club rather than a heart, but look again. If North's entry were in hearts it would have to be the Ace. But if we assume East does not have the K, there will be a club entry to North's hand if he holds either the K or the Q. Thus, the odds are roughly 2-1 that a low club lead is better than a heart.

A Few More Details...

If you are going to underlead your Ace from A 9 8 3, lead the 3, not the 8 or 9. Using Standard Lead conventions, the low-card lead shows strength in the suit and alerts Pard to the fact that you are likely underleading an honor. After all, you don't want him doing something clever like playing the 10 from K 10 x x.

Finally, don't even consider underleading an Ace when you are short in trump.

Regards,
Popsicle