Leading trumps

When your side has most of the highcard strength, but your opponents bid a lot anyway, it’s for sure they know something you don’t: They have a good trump suit and good distribution to compensate for their lack of high cards.

In today’s deal, North-south reached four spades, vulnerable, though they were outgunned 21 to 19 in high-card points. North’s bid of four spades was an error in theory: South’s three spades had shown only a desire to compete, not interest in game, so North should have passed without looking at his hand.

Four diamonds by East would have failed by at least one trick, and South’s four spades doubled should have failed also. But West led the king of hearts: deuce, ten, three. He shifted hurriedly to a trump. South won with the ace and led a heart. West took his ace and led a second trump, but South won in dummy and discarded a club on the queen of hearts. He ruffed a heart and led a diamond.

West could take his ace and lead a third trump, but declarer won in dummy and cashed the king of diamonds and the good fifth heart. He had six trump tricks, a club, a diamond and two hearts.

When the opponents are clearly bidding on distribution, the defenders must try to cut down on their ruffing potential. If West’s opening lead is a trump, the timing is on East-west’s side. The best South can do is win in his hand and lead a diamond, setting up dummy’s king to go with his ace of clubs, a club ruff and his six trumps. But the result will be down one. South dealer

N-S vulnerable