Camrose Trials II by Ben Norton

A: ♥3. Partner will have at least ten cards in the minors. His most likely shape is 2=1=5=5, given your singleton Spade. East’s decision to bid on to 4♠ is also likely to be based on a double fit.

Lead a Heart, to pave the way for a ruff. You hope to score the ♠A, a Heart ruff, and a trick in one of the minors. It’s no use guessing which minor right now. What’s more, you should try a low Heart. The Jack can’t do any good when partner is short, and could crash a singleton honor in partner’s hand.

Partner did indeed have 2=1=5=5 distribution. A Heart lead, or a Diamond to the Ace followed by a Heart shift, would set the contract. A Club would give declarer a tempo.

Your result so far:

A: ♥4. There is no pressing need to attack, and each option is dangerous. Indeed, you wouldn’t know what to try anyway. You have honors in all the side-suits and should sit back, letting declarer go about his business.

Leading from J x x trumps isn’t usually an attractive choice, since it may pick up partner’s Q x, for example, but here, you know the opponents have at least nine trumps, so a Heart lead is safe.

On the actual deal, a black-suit lead would give the contract. On a Heart lead, giving nothing away, the contract would eventually fail.

Your result so far:

A: ♣7. West probably has ten cards in the minors to bid so vigorously. You are looking at two or three tricks in your own hand, and the others could come from Spades or Hearts. However, you needn’t commit so soon. To lead the ♥A could gift declarer a trick with the ♥K, while a Spade lead could trot around to East’s ♠A Q.

You should lead passively, choosing a Club. Declarer won’t be able to get enough major-suit losers away on the Clubs without drawing trumps first, and you can decide later on which major to play.

On the full deal, you had a slow Spade to come, along with two Diamond tricks and the ♥A, but to lead the ♥A would grant declarer a Spade discard from dummy on his ♥K.

Your result so far:

A: ♦A. Declarer must have long, running Clubs to bid game opposite what could be nothing. He will also have the Hearts well-stopped. Therefore, it’s not hard to imagine him claiming nine tricks on the expected Heart lead.

An Ace is the time-honored lead on such hands, where declarer has lots of quick tricks, to retain the lead and try to find a suit to cash out in. Lay down the ♦A, hoping to cash five pointed-suit winners.

Partner actually held ♣Q x x on the full deal, so declarer had to lose a Club trick on his way to nine, but the Heart lead would still surrender a crucial tempo. Declarer would come to two Hearts, six Clubs and a Spade. A pointed-suit lead would keep the defense on the front foot, able to knock out the ♠A before declarer got the Clubs going.

Your result so far:

A: ♣A. You are looking at three likely tricks: the ♣A, ♦A and ♠Q. Don’t put your Aces in jeopardy by leading passively. Lay down the ♣A instead, probably to be followed by the ♦A, then wait for your trump trick.

Declarer couldn’t avoid a trump loser, so cashing your Aces would defeat the contract. Leading a Heart, however, would allow declarer to get dummy’s Club away on his long Hearts.

Your result so far: