ACES ON BRIDGE

One recurring theme of the 1st World Mind Sports Games was the difference that the opening lead could make to the outcome of a contract. For example, here’s a deal from the Women’s Match between England and Poland.

In the first room, Nicola Smith, East for England, bid one club, and South overcalled one heart. North-south explored further, then settled in three hearts. Sally Brock led her singleton diamond; Smith took her ace and returned the diamond nine, suit preference for spades. Brock ruffed, returned a spade, and received another diamond ruff. Another spade return completed a perfect defense that saw the contract one down from the get-go.

In the other room, the auction went as shown, with Catherine Draper as North sensibly evaluating her diamond fit and aces to be worth a shot at game, once she found her partner with length in both red suits.

West looked no further than the club king for her opening salvo. Anne Rosen won in dummy, drew trump, knocked out the diamond ace, discarded a spade on dummy’s fifth diamond, and claimed 10 tricks.

Should West have read more into the accelerated bidding after diamonds were mentioned? West has five points and her partner had opened the bidding. Simple arithmetic reveals that North and South are unlikely to have the normal number of high cards usually associated with a major-suit game. The inference is that they have found a second fit, and the diamond ruff may therefore be critical to defeat the game.

LEAD WITH THE ACES

ANSWER: It is often right to lead a trump when declarer ends up in his second suit. (One can infer that dummy will be short in declarer’s first suit.) Here, though, partner should be able to overruff spades, so a trump lead seems unnecessary. I’d lead the unbid suit — and while a good case could be made for a high spot-card, I’d simply lead the two (or the four if playing third-and-low leads).