North A Q 10 8 10 4 3 J 10 6 10 6 2 West K 6 4 Q J 9 8 A K Q Q 7 5 East 5 2 A K 2 5 4 3 2 A K 8 3 South J 9 7 2 7 6 3 9 8 7 J 9 4 The bidding: South West North East 1 3 3 4 South led the 9

I hope you have learned by now of the importance of leading spades. Now comes the hard part -- deciding which card to lead, and from which hand.

North and South bid normally. They could not guess that their modest 4-bid was in jeopardy due to the flat distribution and duplication of their two hands. West won the opening diamond lead and cashed two more, a pleasant surprise. He tried a low club and East took his four top tricks. North and South were helpless as West took two more tricks with his two queens. These cards remained, as North and South had not yet won a single trick:

North A Q 10 8 -- -- -- West K 6 4 J -- -- East 5 2 -- 3 3 South J 9 7 2 -- -- --

West led the thirteenth heart, a troublesome card. North trumped with the eight of spades. When East did not overtrump, South had a clear picture of the hand, enabling him to make two fine plays in succession. He overtrumped his partner's eight with his nine, and he returned -- get this -- the jack of spades.

No one covered the jack, and South was not surprised to still be on lead. He played the deuce of spades next, and West's K6 was no match for North's AQ.

Note that North-South would have been set if North had held the heart ruff trick, or if South had led a small spade instead of the jack. South's plays also win if the spade king and queen are switched.