[strong 1c]

In my notes from year's ago. " If you double a contract at the 1 level and your partner leaves it in, your lead of a singleton trump is mandatory "... Is this true, and if so, why ? It seems like you are squeezing your partner.

[DavidKok]

As all things in bridge, it is not 'mandatory'. However, it is generally really good advice. The idea is twofold:

• Partner is leaving a doubled 1-level contract in (I would just generalise this to most doubled partscores). This means partner has serious length in the trump suit, as well as likely values. Normally a singleton trump is a strong warning sign against leading it, because you might finesse for declarer. This particular advice tells you the opposite: "Do not worry about the general rule, partner has enough trump control to handle it". This will be correct more often than not.
  
• Since partner left a takeout double in, the opponents are likely in a tight contract and light on tricks and points. One of the main ways in which the contract might come home is by scoring multiple ruffs, e.g. a crossruff or ruffing out a side suit. When our side holds the balance of the strength we want to draw those trumps instead. A slightly more accurate version of "Against a doubled partscore, lead a trump" is "Against a doubled partscore, lead a trump unless it is likely dummy's shortest suit" (or, in the event the auction was artificial and declarer has the short trumps and dummy the long ones, declarer). The idea is that we want to prevent ruffs on the short side, but if they landed in dummy's shortest suit this is likely not possible anyway. However, this is often too difficult to diagnose on the auction. So generally leading a trump here is good, whether or not it is a singelton.

[mycroft]

Simon's argument (which is dated in general, but accurate here) on "proposal to partner" doubles accepted is that "if you double a low level partscore contract, you are contracting to *make that contract yourself*". 2 of a minor, maybe less so (remember, he speaks rubber scoring), but definitely at the 1 level - if you pass out 1♠x, you are contracting to make 1♠ at least (*).

Which means your trump suit isn't just long, it's *good*. It's obviously finesseable should there be an entry to the board. You know this and have *still* decided to play the contract the opponents have bid, with a known bad trump break.

The key will likely be to gain control of the hand, and ensure there are no ruffs (or trump entries) in dummy before you do so. How best to do both of those things? Well, how do you avoid ruffs in the short hand or timing issues as declarer - remember, you're contracting to make 1♠ here? Right, pull trump as soon as possible. Why not trick 1?

Okay, I'd argue that Kaplan's Rule ("G-d gave me AK in a suit on opening lead for a reason, and that is to lead one") may override, but only to find out if it's right to lead my singleton trump T2.

(*) Yeah, there are times - not as many as newer players think there are - where -160 - or even -more60 - is likely to be the best result possible. But even here, how often is it going to *hurt* for the opening leader to lead trump over "guess the" other suit when endplayed at trick 1?

[mikeh]

I think it’s a bit more nuanced than the previous posts implied. Yes, we’d like to cut down or eliminate any chance of declarer ruffing in dummy but there’s a bit more to it than that. It does somewhat depend on what trump length declarer promised. A minor might be as few as 3 (f he could have fewer he often would do something to run) while a major will usually be 5+.

Against a minor we have a real chance of partner being able to pull trump. Partner often doesn’t have much in the way of outside entries so we may save a valuable tempo by leading trump immediately. Partner can use whatever side entries he may have to continue the work of pulling trump.

Against a major, we may still be pulling trump eventually but in the meantime we want to prevent a declarer play technique known as elopement. An elopement is when declarer, holding trump length but with weak cards in the suit, fears an opp can pull his trump. So he tries to set up ruffs in his own hand, hoping to ‘elope’ with some of his weak trump spots…this isn’t about stopping ruffs in dummy…it’s about stopping ruffs in his hand. Not only does a trump lead get our defence off to a good start, but it also avoids making a side suit lead in a suit where declarer may be short and thus hoping to score some ruffs in that suit en route to that elopement

[bluenikki]

strong 1c, on 2026-July-08, 08:41, said:

In my notes from year's ago. " If you double a contract at the 1 level and your partner leaves it in, your lead of a singleton trump is mandatory "... Is this true, and if so, why ? It seems like you are squeezing your partner.

This advice was predicated on the penalty pass of a 1-bid promising least QJxxxx in trumps.

Many posts have made it clear this is not true today. I lead trumps in hopes my partner will learn better.

[thepossum]

Am curious about this
It does not seem an obvious lead when another good attacking lead is available
Maybe a small singleton does not give much away but partner is sitting under declarer so why lead trumps
A nice safe attacking lead and see the lay of the land first - safe attacking lead. What do I mean

What do sim people say. - I see David was first to comment and thinks the trump is ok

Is a small singleton trump really not risking giving away a trick or two

Leading through declarer makes more sense but is less likely scenario

I never learnned much, especially not that "rule"

Now I am wasting time looking through all my recent 1x hands

Sorry I was just thinking doubling opening bid, are we including doubles of overcalls - I found one but sadly it does not have a singleton trump - and surely knowing partner's suit changes things a bit

So I cannot contribute even from recent experience

[mike777]

 thepossum, on 2026-July-08, 18:08, said:

Am curious about this
It does not seem an obvious lead when another good attacking lead is available
Maybe a small singleton does not give much away but partner is sitting under declarer so why lead trumps
A nice safe attacking lead and see the lay of the land first - safe attacking lead. What do I mean

What do sim people say. - I see David was first to comment and thinks the trump is ok

Is a small singleton trump really not risking giving away a trick or two

Leading through declarer makes more sense but is less likely scenario

I never learnned much, especially not that "rule"

Now I am wasting time looking through all my recent 1x hands

Sorry I was just thinking doubling opening bid, are we including doubles of overcalls - I found one but sadly it does not have a singleton trump - and surely knowing partner's suit changes things a bit

So I cannot contribute even from recent experience

Yes lead a trump.

Try making up hands where the opening is one of a suit, you make a takeout double and dummy and partner and opener all pass.

[thepossum]

mike777, on 2026-July-08, 19:01, said:

Yes lead a trump.

Try making up hands where the opening is one of a suit, you make a takeout double and dummy and partner and opener all pass.

If I have enough time I will try to constuct some hands. I did a quick check of last 6 months and couldn't find one with a sigleton trump
If I do find one in future I will analyse it with great interest but I doubt it would be my choice of lead unless nothing else appeals
And I prefer to lead through strength rather than up to it
Maybe someone can post an example hand and auction - all I had was a doubled overcall
My main imagination limitation is script for partner passing my takeout
I have ChatGPT working on it as we speak and will get back to you
My first draft is not going well
Maybe it is more likely after a minor opening

I have a 2 down doubled hearts that could work vs 3NT if vulnerability is right
And there are 4 good leads available. One of those 4 is the singleton trump. The others are more attacking leads
I expect we would have been in 3NT though

And the second one I have isolated is 1S-1 doubled against 3NT and yes three good leads and one was the singleton spade
Who passes a chance of 3NT based on the lead and getting 2 down

Another one where 1Sx actuakky makes 4 - sorry that was in an error
Another one where 1Sx goes down 1 versus a 4 heart ganme and believe it or not the singletoin is as good as two other attacking leads
I am not wasting any more of my or anyone elses's time because I am manually scanning questionnable hands rather than having a full script and stats

But out of all the hands generated my basic system has not passed yet

Sorry boys and girls., With great excitement 1Cx-3 where any card led has the same result
and sorry to labour a point 1Dx-4 where there are three oither fine attacking leads with the same result

But yes, evidence so far suggests the singelton is equal best which is not the same as mandatory where I play and with my partners
..butI am impressed so far

Sorry to be a party pooper just found one where one of my nice obvious attacking leads are better. There I have proved the rule

Edit I have manually checked enough 1mX hands now and surprisingly I think the singleton only missed out as equal best on 3 out of 30 hands
On those with a very stroing doubling hand of course there were multiple equal leads. so maybe on frequency it does work buut I still like leading AK or Aces and other sequences myself. It was absolute best on 1 hand out of 30 and around 2/30 had no other good attacking lead available. And on a few of the stronger ones I think a moroe ambitious partner could have found a game. Vulnerability mattered. And on several hands with a choice of Aces not all of them worked so maybe
And I certainly have not had time or care to automate that hand selection process. Not many make it round

This post has been edited by thepossum: Today, 01:28

[mike777]

As far as leading through strength, please remember dummy passed. Dummy is not strong, dummy is weak. So you are always leading up to the opener who is stronger than dummy.

The auction is

1Y=X=P=P
P

Y= a suit bid

[mike777]

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