Falsecards on Opening Lead

An opening lead falsecard may be warranted if an aggressive or desperate lead is needed. For instance:

• The opponents have bid strongly, e.g. stopping in game after investigating slam.
• Your hand indicates that key suits or cards lie favorably for declarer.
• You are trailing in a session, and need a swing.

Even if one of these conditions are present, expert player and writer Mike Lawrence recommends falsecarding only if:

• You hold the critical cards held by the defenders so that partner will not be involved in the defense (and not have an opportunity to be misled into making a bad decision).
• You must be able to predict how the play of the hand will go and what effect your falsecard will have. ¹

The following example is from Zia Mahmood's autobiography "Bridge My Way" ²:

		North
		A5
		AKJ854
Mahmood		982		Granovetter
9743		73		862
62				Q93
54		South		AQT63
QT842		KQJT		K6
		T7
		KJ7
		AJ95

Mahmood Pass Pass All Pass		North 1 3 (2)		Granovetter Pass Pass		South 1 1NT (1) 3NT
15-17 Forcing

Against a strongly bid 3NT, Zia led the 4. Matt Granovetter won the ace and returned the 3, which ostensibly showed a four-card suit. Accordingly, declarer assumed 4 losers at most: 3 diamonds and 1 heart. He rose with the K and took the heart finesse. Granovetter, of course, won this and rattled off his diamond winners to beat the contract.

An opening lead can not only disguise suit length, but specific honors as well. The following deal was from a club game in California:

		North
		A8
		AQJ
West		AQT875		East
974		42		32
7642				K983
KJ		South		643
AJT8		KQJT65		Q765
		T5
		92
		K93

West Pass Pass

North 1 3 4

East Pass Pass All pass

South 1 3

After hearing North's bidding, West assumed that her diamond honors were poorly placed. She therefore tried the opening lead of the J to misrepresent her actual holding.

Her ruse worked. Declarer feared a singleton and hopped up with the A. A low club to the K then lost to West's A. At trick 3, West found a heart switch that forced South to finesse. When this lost, the defense collected another club and a diamond to set the cold contract. (And, incidentally, trigger a director call!)

¹ Lawrence, Mike. (1986). Falsecards.

² Mahmood, Zia. (1995). Bridge My Way.