NEW CANADIAN BRIDGE

Saturday, February 13, 2021

Declarer won the ace, ruffed a diamond and discarded his remaining diamond on the ace of spades. A spade ruff was followed by six trump winners and then a heart was advanced towards the table. When West contributed a spot-card, South judged to play dummy's jack and the slam was home.

The slam would be defeated when West begins with a trump preventing a diamond ruff in dummy. Unfortunately, a trump lead would virtually never be chosen by West.

A heart lead was a possibility because South had rejected Blackwood but declarer would not misguess hearts in this scenario.

South took an aggressive stance in the auction, to be sure, but North had opened the bidding and South was supremely confident that his hand would yield nine winners. A pessimist might have leaped to 3NT over partner's spade rebid but this action would prove an abject failure when West begins with a heart and dummy displays little or no strength in the suit, showing another illustration of the importance of the opening lead.

A club slam was the final destination at quite a few tables but no West led a trump. The contract was defeated twice when declarer played a heart to the king. Questions on bridge can be sent with a stamped, self-addressed envelope to The New Canadian Bridge c/o Torstar Syndication Services, One Yonge St., Toronto, M5E 1E6.