NEIL HAYWARD BRIDGE

Opening Lead: ♠7. What is your plan?

Recommended Line: West holds a doubleton spade, presumably, and East is sitting over dummy’s spades. If you play the ♠2 at trick one, East should play the ♠9, and you are on the back foot. Rather ignore the parrot-cry, second hand low, and play the ♠K at trick one, forcing East to win. If East continues spades, you run the trick around to the ♠T, which earns you two spade tricks. If dummy’s ♠T does indeed win trick two, you need to ignore another popular concept. Trying to drop the doubleton ♣Q because you hold a combined nine cards, happens to work, but your ♣T then blocks the suit. So, lead small to the ♣9, losing to West. After that, the ♣K and the ♣A allow you to win the rest of the club tricks. Moral of the story: do not simply consult the book of popular sayings! Thinking is highly recommended, not a voluntary extra.