OUT OF BOOK, OUT OF MIND

Certain plays are deceptively difficult to find when they go against the normal grain. We are used to following the textbook. When something rarely highlighted in a book crops up, we all struggle to find the winning play.

This is particularly true in today's deal, which occurred at an Australian tournament.

Against five diamonds doubled, West starts with the spade king: three, nine, five. What should he lead at trick two?

South opened with a modern favorable-vulnerability pre-empt: a weak hand with 13 cards, some of which were in the suit bid! East did well to double five diamonds because five hearts would have been easily defeated.

Normally, when declarer is threatening to ruff losers in the dummy, the defenders should shift to trumps. But that doesn't work here. South draws trumps and runs the clubs, aided by the successful finesse.

West tried to cash the spade queen, but South ruffed and led the diamond king. With the trumps 2-2 and the club finesse working, South had no trouble in collecting 11 tricks: five diamonds, five clubs and a late heart ruff on the board.

Perhaps East didn't do so well after all. With this defense, he should have sacrificed in five hearts despite East-West's combined 27 high-card points.

The winning defense is a heart switch, forcing South to ruff in the dummy! Declarer does best to lead a trump to a royal, but West completes his good work by ducking this, leaving the defense in control. If South plays another trump, the defenders cash a heart trick. Tough.