Most experts agree that opening leads are the toughest part of the game. To find a good lead, you must analyze the bidding, visualize dummy’s strengths and anticipate the play. But in a few situations, your lead will be automatic.

Today’s West doubled South’s one spade for takeout, and East passed for penalty. West led ... the king of clubs.

South took dummy’s ace, ruffed a club, cashed the ace of hearts and conceded a heart. West won and shifted to a trump: deuce, king, ace. South ruffed a heart with dummy’s last trump, ruffed a club for his sixth trick and still had the queen of trumps.

When your partner converts a low-level double for penalty, he will have a solid trump holding plus a good hand. Your goal should be to stop declarer from scoring ruffs with low trumps.

West should have led a trump (borrowing one from another deck if he had to). That makes a two-trick difference. South gets neither a heart ruff in dummy nor a second club ruff in his hand.

Daily question >> You hold: ? 5 ? K J 10 5 ? A 9 7 3 ? K Q J 8. Your partner opens one heart. The next player passes. What do you say?

Answer >> If partner has A76,AQ762,42,A65, you can make a grand slam. If he has “wasted” spade honors — KQ4,AQ752,K2,654 — game may be your limit. A 2NT response as a conventional forcing raise would suggest balanced pattern. Your best bid is three spades, a “splinter” to show spade shortness and slam interest. Partner can evaluate.

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