Today’s deal, from a European team competition, offers interesting points in both play and defense.
At both tables, declarer won the opening club lead with dummy’s queen and led a low diamond to their 10. At this table, West ducked! This was a good play, as West retained an entry in the event his clubs were ever set up, and it misled declarer about the location of the ace. Believing the ace to be with East and not wanting a club led through his ace-jack, South led the queen of spades. East won with his ace and led a club, ducked to West’s king, and West continued the suit. South went back to diamonds, but West won his ace and cashed his established club. The jack of spades and the queen of hearts were both poorly placed for declarer, and the contract went down one.
At the other table, West won with his ace of diamonds at trick two and shifted to the nine of spades. This defence might have succeeded also, but the play went low from dummy, low from East, and low from declarer! Nothing else would have been better, but who can blame West for leading another spade?
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South now had three spade tricks, two heart tricks, three diamond tricks, and two club tricks. An overtrick! Nicely played.