Dealer South Both Vul.

                                    ♠          Q 10 7 6 2

                                    ♥          A 10 8

                                    ♦          A 10 7 2

                                    ♣          7

            ♠          A 9 8                            ♠          5 3

            ♥          9 6 5 4 2                       ♥          K 3

            ♦          9 3                                ♦          J 6 5

            ♣          K 8 4                            ♣          A J 9 6 3 2

                                    ♠          K J 4

                                    ♥          Q J 7

                                    ♦          K Q 8 4

                                    ♣          Q 10 5

From the cradle you are taught to lead 4h highest from your longest suit but sometimes your suit is not very good and partner needs to know this so he can switch if needs be.

The way to do this is to lead normal 4^th highest if you have an honour in your suit but any suit without an honour you revert to 2^nd highest. Partner should be able to work out that you have led from 2^nd highest when you lead cards such as 8s and 9s. Also if he were to try and do rule of 11 when he realises it will not work at the moment he should deduce you have led from the second highest.

So without much ado you lead ©6

Partner wins the first trick with the king and immediately switches to §6  and declarer plays low so you take your king and follow partner’s defence and should play a 2^nd club. Partner plays the Jack and declare wins with the Queen

When you get in with the Spade Ace you now play a third club and your wonderful defence results in you taking 7 defensive tricks.

Knowing you had lousy Hearts partner correctly switched to Clubs to defeat this contract. Had he continued Hearts (which many players would do) declarer has enough time now to force out your Spade Ace and easily make 9 tricks by way of 4 Spades, 2 Hearts and 4 Diamonds.

(NB Maybe they should have been playing the cast iron contract of 4  in their 5:3 fit)

You can also play out the following hand  to see how the hand pans out. (You need bridgvu.exe programme  and it is available free from   http://www.haroldschogger.videoes.html or BridgeBase programme on your machine already to view it )

alternatively watch the film of the hand being played out by going to www.haroldschogger.com/movies2.htm