Looking over the available conventions that most spades players will have readily I see a huge necessity for lead conventions. Most have an understanding about Ace leads, King leads, Queen leads etc but we slam into a wall in regards to Jack, ten, and nine leads. This ambiguity has revealed itself time and time again to me over the years and I'd like to simply make available the conventions available and my personal choices.

In regards to standard leads, the Jack was led with holdings such as Jx, J109, AJ10x, KJ10, AJ10 etc. Typically the Jack showed either zero cards higher in the suit or one higher. We virtually have three different scenarios when a Jack was being led.

1. Jack led from shortness. Something like a singleton or Jx.
2. Jack led from J10x or J10 or J109 etc.
3. Jack led from an inside sequence like AJ10, KJ10.

We all certainly recognize the phrase, sequence meaning cards in consecutive order like KQJ and AKQ. These are called solid sequences because no break exists in the sequence. Sometimes we will indeed have one break and these sequences are called, inside sequences. Holdings like AJ109, KJ109, A1098, all contain a sequence but the second highest card is where the sequence begins. That fact distinguishes a solid sequence from an inside one.

Leading top cards from solid sequences presents no real problems for us but it is the leads of Jacks, tens, and nines that do. If we lead a Jack from any of these three examples how can partner discern whether to continue this suit later or whether to play some honor card when the suit is led.

Say you lead the Jack and I am holding A9xx and the opp plays low on this Jack lead. Hey folks! I would really like to know which one of the three scenarios you have. It could be right to take my ace and try to give you a ruff. It might be right to hold up one round if you do not have any other entries. It might be right to play my right hand opp for either the Queen or King planning to finesse in this suit once again if it is led. And finally it might be right to take the Ace and lead it right back catering to a singleton or the inside sequence type hand.

Can you see all the problems that exist when a Jack is led? Sheesh! It is Ambiguity City, folks!

Some progress was made over the years when folks decided to make the lead of the Jack deny any card higher. Kudos to the guy that thought that one up! It sure makes life easier but created several distinct problems.

Now when partner leads the Jack I know that he does not have a card higher. Hmmmmm, I like this except for one small exception. Surround play! "Surround play?"

Is that like surround sound? "Well, I guess it is!"

A surround play will occur on something like this. Say I hold the KJ9 and I have a very strong feel that my left hand opp is holding either the Queen or Ace left to make his bid. I might now lead the Queen hoping my pard has the ACE and my right hand opp the ten. Left hand opp will have to cover this because my Jack will float if he does not. When he covers my pard takes the trick and leads the suit back and I am going to finesse for the ten by playing the nine. This is commonly called a surround play. This will be the only exception to the rule of leading a Jack and having a higher card and the only time this will occur is in the spade suit!

Note: Exceptions occur to every rule!

After eliminating the ambiguity of Jack leads with this little tool we find that the lead of a ten suffers the same fate. Is the ten lead from 10x? Yes, showing shortness! Is the ten led from 109x? Yes! Is the ten led from A109x? Yup! Beginning to see the problems your partner is going to have when you lead a ten?

Most of the folks that play the lead of a Jack denies a higher honor card now employ a conventional agreement about tens. The standard method was that the ten showed either zero cards higher or 1 higher card. It would be led from 109 combinations as well as from A109 combos. This creates all kinds of problems for your poor partner folks. Granted if you bang down your aces every time you probably don't need to be reading this. If you like to finesse occasionally you probably should be. If the phrase double-finesse is something you've never heard about maybe you should research that term.

Even this methodology is poor. The poor ten is just simply overworked. A better method is to allow the ten to show zero or two higher cards instead of zero and 1. Notice I said better but not best! Now the ten will be led when you hold AJ10, or KJ10 or 109x or 10x. Have you really gained that much? Heck no! You gain on the lead of the Jack but you are right back in the soup on the ten.

The folks that fall into this category playing this ten/nine convention play the same thing for a nine lead as well as a ten lead. A nine or a ten led is indicative of either none higher or two higher cards held.

Basically the same ambiguity as the ten leads. Partner must guess if your leading a short suit, or a sequence, or you have two higher cards. Good grief, those guys are being overworked!

All of these conventions are aids, especially at the Bridge table where one hand is visible but at the Spades table ambiguity is greater. Since it is much greater we must have tools that narrow these ambiguities.

One such method, my favorite, is this one.

Since we eliminated the ambiguity with jack leads we can almost do the same thing with the ten by allowing the ten to show one or two of the top three honor cards. Meaning A,K,Q. He could have two of them or one of them but certainly not all three, and quite infrequently KQ. Occasionally a case can and will be made for leading the 10 holding KQ10 but it is rare. Wow! Notice I said one or two precisely. Not zero or two. So the ten is guaranteeing at least one.

Guarantees one or more, guarantees one or more. I think you have it now.

So, when I hold A109, K109, Q109 I am going to lead the ten. The only reason I have included 1 or two higher is because a case can be made for leading the ten when holding KQ10 and even AQ10. It will be indeed rare but nevertheless should be included.

So before someone quits reading and starts bashing me about things like what are you to do then when you hold shortness and a doubleton ten or nine or even ten/nine combinations let me finalize this. First off let me begin by stating this: "In practice leads of tens and nine holding doubletons lose much more than they gain. This is not some random statement either. Statistically you lose more than you gain unless, and this is a pretty big unless, partner signals you in some suit. Signaling by means of some high discard that he has values in some suit. Now, and only now should you lead a ten or a nine doubleton.

With combinations that include 109x or longer the nine is led to remove ambiguity. Face it folks leading doubleton nines and tens will cost tricks. It's not the scope of this article to show just how they can but if you like write me and I'll give you all the examples you need and a real nice book regarding subjects like this. Arguments can be made in the bridge world about lead conventions because one hand is visible. That changes things drastically regarding lead convention. Since we do not have that luxury I believe these lead conventions to be the best for a regular seasoned partnership willing to enhance partnership understanding.

Regards,
Ruffkid1 (Jay Tomlinson)