Believe, believe, believe you’re right

In “The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy,” Douglas Adams wrote, “Space is big. You just won’t believe how vastly, hugely, mind-bogglingly big it is.”

First today, look at the West hand and the auction. What would you lead against three no-trump?

Sometimes a defender cannot believe that his play hit the jackpot. This deal was played 16 times at Bridge Base Online. The contract was always three notrump, 15 times by South after this auction, and once by North after a bizarre sequence: one heart - two diamonds(!) - double (negative, showing spades) - pass - three notrump(!!) - all pass. Note that it takes a spade lead to stop six hearts.

At 14 tables, West led a really weird spade seven. All the declarers won with dummy’s ace, drove out the heart ace and claimed 12 tricks.

At the table with the strange bidding, East led the diamond king, under which West signaled with the jack. Declarer played a heart, but West won with his ace, cashed the diamond 10 and led his remaining diamond to defeat the contract.

At the last table, West started with the diamond jack, and East signaled enthusiastically with her nine. Declarer played a heart to his queen, and West, thinking that South had to have something in diamonds, ducked. When South played another heart, West ducked again! But now South had nine tricks: five spades, two hearts, one diamond and one club.

West should have believed his luck, taking the first (or second) heart and continuing with the diamond 10.