Lockdown League II by Ben Norton

A: ♣2. Your ♥K seems to be well-placed for declarer, suggesting he will make enough tricks if given time. You should therefore go on the offensive.

The Club suit offers the best chance of setting up and cashing tricks, needing the least from partner, and a low one is better than an honor. Leading the ♣K will only gain when partner has length and declarer holds both the ♣A and ♣J, and the Jack will be in dummy a good proportion of that time anyway, perhaps giving declarer a guess for the ♣10.

A low Club gains not only when partner has a doubleton ♣J, but also when declarer has long, strong Clubs, for then you’d remain with the King and Queen sitting behind him to provide two stoppers.

On the actual deal, only a Diamond lead would set the contract legitimately, but a low Club would also suffice in practice. However, a top Club lead would be into the arms of East’s A J 10 7 x, granting him four tricks in the suit.

Your result so far:

A: ♠Q. There is little reason to lead anything other than a Spade, and the Queen is the right card, to retain the lead in case you need to switch through dummy. Partner has most of the defensive strength, so the aim should be to lead up to him. It’s likely that you’ll want to shift to a Heart at trick two, but a Club is also possible.

Your only chance of three tricks on the actual hand was to lead the ♠Q, holding the lead to shift to a Heart. That would put declarer to a King-Jack guess that he might well get right, but he wouldn’t have any problems if you led the ♠10, putting partner on lead and giving declarer no losing option.

Your result so far:

A: ♣K. Italian superstar Benito Garozzo asserted that one should always lead their side-suit singleton, but when you have such strength in the other side-suits and your singleton is in dummy’s suit, that doesn’t necessarily hold true.

It’s unlikely that declarer has a trump loser, so if you lead your singleton and find dummy with length and strength in Diamonds, you may witness declarer run enough tricks for his contract straight off the bat, or after conceding a trick to partner’s ♦K. You should therefore kick off with the ♣K, aiming to cash four quick tricks in the rounded suits, or to set up a fourth trick to cash later.

A Diamond lead would likely need partner to have the ♦A to work. Even then, it might not be the right defense to seek a ruff, say if you have a Club to cash and two slow Heart tricks to establish while partner controls the Diamonds.

On the full hand, the defense had four top tricks to cash (three Hearts and a Club), but only if they took them at once.

Your result so far:

A: ♥A. It might go against the grain to lead the Ace of a suit your side hasn’t agreed, but it’s almost certain to stand up, given that no-one bid Hearts, and it you have a Spade trick to come, you can always try that at trick two. You might even have two Heart tricks to cash.

It’s most unlikely that this lead will give the contract, since declarer surely has enough tricks if left to his own devices, using dummy’s long Clubs.

Partner had the ♥K on the full hand, and it was necessary to cash the first two tricks to set the slam.

Your result so far:

A: ♣8. There is no need to be active on defense here. West’s strength is limited by his original pass, and it appears as though they’re in an eight-card fit with no sign of a source of tricks on the side. Rather than attack in a pointed suit, which is apt to give away a trick, you should go passive with a Club and let declarer do his own dirty work.

A trump lead would be just as dangerous as a Spade or a Diamond, potentially picking the suit up for declarer when partner holds an honor. Declarer may well have a ruffing value, but it needn’t be important for him to take ruffs. A safe Club from low cards must be best.

A Club lead would defeat the contract. Partner would take the ♣A and shift to a Diamond, through declarer’s King. After taking two tricks there, you would exit passively and wait for your side to come to a trump trick with partner’s Q x facing your J x x.

Your result so far: