| The jack should be led from |  | J 10 9 |
| J 10 | ||
| J x | ||
| J |
The lead of the ten indicates the king jack and ten and denies both ace and queen. If either the king or the jack is in your hand or in dummy, the ten lead denies any higher card, and is probably the top of a short suit.
 | K J 10 x | |
| 10 9 x | ||
| The ten should be led from | 10 9 | |
| 10 x | ||
| 10 |
The lead of a nine denies all higher cards of the suit; it is led only as a top card, and usually indicates a short suit.
 | 9 8 x | |
| The nine should be led from | 9 x | |
| 9 |
INFERENCES FROM LOW CARD LEADS
An application of the Rule of Eleven will materially assist you to draw correct inferences from the lead of a small card. It will indicate whether the lead is from a short or a long suit.
If you see more high cards than the Rule of Eleven would allow, you can mark the lead, not as fourth best, but as the top of a short suit. If the lead indicates a long suit, you can often determine the exact combination of cards from which it has been made.
The Rule of Eleven
Deduct the size of the card led from eleven, and the difference will show how many cards higher than the one led are held outside the leader’s hand.