Testing Trials by Ben Norton

A: ♦A. It’s always suspicious when the opponents reach a minor-suit game in a constructive auction. 3NT is often preferred due to the lower trick requirement. It’s usually because one of the suits is wide open, which looks to be the case here.

Neither opponent suggested 3NT, so partner is all but certain to hold the ♦K. Lead off the ♦A, intending to continue the suit. After taking a couple of tricks there, you can sit back and wait for the ♥K to come good. If you don’t take your Diamonds, they may go away, perhaps on the Spades. That’s what happened on the actual deal.

Your result so far:

A: ♥K. East must have 3=1=5=4 distribution for his bidding. You’d certainly like to attack in the unbid suit (West can have at most three Hearts, having failed to bid 4♠ or respond 1♥), and the correct card is the ♥K, to squash a significant singleton on your right. Imagine declarer holding the singleton ♥10 opposite dummy’s ♥A J x, for example. The losing case of a bare Ace with declarer is less likely.

Indeed, the ♥K lead was needed to put paid to the game, with the singleton Queen on your right and ♥A J x in dummy.

Your result so far:

A: ♥J. A Spade lead will do no good. East must have a stopper, probably two, and partner didn’t take the chance to raise. Even if partner has a doubleton Spade, declarer will have three and you’ll be unable to run the suit, perhaps due to a blockage. You don’t have any side entries, after all.

Best take this chance to lead through one of dummy’s tenaces. The ♥J is your best bet, for not only does it require less from partner, but Hearts is the suit you all but know East doesn’t have length in, else he might have tried 4♥. He would have no such reservations with Club length.

The ♥J lead was the only one to set the contract on the actual hand. Dummy had ♥A Q 7 x in front of partner’s ♥K 8 x x, so two Heart leads from your side set up a couple of tricks there to go with two Spades and a Diamond.

Your result so far:

A: ♠8. The unbid suit is usually sewn up on auctions like this. There will be at least two Clubs in dummy, and declarer could have bid 3♠ with a doubleton if he was unsure about the Club position. In fact, East rates to have a singleton Spade for this reason.

A Club lead from your broken holding is too dangerous. Best lead a passive Spade through dummy’s tenace. This is almost certain to be safe and could set up tricks, for you can continue the suit when you gain the lead with your minor-suit Kings.

When the hand was played, a Club was selected. That found declarer with ♣Q J 9 x x and dummy with A x x. Although the hand could still have been defeated, it would have been much easier on a Spade lead, giving nothing away.

Your result so far:

A: ♠3. Don’t lead a Heart just because your partner bid the suit. He merely responded to your opening bid, which promises nothing in the way of suit quality. You can see three likely tricks in your hand, and given your powerful plain-suit holdings, declarer may struggle to come to ten tricks if left to his own devices.

Simply lead a trump, ‘putting the ball in play’. There’s no need to commit yourself with an aggressive side-suit lead. Partner could have doubled 2♦ if he wanted that suit led.

On the layout, you have two Clubs and two Diamond tricks to come if you only wait. A low Heart would grant declarer his game-going trick, as would a Club attack.

Your result so far: