Dealer. West Vulnerable: Neither
Opening lead: 
8
Longtime readers may remember my series about TRADE, the five key points to be considered at trick one. They are: track the tricks, read the lead, audition the auction, deduce the danger, and eye the entries. The one that is ignored the most often is deduce the danger — hint, hint!!!
You are South, the declarer in four spades. West leads the club eight. How would you plan the play? East made a four-heart pre-emptive raise. This showed a hand with limited high cards but good offensive potential for hearts. Usually he would have five frumps and a singleton or void. He was hoping to shut out the spades, but South had easily enough to overall four spades. (Interestingly, if South has one fewer spade and an extra minor-suit card, he should still risk four spades, although a double might work better.)
At the time, South took the first trick in his hand and tried a sneaky spade four, but West went in with his king, and East discarded the heart 10, an encouraging signal. West returned his second club, took the next trump, led a low heart to his partner’s king, and received a club ruff to defeat the contract.
Read the lead: It must be a singleton or a doubleton. Deduce the danger. West has all three trumps and gets a club ruff. The solution? At trick two, lead a heart to cut the opposition’s communications. You burn up East’s entry before West is ready to receive his ruff. And if West has three spades and a singleton club? You are dead!
It is a classic scissors coup.
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