Do not be blind to the opening lead

A.N. Onymous said, “We must not allow the clock and the calendar to blind us to the fact that each moment of life is a miracle and mystery.”

Each moment of life — each trick — at the bridge table can be a mystery. But careful analysis and counting will usually cause the light bulb to go on.

In an international match, neither declarer solved this mystery correctly. What should they have done in four hearts after West led the spade 10?

In the auction, South might have rebid three hearts because he had so many playing-tricks. But when he settled for two hearts, and North had sufficient to raise, South went for the game bonus.

The original declarers won with their spade ace, took dummy’s top trumps and tried to cash the spade king, discarding their singleton diamond. However, West ruffed, and the defenders shortly took three club tricks for down one.

As I mentioned earlier this week, if the opening lead is in dummy’s side suit and is not from an honor sequence, it is highly likely to be a singleton.

There was a much easier route to 10 tricks: one spade, seven hearts, one club and one club ruff on the board. South should immediately cash his club ace and concede a club. Suppose East takes that trick and returns his trump. South wins on the board, ruffs a spade, ruffs a club and claims.

Alternatively, if East leads back a spade, declarer must be careful to ruff high. Then he can take two club ruffs and collect an overtrick.