BRIDGE

To start the week, test your opening leads. Do you stick to a table of preferred leads or can you think for yourself? Look at the West cards and auction. Pick a lead against four spades.

The actual West led the king of hearts from his honor sequence. Declarer won and fired back a heart. West then led a trump, and South won and conceded another heart. He won the next trump, ruffed his last heart in dummy, led a club to his queen and drew trumps. He forced out the ace of diamonds and had 10 tricks.

Dummy had shown a weak hand with spade tolerance; probably the only way declarer could use dummy was to ruff a heart. And West knew that South had losing hearts.

A trump lead makes a two-trick difference. West can get back in to lead two more trumps, and South can neither ruff his fourth heart nor reach dummy to take the club finesse.

When you pick an opening lead, imagine how declarer will play the hand. Plan your defense accordingly.

Question: You hold: ♠ 105 2 ♥ KQJ9 ♦ A98 ♣ J 7 5. Your partner opens one diamond, you respond one heart, he bids one spade. Now what?

Answer: You have no suitable call. A jump to 2NT would invite game and would be right on strength, but your club holding is shaky. A raise to two spades would suggest four-card support. Try a stalling “fourth-suit” bid of two clubs (my choice) or a timid preference bid of two diamonds. South dealer N-S vulnerable