Against 3S most E will lead A♦. Dummy plays singleton. EW pairs should have carding agreements in this situation. When there is a singleton in Dummy and E is winning the trick, Wests spot card play is suit preference for the 2 non trump suits.  In this case west should play their lowest diamond suggesting a club switch.

West is rewarded When East Leads the A♣ and another (a high spot card to suggest a Heart return). West ruffs a dutifully returns a ♥ To the A♥ and gets another ruff. Three Aces and two ruffs set 3S for an excellent result.

S leads the Q ♣ , low, 6, ? If I take the K it is likely my 9 will hold up as a second stopper.  If I don’t, S will likely switch, but N will surely get in with ♦ and return a ♣ (I don’t know N is out of clubs) so I choose to win the K♣  and lead a ♦ . ( I want to create a diamond winner, while I still have heart entry) . S should let N win , hoping they have club to return.  They don’t and Return a top ♥  to the J♥ . Now another ♦ From dummy sets up the 10. S can cash 2 ♣ winners , but with the K♠ onside declarer should come to 9 tricks.

With spades 2-2, declarer should get 5♠ 2♦ ruffs 1♥ and 1♣ for 9 tricks

5♥ going down even  doubled is better than 4♠  making, and 5♥ making is better than setting 4♠ one or two. So I’m bidding 5♥ !
And my analysis is excellent as 5♥ makes unless W leads their singleton ♦ to the K♦ ​​​​​​​, A♦ and gets a ruff…it’s not an exact science😩

Leads first. The K♠ is not wise, against 3NT where you need and expect to get multiple tricks. More likely to give up a trick, than gain a trick. A small spade is reasonable, high reward when partner holds A♠ (unlikely) or J♠ . May allow a second spade trick. Finally, 4th best ♣ , also reasonable.  As it turns out few cards are in the right place for declarer, if the defense works on the black suits, club to J♣ spade to Q♠ , club back to A♣ and another spade, declarer will come to 9 tricks. If the defense never breaks clubs most declarers, rightly so will rely on one of the red suits breaking. 

Kind of a trick question. Play the A♦ and a small ♥ planning to insert the 10♥ . The A♦ first  to unblock the diamonds in your hand. The A♠ . is the only sure entry to your hand and may go away after the opponents win a ♥ .  With 7 tricks in the bank continue to play on hearts, you may come to an 8th tick in hearts, and maybe the K♠ .  Don’t forget to count along the way.

I’m bidding 3NT.  It will surely make and I have no way to find out if partner has 6 spades or enough high cards for slam. 4NT kinda describes my values but what does it mean🧐

Declarer is rewarded for the conservative bid when spades break 5-1 denying a 12th trick.  

They’ve bid all four suits, ugh. I’ll lead my 4th best heart through dummy…to the K♥ . And partner returns a high ♣ .  Now the race is on! Declarer can score 4♦ 2♥ 2♣ 1♠ , but can they do it before the defense gets 2♠ and 3♣ ?

what if W snuck in a 2♣ overcall, and got a club lead?

This is not a bad contract. If the A♣ is onside it will make as the third club goes away on the A♠ . Would also make if the Q♠ were the Q♣ . 
Many players are reluctant to practice slam bidding because if it doesn’t work out, the result is poor.  I recommend that as you develop slam bidding tools you take every opportunity to practice them. I’d trade a poor result for an important learning every hand!

Counting my winners, I have 2♠ , 1♥ ,5♦ ,2♣ . One or two more club tricks are possible, and a second heart trick is possible. The highest upside, and lowest risk for additional tricks is to work on clubs. The other decision is whether to work on clubs first or run the diamonds? I don’t want to take winners if that then exposes losers in the suit, or limits transportation.  Here neither is a problem, and by running diamonds early the defense will be forced to find 6 discards, with very little information. (East has to find 4 discards, wanting to save spades, and protect both K♥ and Q♣ ). After running ♦ Play K♣ and a club. If I’ve played close attention to discards and counted, I’ll know what to do.

What if East originally led a low ♥  ? Do you put up the Q♥ ?

Making considered, even highly likely decisions that result in bad scores is part of the game. The challenge is to make decisions that tilt the risk/reward ratio in your favor.  Much of that is learned through trial and error.  So take appropriate risks, have a reason for your decision and learn from the results.

In the play, 2♥ appears to make, losing 2♠ 1♦ 1♥ and 1♣ or 2♥ and no clubs. 3♦ will likely go down , losing 2♦ 2♣  and 1♠ 

The obvious lead is a 4th best ♥ . And it could work out well. Partner is known to have close to opening values based on the bidding, giving her a reasonable chance to hold the A♥ or Q♥ .  In this case however, the ♥ lead gives declarer an easy 8th trick. If this was you, don’t be discouraged.  You had company😎

There are two reasons for W to choose ♥ over ♦ .  Hearts is a known 7 card fit, whereby opener, who has already bid two other suits, may be short ♦ . More importantly, ♥ scores better!  30 pts a trick vs. 20 in ♦ .  Knowing the scoring is essential to good bridge decisions.

Against 2♥ N will lead K♠ Q♠ ♠  ruffed by declarer. When attacking this trump suit it is best to lead small toward the J♥. ( I know, something else to think about) . The K♥ wins and leads a club thru to N K♣ . Declarer wins the return, draws trump and claims 9 tricks.

This is a HOTLY DEBATED topic with no clear answer.  Simulations have been run with 8 HCP, with results showing 3NT makes less than 50% of the time, even opposite 16-17 pt NT. So, one should pass,  right?  Not so fast! Those simulations assume double-dummy results, as if all cards were face-up on the table.  That’s not the way the game is played.  Accurate defense is much more difficult than accurate declarer play, which shifts the odds in the bidders favor.  How much, you get to decide.

I’m of the opinion that one should invite with a good 8 Hcp, and I get to decide what “good” means. A five card suit is good. Not having a 5 card suit is bad. Aces and Kings are good, random Queens and jacks are bad, but QJ, QJ10 are better. Lots of high spot cards are good, lots of low spot cards are bad.  
How does this hand fare? The A and K are very good but the rest is bad, so I’m passing. (But in a team game, inviting)

On the normal spade lead, declarer covers the Q♠ with the A♠ , and reading the spade situation correctly leads the 9, finessing the 10♠ . That should lead to 9 tricks, 3♠ , 4♣ , 1♦ , 1♥ .  However, on a heart lead declarer would be scrambling for 7 tricks.

Partner has not had a chance to help me with a signal, and leading the A♣ looks scary so I lead the…..wait, I can actually test clubs before settling on the A♦ . I play the A♣ and my wonderful partner with the Q♣ behind the K♣, signals it is safe to continue. Now the defense should come to 2♥ 1♠ 1♣ and 2♦ for +500 and a top.

While this hand worked out superbly for the defense, there are a couple conventions that allow E to describe her hand more accurately, which can be added to your tool kit (5♥ Is biddable and makeable). But this hand shows that simple methods done well are just as effective.

Declarer will be unhappy if she ducked the opening lead.  Win the A♣ and lead a high spade. Withe the K♠ onside and ♥ breaking 3-3, there should be no problem coming to 10 tricks.

A technical point on the play. After winning 3 spade tricks, test the hearts. If W holds a fourth ♥ trumping declarers 4th ♥ in dummy with your carefully preserved trump will earn you a top…..promise😎

An argument can be made for leading a ♠ , ♥ , or ♣ . ♠ To cut down ♥ ruffs in dummy (May cost trump trick), ♥ leading from strength, attacking before declarer can set up clubs (May allow ♥ ruffs), ♣ looking for ruffs (I don’t really need them).  N decides on K♥ …to declarers ace and a♥ ruff. The K♣ follows from dummy, won by S A♣ . S has been counting and knows N is now void in clubs, but leading a trump is a priority. 
N covers the K♠ with the A♠ , looking at dummies winners continues with Q♥ and another won by the J♥ in S. South now delighted to lead a club which causes declarer a dilemma. If declarer discards N will ruff with the 6♠ and later score The J♠ .  So declarer inserts the 9♠ hoping it wins or draws the J♠ from N.  If N is clever, she will discard a ♦ setting herself up to score 3 trump tricks. N now has the J86 behind declarers Q103, can now ruff the third diamond and get out a ♥ . In the end the defense can score 3♠ 2♥ 1♣ for +100.

So what happens in 3♣ ?  Even with clubs 5-1 3♣ should make scoring 4♣ 3♦ 1♥ 1♠ . Is 3♣ the better bid?

For no reason other than “cover an honor with an honor” I played the ♦K, and Natalie made me pay for my lack of thought. Now she could score all four diamond tricks, ultimately making 5NT, for an excellent NS result.

I hope you make the right decision by playing low on the first diamond lead, and the second, and the third. The only way the defense can keep declarer from scoring 4 diamonds is if declarer has fewer than 4 diamonds, which is likely given that you can see 8 already. Bridge “rules” serve to cover common situations, but we need to learn when to break them.

P.S. Double dummy analysis says that 5NT should always make on any lead. Not soooo fast. Looks to me like it takes losing two heart tricks early, then taking the winning diamond finesse.Then East ends up squeezed in spades and clubs. Not a percentage line of play. 

Partner’s 2♠ suggested a club card (suit preference). Looking at dummy however, it didn’t look like there was any hurry to cash quick winners, so I passively returned a trump...WRONG 🥺

Declarer promptly cashed 5 diamonds, discarding two clubs, making the contract. Oh, and an observant reader might ask “how come you weren’t in 4♠s?” Yeah, that’s a subject for another conversation. Maybe you can get there.

It wasn’t a good day 🙁

7♠! Let Lady Logic be your guide. At this point you’re confident in 5 spade tricks, 5 or 6 heart tricks, ♦A , ♣A. If hearts only provide 5 tricks, the 13th trick can come from ruffing a diamond. Opener has shown only 10 HCP with her 5♠ Bid, so could easily have ♣K , or ♦K , providing the thirteenth trick. What could go wrong? Trump could break 5–0; or if you need to ruff a diamond and trump break 4-1, one opponent may be holding 10xxx; or the opening lead could be ruffed. The probability of any of these occurring is significantly less than 5%. So don’t let visions of “what could go wrong” deter you. Count your tricks and if it adds to 13….bid 7! 😎

It’s time to PASS. As South you don’t expect to make 3M with an 8 card fit. Down one is -100, which could be a winner; but West could, and should, double, putting all the match points on the line. With accurate defense EW hold NS to 8 tricks, scoring +200 for a big win.

Partner has shown an unbalanced hand with more clubs than Spades. West, with the direct 3♥ bid, likely has six hearts. So with nine trump for each side, there are 18 total tricks.

THE LAW says that if EW can make 3♥, 3♣ is your limit as well; but 4♣ is only -50, unless it makes for +130; Oh, then 3♥ is -100, which still wins if allowed to play.

So North can’t pass! Bidding 4♣ covers all the bad things that can happen by passing 3♥, and is safe, but the real winner….DOUBLE. 

You will be playing for a top, or bottom. Playing accurate defense is hard, but sometimes you need to let the opponents know you that bidding according to ‘THE LAW’ still has its risks😎

There are generally three criteria necessary for successful execution of “the strip and end play “.

1. Enough trump: Draw Trump and have Trump remaining in each hand.👍

2. The Strip: eliminate all but one side suit from both hands. Play 3 rounds of clubs and 2 rounds of spades.

3. The End Play: Here there are two options. If the last card you’ve played is the ♠J , then the opponent who wins will be end played. If South wins, they must give up a ruff–discard (ruff–sluff) or a free finesse. If North wins and leads a diamond, declarer must allow South to win, again end playing South.  If declarer prematurely loses the spade trick, he can recover but must win the last club in dummy. Regardless of which diamond he leads, covering North’s diamond end plays South.

Two-suited bids are used primarily as preemptive interference in competitive auction. The idea is to quickly force the auction to the THREE level while painting a picture for partner of a likely fit. They work best when the initiator has a relatively weak hand and intends no further action.  
Here East is better placed to overcall 1♥, comfortable with introducing diamonds later up to the three level. East has a highly constructive hand, and should focus on finding the right level and fit for the best offensive result.

There are two situations where it is appropriate to use a two-suited bid with constructive values; when you have the equivalent of an opening 2♣ bid (8.5-9 tricks); or with no game interest opposite a passed hand partner.

This is a complicated hand that I got  wrong at the table. By ruffing two clubs in dummy, 11 tricks are possible. And if I can start ruffing before drawing trump, I might even handle a 3–1 trump break. So, a club to the ♣Q, losing to the ♣A; spade back, ruff; diamond back, ruff. -1 and a 9% board. Diamonds didn’t have to be 6-1, but there was  better and SAFER choice. Once the 9♠ is led at trick 1, draw three rounds of trump, play the ♠A, ♦A, and ♦Q, pitching the ♠7 . Now ruff out the ♠Q and the ♠8 will be good for the 11th trick.

It’s not an easy game😎

In most ways, East’s hand is a classic minimum weak 2♦ opener. The detracting feature is the 4 card spade suit. There has been recent literature that advocates ignoring 3/4 major suits when deciding to preempt. East opened 2♦. I would have passed. 
South must get in the auction, and doubled. (South would have opened 1♣ had east passed). West chose to pass following the double, perhaps hoping further NS bidding would lead to a big penalty. (As West, I see 6 diamond tricks, 2 Aces, and the likely ♣K for 9 tricks and would try to steal the contract with a 3NT bid!, perhaps prepared to runout to 4♦ if doubled) . 

North, forced to bid, bids 2♥, and South, with plenty extra raises to 3♥. West is now in the “hot seat” again. Maybe “The Law” can help? 18-19 total tricks. Looks like both 4♦ EW and 3♥ NS can make, so west should…bid 4♦. West chose to pass, perhaps swayed by the strong heart holding, but should back up that thinking with a penalty double. (At the table N played in 3♥, making)

Let’s see where the auction might end if East passes and South opens 1♣ . West will either double or bid 1NT, either of which should keep North out of the auction. East will eventually show long diamonds ending in diamond part score. Should west double, it’s possible East will bid Spades first and never realize their ♦ Fit. 

There are some interesting takeaways from this hand:

1. Regardless of system, the auctions’ nexus is at the three level where risk-reward decisions decide the final contract.

2. Note how the introduction of a strong NT bid (in this case an overcall) facilitates the EW auction, and dampens NS enthusiasm for competing.

3. Three diamonds is the most common contract, but it’s not the most interesting 😎
 

If you chose your fourth best spade you did well. The defense likely comes to 4 spades, 1 club, and 1 heart, for an average +. 

I chose the 'obvious' J♦ and watched a talented declarer (Lisa Mita) read me for four diamonds, scoring 5 diamond tricks, 3 club tricks, and 1 heart trick for a top board.

Opening leads are always challenging and subject to debate and second guessing. Always finding the best lead is not possible. Using the best thought process to find a lead that has the best probability of success is achievable for all of us.  

Prioritize possible leads against suit contracts and NT contracts, take heed of the bidding, and use that information to make your best lead...and use the same process every time.  Thats winning bridge!

I'm leading J♦ next time 

West has made an aggressive overcall of 2♣.  Your choice? West is showing partner where his values are, and there is very little risk of being doubled for penalty.

East now has a decision to make. Using “The Law”: Our side has at least 10 trumps, the opponents 8+. I’ll estimate 19 total. Assuming NS is making 4♥ that leaves 9 tricks for EW. At this vulnerability, even if we do get doubled that’s –300, vs –620, so I’m bidding 5♣ !

What if NS can’t make 4♥ ? Then you might lose ….this time. You should assume, however, that your opponents, who have freely bid game, expect to make it.

It’s situations like this that make bridge a fascinating game, both as declarer and defender. As declarer you first realize there is an arrangement of defenders' cards that will allow you to lose only one club. And as you are about to lead low toward the ♣J ( playing south for both the ♣K and ♣Q , when they win they are endplayed), you realize there is another choice……what if North holds a doubleton honor? Now playing the ♣A first and then a low club, will endplay North 😎. 
Which choice is best? The probabilities are about equal. Some say always play for split honors when faced with these choices.

Knowing that you have a winning option that you can execute successfully puts you in the top 10% of most fields.

its not an easy game 🤯
 

East wins one for the defense.  When declarer rises with the ♣Q (begging East to cover); East says NO! Declarer wins, tests hearts. On the third heart dummy ruffs with the ♣9 but east has retained the ♣K to over ruff and return a trump. Now Declarer can only claim 10 tricks.

It’s not an easy game 😎