lished suit in the other hand, sometimes after the adverse
trumps have been taken out, but often before, there being no time for
drawing trumps. With no card of any value in a suit in one hand, the lead
should come from that hand, but it is better, if possible, to let the
adversaries open the suit. It is generally useless to lead a moderately
high card from the weaker hand in order to finesse it, when holding no
cards in sequence with it in either hand. Sometimes (especially in
no-trumps) it is the better play to make the weak hand third player. For
instance, with king, 8, 7, 5, 2 in one hand, knave, 4 in the other, the
best way of opening is from the hand that holds five cards.

In a no-trump declaration the opponents of the dealer should endeavour to
find the longest suit in the two hands, or the one most easily established.
With this object the leader should open his best suit. If his partner next
obtains the lead he ought to return the suit, unless he himself has a suit
which he considers better, having due regard to the fact that the first
suit is already partially established. The opponents should employ the same
tactics as the dealer to prevent the latter from bringing in a long suit;
they can use them with special effect when the long suit is in the exposed
hand.

Against no-trumps the leader should not play his winning cards unless he
has a good chance of clearing the suit without help from his partner; in
most cases it is advisable to give away the first trick, especially if he
has no card of re-entry, in order that his partner on gaining the lead may
have a card of the suit to return; but holding ace, king and queen, or ace,
king with seven in the suit, or ace, king, knave, ten with six, the player
may lead out his best. With three honours any two of which are in sequence
(not to the ace) the player should lead the higher of the sequence. He
should lead his highest card from queen, knave, ten; from queen, knave,
nine; from knave, ten, nine; knave, ten, eight, and ten, nine, eight. In
other cases the player should lead a small card; according to the usual
convention, the fourth best. His partner, and also the dealer, can credit
him with three cards higher than the card led, and can often place the
cards of the suit: for instance, the seven is led, dummy holds queen and
eight, playing the queen, the third player holds the nine and smaller
cards; the unseen cards higher than the seven are ace, king, knave and ten