Bridge Corner
By Gary Mitchell, Nov 10, 2006

The bidding

This really is a silly auction. East/West could very easily have the top two Spades. However, cue bidding to slam is often difficult, so a little luck is always nice.

The play

You win the Heart Ace, as East signals violently with the 10. You pull two rounds of trump and realize that at some point you are going to have to lead a Spade toward dummy and guess whether to play the King or Jack. You could play a bunch of Diamonds and Clubs, but that would only prolong the agony. There is a better way. It appears to the defenders that they have a Heart trick coming. So, lead a Spade now! I promise, if West has the Ace, he will take it, and go after his expected Heart trick. So, if West plays low, put in the Jack, playing West for the Queen. 

Questions: gary@smabridge.com 
Lessons: Call 152-6351.