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1. WAIT!

2. Even though you are anxious to get the play underway
when you are declarer at bridge you must find ways to
control your excitement and approach the hand with
control and thought.

3. What Are The Opponents Up To?

4. If you are playing in a suit contract (where a specific suit is
trumps) then normally your opponents will lead one of
the other three suits. The first thought that you could
entertain is why did s/he lead that specific card. You can
look at your (including the dummy's) holding in these suits
and see which cards in each of the suits your opponents
hold.

5. Why That Suit?

6. Possibly the first question you could ask yourself is why
did they lead that suit. Of course if the auction has been
competitive they likely will lead one of the suits they have
bid. But if uncontested you can look at the cards they hold
in those suits and try to determine what holding the
leader could have to make that lead the most attractive
one.

7. It is possible that the holding in that suit is suitable. For
instance if there is king, queen and jack held, leading the
king makes sense. It is also possible that the holdings in
the other two suits are less attractive. For instance say you
are missing ace, king and queen of a suit. If it is not led
you can assume that the leader does not hold ace and king
or king and queen but more likely ace and queen or bare
king. Certainly this sort of logic is not foolproof, but you
can get a clue if you approach it in this way.

8. Personally I find much more success in figuring out what
the opponents are up to by imagining what they are
holding in the suits they don't lead. These inferences can
come in handy later in the game when there are decisions
to be made concerning finding specific cards.

9. What If They Lead Trumps?

10. There are several reasons for leading trumps. If you and
your partner by the bidding seem to indicate that you are
going to be trumping a dummy's short suit it can be very
damaging for the opponents to attack your trumps at the
beginning. If the bidding has indicated that you are in a
four/four fit and you, as the leader hold four trumps, it
can frequently be a good idea to lead them so that you
reduce the trumping possibilities of the declarer as soon
as possible.

11. If the opponents lead trumps you already have a clue as to
what their holding likely will be. If you are missing an
honor it likely won't be with the leader. If there is a suit
which by all logic should have been led there will be some
holding in that suit in the leader's hand that makes it
unattractive. It usually is not difficult to figure that one
out.

12. Conclusion

13. It is possible to write a book about playing to the first
trick. It probably has already been done. I am not going to
attempt this feat here. I merely wanted to admit that I am
guilty of this basic sin as a bridge player and hopefully can
help you avoid it as much as possible.

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