DAILY QUESTION

Look only at today’s West cards and the bidding; pick an opening lead against four spades.

Most experts would say that opening leads are the hardest part of the game. Nobody can find the best lead every time.

When I watched the deal,

West feared that dummy might have a good club suit declarer could use for discards. So

West led the jack of diamonds.

South won and led the king of hearts, and East took his ace and shifted to a trump.

West won and led a second trump, but South won, cashed the queen of hearts and

ruffed a heart with dummy’s last trump. He ruffed a diamond, drew trumps and had 10 tricks: four

trumps, a heart, a ruff in dummy, two diamonds and two clubs.

NINE TRICKS

West’s lead was reasonable, but this time the best lead was a low trump. The defense could clear dummy’s trumps, deprive South of a heart ruff and hold him to nine tricks.

Good opening leads involve visualizing the dummy and anticipating the play. They also require fortitude — and often luck.

You hold: KQJ76 Q873 5 A 7 5. You open one spade, your partner responds two diamonds, you bid two hearts and he rebids three diamonds. The opponents pass. What do you say?

ANSWER: In Standard methods, your partner shows six or seven diamonds but minimum values for a two-level response. Pass. Your game chances are nil. Even in a style where his two diamonds was forcing to game, many pairs treat a rebid of three diamonds as not forcing.