The fundamental idea of leading through strength is to help your partner to make his high cards by allowing him to play after the exposed hand. “Leading through” means to make a person play second hand to the trick. You always lead through your left hand adversary.
Should your partner hold K J x with A Q x in dummy, it is obvious that if you lead through the suit, your partner may win two tricks, whereas if he is forced to lead up to the strength, one trick at least would be lost. Players will often say, “How can I know that my partner has any high cards in that suit?” Perhaps you cannot be certain of the distribution of the high cards; in leading through strength you hope that your partner holds the missing honours, realising that if all the strength is with the dealer, nothing is lost. “Leading through strength” is simply looking ahead and foreseeing what may happen. In other words, not placing your partner in a position whereby he may be forced to lead up to the strength in dummy.
WHEN TO LEAD THROUGH STRENGTH
After taking the first trick, study the dummy carefully in order to see which suit may be led through advantageously. If there are two suits to choose from, select the suit in which you are short, hoping it may afford you an opportunity to make a small trump.
The fall of the cards will often indicate that your partner can trump the second or third round of the suit you are leading. Before giving him the ruff, consider that he will be compelled to lead, and if there is no suit in dummy that he can lead to advantageously, it is better for you to lead through the strength on the table than to force your partner to lead up to the strong hand. Of course, if it is necessary to save the game by all means give your partner the ruff, but if, on the other hand, you hold the ace or guarded king of trumps, i.e. a high card that will stop the adversary’s trump lead, it is preferable to lead through dummy’s strength. Later you can stop the trump lead and give your partner the ruff.
CHOICE OF SUITS TO LEAD THROUGH
In leading through strength, certain suits are preferable to others. A guarded king in the dummy is an ideal suit to lead through when you hold the queen, jack, ten of the same suit. By leading the queen, if your partner holds the ace, you can prevent dummy’s king from making.
In leading through strength, avoid a suit in which you yourself hold a protected honour. For instance, holding king, jack, small, it would be bad play to lead through ace, queen, ten, as this would give the dummy an opportunity to make three tricks in the suit.
The following may be classed as good combinations from which to lead through strength in dummy:
