Year End Extravaganza by Ben Norton

A: ♣3. It can often be right to play a forcing game when you have trump length, but that’s unlikely to be effective here, when you have such weak trumps and declarer has six cards.

You should go for ruffs instead. Who knows, you might be able to work a trump promotion for your ♥10. Lead your singleton and expect partner to gain the lead multiple times to supply ruffs.

On the full deal, a Club lead would score you a ruff, then you’d be able to cross back to partner in Spades for another Club, promoting a trump trick for the defense.

Your result so far:

A: ♠6. Dummy is probably 3.1.4.5 on the bidding, so declarer will be looking to ruff Hearts in dummy. Lead a trump to cut down on these ruffs. You have the later rounds of the Club suit under lock and key, and if dummy can be denuded of trumps, you will enjoy Heart tricks.

A trump lead would prevent two ruffs in dummy. Limited to only one Heart ruff, declarer may well go down.

Your result so far:

A: ♦10. East-West have agreed Diamonds. Indeed, it sounds like they might have nine cards there. Certainly, declarer has a lot of shape, probably with a semi-solid six-card Spade suit.

It’s most unlikely that you can set up a rounded-suit trick, so your best bet is to lead a Diamond, hoping to give partner a ruff when you gain the lead with the ♠A.

A Diamond lead would indeed pave the way for a ruff and set the contract.

Your result so far:

A: ♦6. Leading the ♥A is unlikely to get you anywhere. It would afford you a look at dummy, but you have no reason to suspect that an immediate attack in a minor is necessary; dummy needn’t turn up with a long suit to work on. Meanwhile, cashing the ♥A could establish a trick in dummy.

If you are to beat this, you will probably need partner’s values to lie outside Hearts, which makes a Heart lead even less desirable; East could hold ♥K x. You should put the ball into play with a Diamond lead, from your safer doubleton.

The ♥A would establish dummy’s ♥K as declarer ruffed, and he would have an easy time.

Your result so far:

A: ♥7. A Diamond lead would be far too dangerous, and for little reason. Faced with a choice between the rounded suits, then, you could opt for safety with the ♣10, but that has very little upside.

Your best bet is a Heart from your worthless doubleton. Although this is more likely to find declarer’s length, thereby making it easier for him to pick up the suit, he could always have done so by himself anyway, and a Heart lead carries the chance of setting up a ruff. One likely natural trump trick with the ♠Q is no reason to avoid trying for a ruff.

The Heart lead would pierce dummy’s ♥K beneath partner’s ♥A Q. You would thus score two Hearts and a Heart ruff on the go, followed by two top Diamonds and a further Heart lead, promoting your ♠Q to the setting trick. Just as on the first hand, you would be able to score one more trump trick than you were due by taking a ruff and subsequently achieving a trump promotion.

Your result so far: