Leads Quiz 229 by David Bird

A: ♥3. Any lead but a spade can beat the contract, but South chose to lead the ♠7 and this was the deal:

____________________♠ 9
____________________♥ 8 7 5 2
____________________♦ A J 7 4
____________________♣ J 10 9 7

♠ K 5 3_________________________♠ Q 10 6 4
♥ K 9____________________________♥ A Q J
♦ Q 8____________________________♦ 10 9 6 5
♣ A Q 6 5 4 2_________________♣ K 3

____________________♠ A J 8 7 2
____________________♥ 10 6 4 3
____________________♦ K 3 2
____________________♣ 8

Right, take the East cards now and see if you would have made 3NT. The spade lead goes to North's 9 and you win with the 10. What now?

If you play on clubs, you will go down. You will have to surrender a trick in that suit and the defenders can then add three diamonds and a spade. Instead, you should lead a spade back at trick 2. South cannot play the ace without giving you two more tricks in the suit. The ♠K wins and you now play on diamonds, eventually setting up a trick in that suit.

After a heart lead, you cannot set up the extra tricks you need in both spades and diamonds before the defenders have a heart trick.

Your result so far:

A: ♥6. It is best to lead from the 5-card suit. The argument 'Partner is more likely to hold length in my 4-card suit' makes little sense. You need 5 tricks to beat 3NT and this is most likely when you can lead a suit where either you or your partner has five cards. The defense was not yet over, though. This was the deal:

____________________♠ 8 6 5 4
____________________♥ K J 5
____________________♦ A Q 2
____________________♣ 8 6 2

♠ 9 2____________________________♠ A K J
♥ 9 3____________________________♥ A 10 2
♦ K J 7 4_______________________♦ 9 8 6 3
♣ A Q J 7 5____________________♣ K 9 3

____________________♠ Q 10 7 3
____________________♥ Q 8 7 6 4
____________________♦ 10 5
____________________♣ 10 4

North was Australia's Tim Bourke. Declarer allowed his ♥K to win. He continued with the ♥J and this won, too. What now? South could not hold the ♥A because declarer would have covered the ♥J with ♥Q 10 x. So, declarer had the ♥A.

Two hearts and two diamonds would not break the contract. If North persisted with hearts, declarer would be able to set up the diamonds. Realizing this, Bourke switched to a spade at trick 3. Declarer could not then set up the diamonds before the defenders set up the spades.

Your result so far:

A: ♣K. A club leads looks best. You must now take the East cards and see if you can spot a chance of making 13 tricks. This was the layout:

____________________♠ 10 9 8
____________________♥ 10 9 5 2
____________________♦ K 6 4
____________________♣ 5 4 3

♠ A K 7_________________________♠ Q J 5 3 2
♥ K J____________________________♥ A Q 8 7 6 4
♦ Q J 9 7 2_______________________♦
♣ A 8 7__________________________♣ J 6

____________________♠ 6 4
____________________♥ 3
____________________♦ A 10 8 5 3
____________________♣ K Q 10 9 2

Sitting East, you win the ♣K lead in dummy and must somehow find a way to avoid losing a club trick. You draw two rounds of trumps with the A K, finding a 3-2 break. You now need the hearts to be 4-1, with the last trump lying with the length. (You are right, it wasn't a very good contract.) You discard two clubs on the hearts and ruff a club with dummy's last trump to make the grand slam.

Your result so far:

A: ♣K. You lead the ♣K and this is the deal.

____________________♠ 8
____________________♥ K J 10 8 5 3
____________________♦ 10 9 4 3 2
____________________♣ 10

♠ 6 3 2_________________________♠ A K Q J 9
♥ A 4____________________________♥ Q 2
♦ A K Q________________________♦ J 7 6 5
♣ 7 6 5 3 2____________________♣ J 9

____________________♠ 10 7 5 4
____________________♥ 9 7 6
____________________♦ 8
____________________♣ A K Q 8 4

You must take the East cards now. South perseveres with the ♣K and ♣Q and you ruff the third round. When you play the ♠A K, North discards a heart on the second round. How will you continue?

You need four diamond tricks and that suit is blocked. The solution is very elegant, although perhaps difficult to see. You must draw all the trumps and discard dummy's ♥A! You then play the ♦A K Q and at trick 11 lead the ♥4. North's last two cards are the ♥K and the ♥10 or a diamond. Either way, he will have to give the lead to your hand and you will make the ♥Q and the ♦J.

Your result so far:

A: ♠J. It is normal to lead the top trump, when holding a sequence, and this turns out to be the best lead. Take the East hand now and see if you can make the spade game.

____________________♠ 7 3
____________________♥ K J 4
____________________♦ K 10 5 2
____________________♣ K 10 8 2

♠ 6 4_____________________________♠ A K Q 8 5 2
♥ 9 7 6 3________________________♥ A 8 5
♦ A Q 7 6 4____________________♦
♣ J 6_____________________________♣ A Q 5 4

____________________♠ J 10 9
____________________♥ Q 10 2
____________________♦ J 9 8 3
____________________♣ 9 7 3

You win the trump lead with the ace and see that you would like to enter dummy to discard a loser on the ♦A. What is the safest way to do this? Suppose you lead a low club towards the jack. If you are unlucky and North wins with the king, he may be able to return another trump, preventing a club ruff.

The winning play is to lead the ♣Q from your hand. If this is won, you can cross to the ♣J for your discard. If it is ducked, you can score a club ruff to reach dummy.

Your result so far: