Don’t You Love it When the Opening Lead Gives Away the Whole Hand?

It’s been awhile since I’ve had a hand worthy of blogging about, mainly because I have hardly played in the last week, but tonight I have a good one – kind of.

Dealer: E Vul: NS		North
		♠JT7
		♥AT4
		♦76
		♣Q7632
West				East
♠98				♠KQ42
♥9532				♥KQ76
♦983				♦KJ2
♣KJT4				♣85
		South
		♠A653
		♥J8
		♦AQT54
		♣A9

I love defending a contract when I have all the outstanding cards and can make passive lead after passive lead. I tend to have success doing that because many people try to make an aggressive lead in such situations. This hand isn’t one of those but it is one where the declarer knows where just about all the missing honors are.

East opened 1♦ and I overcalled 1NT, partner invited and I declined. So, 2NT by south with the ♣4 opening lead.  When east plays the 8 at trick one and I win my 9, it becomes like a double dummy hand. I mean, west could still have a J or even a Q outside clubs but I played for east to have everything outstanding and it worked amazingly here. With a mere 22 hcp and no 8 card fit, I rolled in 11 tricks. I cashed the ace of clubs to rid east of his only safe exit card and then led a spade to the J. East has no good counter. At the table, he returned a low diamond, hoping to find his partner with an honor but my 10 won the trick, and this time I put east in with a heart by letting the lack go. This time east exited with a spade, taken in dummy. Now, a repeated diamond finesse and the run of the diamonds squeezed east into unguarding one of his remaining major suit kings. +210 (via 5 diamonds, 2 clubs, 3 spades and a heart) for win 2 imps.