The opening lead is the first card played in the playing phase of a contract bridge deal. The defender sitting to the left (LHO) of the declarer is the one who makes the opening lead. Since it is the only card played while dummy's cards are still concealed, it can be critical for the outcome of the deal. Making the best opening lead is a combination of selecting the best suit and then the best card within that suit.

Considerations are:

North and South have reached a contract of 4♥, which has some possibilities. At first glance the declarer seems to be losing a spade, a heart, maybe a diamond if the finesse fails and a club or maybe more. However, if the opening lead is the ♥2 (a safe lead) Declarer will find it much easier to make the contract because he will have time to set up the diamond suit. The ♠4 lead (an aggressive lead) will make his job more difficult.

Partnerships may choose their own method of "carding". The following is considered fairly standard (mainly Klinger 1994 ):

Ambiguities can arise from this standard method, thus:

Ron Klinger is a leading bridge author, writing more than 50 books on the game. He is an Australian Grand Master and a World Bridge Federation International Master.

Klinger was born on November 8, 1941 in Shanghai, China, and has lived in Sydney, Australia since 1946.

He was editor of Australian Bridge for thirteen years starting in 1972. He was also the bridge columnist for the Australian Women's Weekly and later, The Daily Telegraph and The Weekend Australian. He currently writes a daily bridge column for the Sydney Morning Herald and a weekly column for The Sun-Herald. He is also a regular contributor to 'Australian Bridge' magazine and Britain's 'Bridge Magazine', and is the author of over 50 books on bridge. His book, Guide to Better Card Play won the American Bridge Teachers' Association (ABTA) Best Book of the Year Award in 1991.Right Through The Pack Again won the 2010 International Bridge Press Association Book of the Year Award. Klinger has played for Australia in the Bridge World Championships in 1976, 1978, 1980, 1984, 1988, 1989, 1993, 2000, and each year from 2003 to 2011. He won the Pacific-Asian Open Teams in 1970, the Pacific-Asia Seniors Teams in 2006 and has won the Pacific Asian Open Pairs twice. In the 1976 World Open Teams Olympiad, he won the Bols Brilliancy Prize for best play. He also provides material daily on the www.ronklingerbridge.com website.