BRIDGE with Bob Jones

North had a difficult bidding decision at his first turn. He felt like he had too much to pass, so he bid five clubs. South co-operated with a five-diamond cue bid, and North went to five spades, hoping that his singleton queen was adequate support. South had to pass, as North had failed to cue bid a heart control. The result was a contract that was dangerously high. All of the bidding was reasonable, but the massive club strength opposite a void was a serious duplication of values.

A favorite lead against a suit contract, for almost all players, is a singleton in partner’s suit. That would have been a disaster on this deal, as declarer would quickly discard three red-suit losers on the high clubs. There would have been 11 tricks even with the foul trump position. West, however, was Kerry Sanborn of Delray Beach, Florida, a multiple World Champion. Sanborn listened carefully to the auction and realized that North-South had stopped bidding for lack of a heart control. Accordingly, she led the three of hearts, and the defense scooped up the first two tricks in hearts and the unlucky trump loser meant down one for South.

Your hand might suggest one lead over another, but the auction should be your primary guide to the correct opening lead. Choosing the opening lead is an inexact science, but results would improve for almost everyone if they put more thought into the selection.