The Dispatch – June 20, 1980
Some expert plays seem completely pointless, they don’t win tricks or develop tricks. Stil, they have their uses.
Lead: K
Today’s South, no expert, took the ace of clubs and led a spade to dummy’s queen. East won, of course, and West later took a second trump trick. Down one.
The expert play is to lead the king of hearts at the sec-ond tuck. South doesn’t expect to win that trick or any later heart trick. He just wants to discover who has the ace of hearts.
NOT CURIOSITY
The expert is not motivated by idle curiosity. He remembers that West passed originally: and when West shows up with the ace of hearts as well as the K-Q of clubs it is clear that West cannot also have the ace of spades. Since East must have the ace of spades the expert begins the trumps by leading a low spade from dummy. East must play his ace «on air.» and South still has the king and queen to draw the rest of the trumps.