One of my Baltimore friends sent me this randomly dealt hand – played recently at a Baltimore club game. Depending on the opening lead, defenders will take all 13 tricks or lose all 13 tricks.

The Situation: My friend was the dealer, sitting South, with this:
♠ AQJ10xxx
♥ xx
♦ KJx
♣ x

The Lead: My friend made the textbook lead of the ♠Q and declarer took all 13 tricks. Here are the other three hands:

• West: ♠-xxx ♥-AKJxx ♦-xxx ♣-xx

• North: ♠-x ♥-xxx ♦-AQJxxx ♣-xxx

• East (Declarer): ♠-Kx ♥-Qx ♦-xx ♣ AKQJ10xx

My Comments:

• My friend knew, of course, that East must have the ♠K for his bid but expected to get in later with a diamond and cash enough spades to set the contract. If he had also guessed that East had a long running minor, he might have made the more imaginative lead of a diamond. In that case, defenders would have taken all 13 tricks. That happened at a couple of tables.

• South had every opportunity to preempt in spades – at his first bid, his second bid or his third bid. 4 is a laydown. That’s what happened at several tables.