Their bidding helps your declarer play

Michelangelo said, “A man paints with his brains and not with his hands.” A bridge player bids, declares and defends with his brains, influenced by the cards in his hands. In today’s deal, South is in four hearts. What is West’s most thoughtful lead? If he makes the unusual choice of his singleton trump, and East wins with his ace and returns his remaining heart, how should South picture the deal and the play? West’s lethal lead is the diamond king. Since South cannot get to the dummy to discard a diamond on the club ace, he must lose one spade, one heart and two diamonds. After the defence of two rounds of trumps, declarer has seven top tricks: one club, one diamond and five hearts. He can ruff two spades on the board, but he also needs to establish a spade trick for his 10th winner. From the bidding, South knows West has five spades and East three. Also, West is certain to have the spade ace, both for his opening bid (given that East has the heart ace and probably a club honour) and because he did not lead a spade. Declarer should win the second trick on the board and run the spade jack. It loses to West’s queen, and the diamond king comes back. South wins and leads the spade king, ruffing away West’s ace and bringing down East’s nine. Declarer discards a diamond on the club ace, ruffs a club and ruffs the spade six, happy to see the 10 appear from East because the eight is now South’s 10th trick. Make use of those valuable spot-cards.