Lockdown Latest II by Ben Norton

A: ♥7. Partner has the Spades under wraps and you have the later rounds of both minor suits controlled. Where is declarer going to look for his tricks, then? He will aim to score lots of ruffs. You should try and counter this by leading your trump. This is most unlikely to blow a trick in partner’s hand as declarer surely has lots of Hearts to bid on to the five-level.

If you were going to lead a Spade, you should table the ♠4. You’ve already raised Spades, so it’s more important to give partner a clear indication that you have nothing in the suit than to signal count.

A trump lead was necessary to prevent a Club ruff in dummy and hold declarer to ten tricks.

Your result so far:

A: ♠9. East has bid 3NT facing known Heart shortness and surely has the suit under lock and key. Leading a Heart is therefore apt to surrender a trick, especially given your poor spot-cards. You have the Diamonds covered and there is thus no urgency to set up your tricks. Try a passive Spade, giving nothing away.

A Spade attack found partner with ♠Q J 10 x x, while a Heart lead would gift declarer his game-going trick.

Your result so far:

A: ♥J. East certainly has the ♠K and it looks like partner has three Spades. You won’t be getting on play again, suggesting there is little to be gained from leading Spades on the go.

If partner comes in, he can shove a Spade through and you’ll run off the suit, unless he’s lacking the ♠10 and declarer has three Spades. If partner doesn’t get in, you were never beating this anyway. Meanwhile, leading Spades yourself might gift declarer his ninth trick.

In case declarer has nine tricks ready to run in the minors, the suits his side has bid, kick off with a Heart. It could be that partner has the ♥A and you’ll take the first seven tricks. In terms of which Heart to lead, the Jack is probably best. You’re not looking to establish Heart tricks, rather to not give away a trick in the suit.

As it was, declarer had eight winners, but couldn’t gather a ninth without the Diamond suit, where partner had an entry. Unless you led a Spade to give the contract immediately, partner would gain the lead to attack Spades from his side of the table.

Your result so far:

A: ♣A. Leading unsupported Aces against games and partscores is taboo, but not in a suit partner has bid, or occasionally one that he has supported you in. This is all the more so when there’s a danger that your winners will disappear if you don’t cash them; the threat that dummy’s Spades pose here.

This is no time for passive defense. Lay down an Ace, hoping to cash three quick tricks in the rounded suits. By no means underlead either of your Aces, though, as declarer might have the King. It could be two Hearts and one Club or two Clubs and one Heart that you’re owed, and leading an Ace to get a signal from partner caters for both scenarios.

In terms of which Ace to lead, the ♣A is best. It's just about possible that you have this beaten as long as you don't broach Hearts, say if partner has the ♥Q and declarer the ♥K, but that's unlikely to be the case in Clubs, a suit partner has bid on what appears to be minimal values, suggesting a six-card or longer holding.

You had two Clubs and a Heart to cash on the full layout, but those winners would run away if you didn’t take them straight off the bat.

Your result so far:

A: ♠Q. The Spades offer your best chance of setting up tricks as you need less from partner there than in either red suit. Even if you could establish the long Heart or Diamond, you wouldn’t have an entry to the thirteener in your hand.

A Spade lead was needed to extract dummy’s side entry to the long Clubs. The contract stood no chance after that. A red-suit attack would allow declarer to establish the Clubs whilst retaining the ♠A entry to table.

Your result so far: