Bridge

When you and your partner are defending against four of a major, you need to win four tricks to defeat the contract. When the dummy comes down, you should both wonder from where you might get those four winners.

In this deal from the World Youth Bridge Team Championships last year, West guessed to lead the heart queen against four spades. What happened?

The defenders have one trump trick, so they must take three minor-suit winners: three diamonds, or one club and two diamonds. If West had led one of his aces at trick one, that probably would have facilitated matters, but he didn't.

Declarer won with dummy's heart king and cashed the ace, on which he discarded his singleton club. Now, instead of immediately hoping for luck in the trump suit, he led a diamond from the board.

At this point, East had enough information to know to win with his queen or king and shift to his trump. However, he unwisely played low.

Now West should have found the winning defense, but it was much harder. He took South's nine with his jack and cashed the diamond ace, letting the contract make. Either declarer could have ruffed his last diamond or, if West switched to a trump, South would have had eight spade winners.

West should have realized that if South had had the diamond king, he would have played it, hoping to win the trick. So, West, after winning with his diamond jack, should have led a low diamond to put his partner in for the effective trump switch.