BRIDGE BITES #10
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PRACTICE FINESSE
Brian Gunnell |
The humble finesse is the first
thing we learn, and we also learn that some finesses win, some lose. Later we
learn that some finesses are purely for practice and serve no useful purpose.
Here is a case in point.
As South you open 1♠,
and your left-hand opponent jumps in with a jump overcall to 2NT. What does
this bid mean?
►
The standard interpretation for
that bid is that it shows the two lower unbid suits, so in this case the
minors. It’s called the Unusual No Trump, though not so unusual any more, just
about everybody plays it. It should be at least 5-5, and is generally a preemptive
effort, with the emphasis on distribution rather than high-card strength.
Anyway, the bidding proceeds
apace, and
soon you find yourself in 6♠,
after this auction:
Both Vulnerable
South West North East
1♠ 2NT Dbl 5♣
Pass Pass 6♠ Pass
Pass Pass
♠ QJ965
♥
KJ97
♦
A2
♣ AQ |
Dummy
West East
Declarer |
♠ AKT72
♥
AT8
♦
765
♣ 42 |
West leads a Club, your job is to
make 12 tricks. What is your plan?
►
A Diamond loser is unavoidable,
so you must guess the whereabouts of the
♥Q
if this slam is to make. And then there is the small matter of the Club suit.
Do you take the finesse?
►
Surprisingly, it’s not necessary! We’ve already
determined that you need to bring in the Hearts, and if that is the case then
the 4th round of Hearts can be used to pitch the Club loser.
OK, you hop up with the ♣A, and
draw trumps (East showing out on the first round), ending on the board. Who has
the ♥Q?
►
Surely East! West’s bidding
showed both minors (usually 5-5) and later he played three Spades. That doesn’t
leave room for many Hearts! We are almost home, one more question, how do
you play the Hearts? Do you cash Dummy's King and then finesse? Or
do you take a first-round finesse against East?
►
You need to take two Heart finesses if
you are to make four Heart tricks and get that Club pitch. So a
first-round finesse is required. You run the
♥J
around, followed by a second Heart finesse,
then the
♥A
is cashed, over to the ♦A,
then the Club loser goes on the
♥K.
Making 12 tricks, losing just a Diamond. The full
diagram ...
►
|
♠ QJ965
♥
KJ97
♦
A2
♣ AQ |
|
♠ 843
♥
♦
KJ983
♣ J9875 |
Dummy
West East
Declarer |
♠
♥
Q65432
♦
QT4
♣ KT63 |
|
♠ AKT72
♥
AT8
♦
765
♣ 42 |
|
Getting the Heart suit right did
not require rocket science, the bidding gave the game away. Realizing that the
Club finesse was not needed? Not so obvious. The winning train of thought was:
I must lose a Diamond … so I cannot lose a Heart … if I don’t lose a Heart then
I can park the losing Club on the 4th round of Hearts.
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