BRIDGE

As an equal opportunity columnist, today’s spotlight will fall on a startling break from orthodoxy that actually scores a huge goal.

The natural auction was a bit optimistic but with controls aplenty and a great source of tricks in South’s fine club suit, reaching the spade slam was a practical effort and very likely to succeed if you check out the entire diagram.

West would be hardpressed to find an effective opening lead: a spade or heart would be far too dangerous as would a diamond away from the King to leave a top-of-nothing club as an attempt to give nothing away.

The play: South would win dummy’s King, play two top trumps and start on clubs to discard dummy’s small hearts with one heart loser from the closed hand getting ruffed in dummy and the other going away on the ace of diamonds.

And that’s exactly how things unfolded at several tables of this Online tournament where the spade slam was bid.

Just not at the table where South African Alon Apteker held the West cards!

Instead of the club lead (or even a diamond that holds some appeal), Apteker clicked on the one card in his hand that was guaranteed to unsettle declarer: he led the Jack of hearts!

Unwilling to play low from dummy and likely see East win the King and maybe deliver a ruff on the way back, declarer won the ace, cashed the club King and played two top trumps before starting to run clubs to pitch North’s small hearts.

A fine plan until East ruffed the third club and led to his partner’s King of hearts for the setting trick!