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For Junior, Intermediate and Novice players…and others. It’s Fri   day.

Take the guess (and the stress ) out of the finesse.

Do your finesses always seem to go wrong? Well, they do not even if it seems they do. However, there are sometimes situations where you do not have to guess which finesse to take. Let’s try and make this potentially worrisome contract.

 

Although the play’s the thing, let’s just check on the bidding. 3NT showed 18-19 balanced. North showed what is called a “delayed game raise” around 12-14 hcp and at least 3 spades (assuming 1 showed at least a 5-card suit) when they bid 4.

South decided to try for slam, using Roman Key Card. 5 showed 1 or 4 of the 5 Key Cards (including trump king). With 2 missing (and that could have been 2 aces), South beat a hasty retreat to 5.

After East’s lead directing double, West led a club and East won to switch to a low diamond to West’s 10. Plan the play.

Well, you can see what might happen and if your nightmares come true, you will lose 2 trump tricks to be 1 down. You play low to the Q which loses to the king. Back comes another diamond which you win in dummy. (At least, East did not ruff the diamond return!) You play a second spade and East plays 8. You play 10 and it loses to West’s J or you play A and West discards…and all your thoughts were negative knowing whatever you were to do would be wrong! Let’s take away all that worry!

There are various safety plays available for a declarer. One of them is in the case where declarer has a 9-card trump suit between the two hands like the one above, missing the trump king and jack. The recommended play is not 100% certain to avoid 2 trump losers because were West’s spade holding be KJx  or KJxx, nothing can be done. Yet, if you are prepared to lose one but want to avoid two spade losers, this is what you should do.

Safety first

Start with playing a spade to the ace. Let’s assume both defenders follow with small spades. Then, cross back to dummy and lead a second spade. This is necessary in case East started with KJx. In that case, J will never score a trick. While you will in that situation lose a trick you would not have lost had you played small to 10 on the first round, you will not lose two tricks and hence the contract.

Had J appeared on the first round, then you just play Q on the second round, forcing out the king….

and there is one additional bonus in playing low to the A on the first round, the actual lie of the cards:

 

When K falls under the ace, cross back to dummy with a heart (do not lead a second diamond, just in case East had led a singleton) and take the finesse which you know would work..making 12 tricks!

Does that mean you should have been in 6? The answer is “no way!” The play of small to the ace is to avoid losing 2 spade losers. If you cannot afford to lose a spade at all, then play low to the Q and hope the finesse works and that either the suit breaks 2-2 with East holding K or that West holds singleton J.

     no finesse!

No wonder those in 6 failed in their poor slam. You made your game (and an overtrick too) and avoided any worry of which finesse to take. How good is that!

Richard Solomon

 

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