Eavesdropping

3rd Jan – Board 2: N/S Vul. Dealer East.

Listening to the bidding made by the other side should be an absolute essential to ensure the best defence but quite often autopilot takes over. Sitting West on the hand shown below what would you lead to 3NT after the bidding shown. And why?

Sitting West you should try and build up a picture of declarer’s hand, so what do you know? Well South has at least eight cards in spades and diamonds and unless he is precisely 4-1-4-4 he will have five diamonds and probably two or three clubs, but he must have the king because of that 3NT bid. So it would not be unreasonable to kick off with the ace of clubs, which would be greeted with enthusiasm by partner and would certainly lead to the failure of the contract assuming you follow up with the queen. I would like to say I would have found that lead but I wouldn’t. I would have led a heart, knowing declarer is short there, and in truth that might work out well if declarer plays low from dummy and East switches to a club. But if declarer rises with the ace and clears diamonds then the defence is impotent because East will never gain the lead and declarer will come home with four spades, two hearts and four diamonds. The one suit I would never lead is spades because that can only ever be helping declarer, although many defenders would look no further than their longest suit.