Problem: North and South had a slam but did not bid it. How do you recognize a slam?If the opening lead is a diamond, north has one loser right off the top. And had north bid a heart slam, I would expect east to lead the diamond Ace.
True, leading an unsupported honor is normally a no no. But slam contracts are not "normal" & the rules for leading against slams are somewhat different. Most defenders leading against a slam contract will choose to lead an unsupported Ace if they have one.
If declarer then plays the club suit according to the odds, they will win one club trick with the Ace or King, then lead a small club from the north hand & finesse the south Jack. That finesse will lose & now the defenders have two tricks. The proper way to play the spade suit (given the spade bid by west) would be to win the spade King, then lead a low spade from south & finesse the north Jack. That finesse works making 5H.
Taking all 13 tricks involves getting the lead before the defenders lead diamonds, then playing the clubs improperly (against the odds) by leading out the club Ace & King which (against the odds) drops the club Queen & allows declarer to run clubs (discarding their diamond loser). In bridge, we are sometimes rewarded for our ignorance.
This hand should NOT have been recognized as a slam hand, because if properly defended & played it does NOT deserve to make slam.
Ain't bridge a great game?
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