Your greatest guess is to steer trump to your companion on this situation

Think about this out of your companion’s viewpoint. What would they play if they’d the lead? They ordered up the proper bower, in order that they should have a fairly stable hand in that swimsuit. What is their plan for making three tips, realizing that one is assured misplaced to the proper bower? Probably it includes some variation of outlasting the seller within the trump swimsuit. The greatest risk to that plan is that the seller someway manages to win a trick with a bit trump that they could be holding. If that occurs, then the protection has two tips, and the ultimate trick is prone to be an off-suit trick that would go both method. Therefore, in case your companion had the lead, they’d doubtless play their highest trump to attempt to pressure the proper bower out, and also you main trump to them is the subsequent smartest thing.

If you lead trump, and your companion performs their highest trump (which I’m type of assuming is the left bower, in the event that they ordered up the proper), then the seller has two selections. They can both throw off a small trump, which helps remove your greatest fear, which was that they may have discovered a solution to make that small trump good. More doubtless, they’ll overtrump with the proper, which suggests your companion shall be enjoying final on the subsequent trick. That offers your companion the opportunity of discarding a loser if you’re profitable the trick, or profitable it with a low trump should you’re not, they usually’re void within the lead swimsuit.

The solely situation right here that’s not too good is that if the seller leads an off-suit card, you are not in a position to win in that swimsuit, and your companion is compelled to comply with swimsuit. However, if that is how the playing cards had been dealt, then that play is sure to occur finally as a result of the seller is assured a trick from the proper bower. To keep away from it you would need to discover a possibility to your companion to discard their loser, and there’s no protected method to do this with you within the lead.

Both of the choice performs recommended within the feedback appear extra dangerous. Consider the choices:

1. Play a aspect ace (if in case you have one): If both of your opponents is void within the swimsuit of your ace, this can give them an opportunity to make good on a low trump, or no less than pressure your companion to burn a trump to avoid wasting the trick. It additionally would not purchase you that a lot as a result of if the seller is holding that swimsuit, there is a affordable likelihood that they’ll play it once they win the lead with their bower. So, you are risking freely giving a trick in alternate for the opportunity of profitable a trick that you could possibly have gained by much less dangerous play.
2. Lead low and hope to cross-trump (if in case you have a void): As earlier than, this creates alternatives the protection to make good on a low trump, or worse, an off-suit card. On high of that, there is a good likelihood your companion finally ends up having to spend a trump to take a trick the place neither of the opponents performed any trump. It’s notably unhealthy if every of the opponents has a low trump, as a result of then they could be those cross-trumping. Leading trump ensures that if each of your opponents have trump, then they’ll no less than collide on the primary trick.

In abstract, main trump is prone to name out the seller’s proper bower on the primary trick, and put your companion in a great tactical spot for the second trick. To me, that is much less dangerous than any of the choices for an off-suit lead.

Here’s one other perspective on the matter that results in the identical conclusion: https://members.tripod.com/~Borf_Books/ecolum31.htm#leadtrump