Everyone plays a low card on the spade lead.

What do you lead to the next trick?

This hand is from the John Roberts Cavendish Teams, held in Las Vegas this year. At the other table East opened a strong club, and Sweden's Peter Fredin, sitting South, overcalled 5! This got doubled and Fredin scored 11 tricks for +650. A nice swing for his side, right?

Wrong. At the other table, after the auction in the diagram, with Meckstroth and Rodwell in the N-S seats, a doubled slam was bid and made.

West led the ace of spades and switched to a diamond. East didn't mind that until it was ruffed. Declarer then led a spade to the king, ruffed a second diamond low, ruffed a club and ruffed the last diamond in dummy with the 8 of hearts. He then proceeded to crossruff the rest of the tricks, ruffing four clubs in dummy and three spades in his hand with the AKQ of hearts. Score: 1210.

To hold declarer to 11 tricks, West must shift to a trump.