Bank Holiday Bonanza by Ben Norton

A: ♥K. A round of Spades might not stand up given your side probably has eleven of them, so attack Hearts. If you don’t declarer may well be able to get his Heart losers away on the Diamonds after drawing trumps, and your vulnerable Diamond tenace beneath the bidder will hardly help your cause. You might be able to take three Heart tricks on the go, but even if you can’t a Spade can hardly be right, since you’ll need to attack Hearts at some point anyway.

Your result so far:

A: ♥10. The play in 1NT is rarely a race, since the power is finely balanced between the two sides. Therefore, the name of the game in the early stages is to give nothing away, while possibly establishing slow tricks. To this end a Spade lead is out. It could easily blow a trick, especially when you consider that you’ll be leading into the strong hand, which rates to have some tenaces. A major-suit lead is still preferable to a minor, since West would Pass with a five-card minor but not with a major, moreover you have an excellent sequence in Hearts. The ♥10 is a stand-out.

Your result so far:

A: ♣10. A Diamond would be your safer shot, since you have length there and no honor to lead from, while a Club is more dangerous from a short holding which includes the potentially pivotal ten. Even though your opponents have had an invitational sequence, which suggests you defend passively, East could still have extra values, while your Spade holding beneath the bidder and general lack of strength is ominous, tilting the scales in favor of an aggressive lead. Try the ♣10, aiming to set up some tricks for partner or perhaps score a ruff.

Your result so far:

A: ♣J. Despite partner having shown support, a Diamond lead would be dangerous. Declarer might be able to get a discard from the suit. Partner must have good Clubs to justify offering them as a place to play at the five-level, so kick off with the ♣J. The ♠K is an alternative, but that could blow a trick and declarer will likely need to play on Spades himself

Your result so far:

A: ♣10. Declarer is very likely to have the ♠A Q on this auction, having shown no interest in the minors. Even if partner has the ♠Q, declarer could hold up to good effect, since you have no entries. Therefore, you should abandon a Spade attack in favor of a passive start. A Heart can only serve to help declarer, for he must have a reasonable holding in the suit, and a Club from 10 9 x is safer than a Diamond from 10 x.

Your result so far: