Surfing the Net IV by Ben Norton

A: ♦4. Diamonds is much your stronger suit, and your chances of cashing them are much higher than in Hearts. The issue remains of which card to lead, though.

The ♦A could be right, to drop a doubleton ♦Q in one of the opponents’ hands, but even then, you’d need partner to hold as many as four Diamonds, else the suit would block and you wouldn’t have a re-entry to your hand. It’s unlikely partner has as many as four Diamonds, since West rates to have length in the minors after his failure to use Stayman.

Your best shot is a low Diamond. This way, you stand to unblock the suit and keep communication with partner. You may even cash the first five tricks when partner has Q x.

On the actual layout, partner had ♦J x and dummy ♦Q x x. Declarer reasonably played small from dummy, holding the ten in hand, and lost the first five tricks. To lead the ♦A would give the defense no chance.

Your result so far:

A: ♣K. You can see two tricks in your own hand, but it’s unlikely that you can score any in the Heart suit, given that partner didn’t double 3♥ for the lead. Nor will you take more than one Diamond trick as partner should have six cards there.

Your best chance to set this lies in the Club suit. Lead your singleton, in the hope of gaining the lead with the ♠A and underleading to partner in Diamonds to receive a Club ruff. Hopefully, partner will have a slow trick in one of the rounded suits as well.

Partner had the ♣Q and ♦K, so a Club lead was necessary on the actual deal. You would take a Diamond, a Club, a Spade and a ruff.

Your result so far:

A: ♣7. It’s often a good idea to lead actively against suit-contract slams. The intention is to set up your trick and cash it when you get in with your keycard, before declarer can throw his losers away.

Here, it would be reckless to lead a Diamond, hoping to establish the setting trick there. East has a very strong hand, probably including the ♦A. A Diamond attack could blow a trick. If you sit back and wait, you’re likely to come to two tricks. Try a passive Club.

In the event, any lead but a Diamond would beat the slam. Declarer had the ♦A Q and would eventually have to rely on a finesse in that suit.

Your result so far:

A: ♥7. Once again, you should go against the sage advice. When an opponent leaps to a slam without checking on keycards, it’s likely because they have a void somewhere. Here, that void rates to be in Diamonds, for if East had a void Heart, he wouldn’t have a great deal of high cards to justify his bidding, missing the ♦A and ♣J, while the same can’t be said if he had no Diamonds.

To lay down the ♦A could therefore establish high cards in dummy while being bumped off by declarer. Go passive with a Heart and wait.

Left to his own devices, declarer couldn’t make his slam. The ♦A lead would let the contract through, establishing dummy’s ♦K Q for discards.

Your result so far:

A: ♦K. When partner doubles a slam, he’s usually asking for an unusual opening lead. However, this changes when you’ve pre-empted.

Most pairs play that a double of a slam after partner has pre-empted asks him to lead his own suit. Indeed, what else could partner be asking for here? Declarer surely has control cards in both majors, and partner can’t be void in either of those suits. Try the ♦K, expecting partner to ruff it.

On the full deal, partner had a void Diamond and the ♣A. A Diamond lead was necessary to set the slam, before declarer got his Diamonds away.

Your result so far: