The Bridge Corner
By Gary Mitchell, March 9, 2007

Opening Lead: Heart six

The bidding explained: South’s 2NT denied four or more Spades, and promised 11-12 points with Hearts stopped.

The play: East wins the opening lead, and plays off three top Hearts. Assuming East leads a fourth Heart, South wins and plays on Diamonds. West has both honors, so South is safe, as East cannot get the lead to take another Heart. Can the contract be defeated?

Of course! On the opening lead, East should realize there are no entries to his hand outside of the Heart suit. South has to have four Hearts to the Jack from the bidding. So, the only chance is if South has exactly four hearts, and West a doubleton. East should play an encouraging 10 on the opening lead. Now, when West gets in with a Diamond she can lead another Heart to give East four Heart tricks.

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