Bridge

In today’s deal, South is in three no-trump. West leads a fourth-highest spade two. How should East plan the defense?

With a balanced hand, count 2 points for each ace and 1 for every king. A normal two-no-trump opening contains 7 points — exactly as this South hand does.

West’s lead was debatable. It was too likely that South would have the ace-queen and that a trick would be lost. But it was all right here until East, after winning the first trick, returned his second spade, following the standard practice of leading back partner’s suit in no-trump.

Declarer just plugged away at spades, losing three tricks in the suit, but giving himself two spades, three hearts, one diamond and four clubs.

At trick one, East should have realized that South had five spades to West’s four. It was time to try elsewhere. If East had shifted to the diamond five, declarer would have been doomed. The diamond queen would have lost to West’s king, and West would have returned the diamond 10. South could not have done better than take his eight winners.