ONE QUANDARY HELPS A SECOND DILEMMA

Jessiqua Wittman, in her book “A Memoir of Love,” wrote: “Information can be such a double-edged sword.”

That is true at the bridge table. While you and your partner are bidding, sensible opponents will be interpreting your calls. But if you are always in the correct contract, you will be impossible to beat.

In today’s deal, look at the West hand. What should West lead against four hearts?

In the bidding, North was right to respond one diamond, not one heart. With a gamegoing hand, bid the longest suit first. North-South might have even belonged in seven diamonds for all North knew at that point. Then, when South rebid one heart, North was worth a slam suggestion. By far his best rebid was four clubs, a splinter (yes, even in opener’s first-bid suit) showing four-card heart support, at least game-going values and a singleton (or void) in clubs. South, with so much wasted in clubs, signed off in four hearts. (But if South had had, say, five low clubs, he would have headed for six or seven hearts.)

What should West lead? He knows that dummy is coming down with five or more diamonds, because with 4-4 in the reds, North would probably have responded one heart, not one diamond. Also, leading a side suit bid by an opponent is rarely best. Since a trump or a club rates not to be effective, West should choose the spade two, guaranteeing at least one honor in the suit.

East should confidently put in the spade jack, cash the spade ace, lead a third spade and wait for a heart trick to defeat the contract.