ACES ON BRIDGE

“Fate is never fair. You are caught in a current much stronger than you are; struggle against it, and you’ll drown not just yourself but those who try to save you. Swim with it, and you’ll survive.”

-- Cassandra Clare

In today’s deal, you do well to reach a spade game rather than opting to play no-trump, since on a heart lead there are only eight tricks at no-trump.

Against your contract of four spades, you are not upset to see a small club lead -- until dummy comes down, and you realize the danger of a ruff. West’s club two goes to East’s ace, and he returns the club queen. Plan the play.

It looks entirely natural to play the club king, but you can work out what will happen. West will ruff your club king away and will not find it difficult to switch to a heart at trick three. After drawing trumps you will have to give up a club trick to East, who will cash his heart winner, and you will go one down.

Is there anything you can do to avoid your fate? Yes there is. Try the effect of ducking the club queen at trick two. If East continues with another club, as he surely will, West gets his ruff and shifts to a heart as before.

But the timing is different: you win the heart and draw trumps, ending in dummy. Then you have time to ruff out the clubs in order to set up a long club for a heart discard. Ducking the club saves you a tempo in establishing the suit. If the defenders do not take their club ruff at trick three but shift to hearts, you will even end up with an overtrick.

ANSWER: With a potential stopper in each side suit, you have reasonable hopes that if declarer has a second suit, it won’t run -- and if it does, you probably won’t beat the slam anyway! That being said, leading from any honor might well give up your side’s trick in the suit. So even though passive leads are not nearly as effective against small slams as grand slams, I would lead a trump here.