Opening leads are undoubtedly one of the toughest parts of the game, but the task is simplified considerably when one is dealt a sequential holding such as QJ109 or partner goes out of his way to indicate the winning lead. Or is it? Try your hand on the following lead problems from the Vivendi Rosenblum Round Robin. To receive full credit you need not only to find the right lead but also give the right reason.

Hey, quizzes cannot be too easy.

(1) Both Minors

(1) Shows spades

1. No doubt you resisted the automatic heart lead. After all, it is a quiz. But why?

Dummy is virtually certain to be 6-6 in the minors. If dummy's singleton is in spades, you need to lead a spade, but if dummy's singleton is in hearts, the king of hearts lead is correct. Are you beginning to see the light? At trick one you must lead the ace of trumps in order to take a look at dummy. When dummy hits with 1-0-6-6 shape the shift to a spade, the suit in which partner holds the ace, is easy. If you lead a heart, declarer pitches dummy's spade on his heart ace.

2. It is fairly easy to find the winning lead on this deal as all leads work except that of a spade, and surely you did not lead partner's suit in a quiz.

But what is your reasoning?

Declarer's shape is likely to 6-5 in the rounded suits to justify his bidding. Still, you will never hear the end of it if declarer's precise shape is 2-6-0-5 and you have two cashing spades to go with your trump ace. Again the counterintuitive lead of the trump ace will allow you to see dummy. On the actual deal dummy held among his values the ªAK, and a spade lead would have let declarer shed his two losing diamonds. After the trump ace the diamond lead through dummy's Qxx is marked. However, there is another valid strategy for defeating the contract. If partner has a singleton club (with a void in clubs he presumably would have doubled) and a doubleton heart, then a club lead followed by a second club lead when you win the ace of trumps may be good enough. The lead of the Ace of hearts will frustrate this plan, however. On the other hand, a club lead, even when partner has the hoped for singleton and two trumps, may lose if declarer is able in the meanwhile to rid himself of his side suit loser. For example, with a void in spades, declarer may win the club lead in dummy and discard his diamond losers on dummy's AK of spades. The club lead also fails if partner is 6-1-5-1, which would explain his aggressive bidding. There are obviously no guaranties, and both the lead of the trump Ace and a club have merit. On the actual deal all leads work except that of the suit that partner went out of his way to bid for your benefit.