The opening lead has a decisive effect on the outcome of many hands. Sometimes it defeats a contract, and sometimes it hands declarer the contract on a silver platter. Quite often it radically changes the course of play, since it might compel declarer to adopt an approach he would not normally have considered.

Take this deal where West has no clear-cut lead and decides to start with a trump. This turns out to be his best shot, because without a trump lead, South would eventually be able to ruff a heart in dummy and so acquire his 10th trick.

But the trump lead poses a direct threat to that plan and forces South to reconsider whether to try for a heart ruff in dummy. In the actual deal, if he tries for the heart ruff, he goes down against best defense.

Thus, let’s say he wins the spade in dummy and leads a heart a trick two. East wins and returns a trump. When declarer then leads another heart, West wins and returns his last trump, and South eventually loses three hearts and a diamond.

However, the opening trump lead should persuade South that trying for a heart ruff is no longer a viable proposition, so he should seek another line of play. As it happens, there is one, and South should not dawdle in adopting it as his only realistic possibility.

Accordingly, he next plays the A-J of diamonds, hoping to find the suit divided 3-3, in which case dummy’s diamonds can be established, using the two remaining high trumps in dummy as entries. This counterstroke proves successful, and, in fact, if the defenders do not promptly cash two hearts, South finishes with 11 tricks.

Tomorrow >> Famous Hand.

— Steve Becker