Here is a hand which demonstrates why you have to think carefully before making the "obvious" lead. My partner and I alight in the standard contract of 4H and North leads his singleton diamond. Since we have bid and agreed this suit, either North is someone with the IQ of a certain US President, or this is a singleton. Since North is known to be quite a decent player, everyone knew it was a singleton: the declarer; South; dummy; people at the next table, the neighbours; even the fox rooting around in the skip in the next road along. The problem with the lead is that it picked up South's Qd and alerted declarer to the need to drew trumps immediately. As a result, 4H made comfortably. At other
How, one of my advanced students asked me, might E/W reach a spade slam? When West opened 4S, East must have been tempted to bid on, but I agree with her that pass will probably prove right most of the time. A 4S opening bid could easily just be eight spades headed by KQJ and an outside king or queen. What else might West open? Although she has 9 playing tricks, to open 2D (as those who play Weak 2s in the major suits must) gives the opposition a chance to enter the auction. N/S here, for example, can make 5H! It might work here if West starts with 2D and then gets a chance to re-bid 4S. West is not permitted to open a game-forcing 2C. That must show a minimum of 14 HCP. It's an absurd rule,
