Goren Bridge: Great lead?

Goren Bridge by Bob Jones

Today’s deal is from a team match between some of the best players in Europe. The scoring method was Board-A-Match. BAM was a very common scoring method for teams before it was replaced by Swiss Team scoring some 50 years ago. It is an exacting form of the game where every point is crucial. The tiniest difference in score will award a win on the deal. One win is available on every deal and a tie is worth a halfwin. A competitive auction, featuring a cocktail-hour raise by East, saw North-South end up in an excellent slam. Six spades would have been a playable contract, but it would fail due to the 5-0 spade split.

West was David Gold, one of England’s best players. There was no beating this contract, but Gold didn’t know that. There were only six missing clubs and his partner had raised, meaning that partner held at least three clubs. East was a favorite to hold the jack. Gold brilliantly led the seven of clubs! Had partner held the jack he would have had no trouble finding a spade shift to give Gold a ruff. Alas, dummy’s singleton jack won the trick and declarer quickly scooped up all 13 tricks. Gold was distraught thinking that his lead had lost the board for his team. When he compared scores with his teammates, he found that the West player at the other table made the same lead! The board was a tie, and both West players were very happy about it.