Jeff and I played an 18 board set on BBO today.  Most of the decisions were pretty dull on my side.  Here's an interesting hand from Jeff's side.

He picked up at unfavorable in 2nd:

AK6532 / AK7 / T97 / 2

Our uncontested auction:

1 Spade - 2 Diamonds - 3 Diamonds - 4 Spades (fast arrival) - Blackwood - 2 without - 6 Spades

His bidding seems aggressive with only 14 High, but he certainly didn't need much.  Coincidentally, I didn't have much.  Lefty led the 2 of Diamonds and this is what he saw:

JT7 / T82 / AJ85 / AK7

AK6532 / AK7 / T97 / 2

What's up with the opening lead?  How do you play the hand?

Jeff decided that on this auction the Diamond lead had to be a singleton.  He backed his judgment by flying Ace, cashing 2 Clubs pitching a Diamond, and leading a low Diamond off the board (he unloaded the T9 of diamonds and held on to the 7 in an effort to disguise the position.)  Presumably Jeff planned to take the ruffing finesse against his RHO later in the hand if he remembered the auction or the spot that his partner led and didn't lose his mind and duck this trick.

How do you like Jeff's line so far?  I'd like it a whole lot more if the entries were there to make it work (he needs stiff Q of Spades or else he doesn't have the 2 entries to dummy he needs to ruff out the Diamond and get back to cash the established Diamond.)  There's a strong inference that diamonds aren't something like Kxx opposite Qxx but it's not clear that the lead is a singleton.  (Low from doubleton King is a not uncommon gambit here, for instance.)  Certainly not clear enough that I'm going to take a line that depends on stiff Q of Spades in addition to my having drawn the right inference from the lead.

The good news is that when Jeff led a Diamond off the board, Righty ducked!  The bad news is that Lefty won his King of Diamonds.

JT7 / T82 / J8 / 7

AK6532 / AK7 / - / -

So now Jeff's back to praying the Queen of Spades is singleton (and that Diamonds can be picked up.)  That prayer wasn't answered, but Lefty, who had earned his side a top board with his inspired lead, now undid all his good work by trying to give his partner a Diamond ruff.  As if Jeff would play the hand like this with Qxxx of Diamonds!

Spades were 2-2, and Jeff claimed 12 tricks.  Our 1 double-digit win of the relatively uneventful set.  Oh, and Diamonds were Kxx opposite Qxx all along.  What a lead.

Opening leader:

98 / J95 / K42 / J9863

RHO:

Q4 / Q643 / Q63 / QT54