Choose Your Finesse – Part 4

On many occasions when you are declarer the success of your contract would depend on a successful finesse. Sometimes declarer has a choice between finesses. He has to decide which finesse to take (or whether to take a finesse at all...) This is Part 4 of Oren's series on Finesses. If you missed the previous articles, you can find them here: Part 1, Part 2 and Part 3.

Take these hands and see if you choose the right finesse:

Start the test now!

31. You play 4♠ on a ♣2 lead. East follows with the ♣7. Which finesse do you take, if any?

You play 4♠ and although you opened 1♣, West lead the ♣2. East plays the ♣7 and you win with the ♣10.

The lead is almost clearly a singleton and therefore you need to play ♠A and another Spade. That way opponents will manage to win only 1 Club ruff + ♠K + ♥A.

After pulling out trumps, you can finesse Club again and throw a Diamond loser on the 4th Club.

If you try the spade finesse - you go down: ♠K, Club ruff, Heart to ♥A, Club ruff.

If you try Hearts first - You go down: ♥A, Club ruff and Diamond, opponents get a Diamond trick after winning the ♠K.

32. You play 4♠ . West leads a Diamond and East takes ♦AKQ. Is there any chance to avoid losing a spade trick?

You play 4♠. West leads a Diamond and East takes ♦AKQ.

The only possibility to not lose ANY Spade trick is if East has a singleton ♠J. So play the ♠Q.

If West covers - you win the ♠A, return to hand and finesse another spade to the ♠8.

If the ♠10 was in hand, play ♠A to catch a stiff ♠K and then finesse spade to the ♠Q10.

33. You play 4♥ and West leads the ♦J. Which finesse do you take, if any?

You play 4♥ and West leads the ♦J.

This one is easier: You have 4 losers. If you win in hand and try the Heart finesse and it loses - East will continue with Diamonds and you will always lose 1 trick on each suit. So, win with the ♦A at trick 1 and start playing on spades. That way you manage to develop the spades before opponents set up the Diamonds.

In addition, if they hold up once and win the second spade - you still have the ♦K as an entry to hand to throw the Diamond loser from dummy on the 3rd top spade.

34. Against an optimistic 7♦, West lead the ♠Q. Which finesse do you take, if any?

Against an optimistic 7♦, West lead the ♠Q.

You will make your contract only if you manage to take 4 Heart tricks: Win ♠A, pull trumps and try to finesse Heart to the ♥10. Cash the ♥K, return to dummy with a club ruff, and cash ♥A. You make your contract when the ♥Q falls from East, throwing your 2 spade losers on the ♥AJ. Running the ♥10 from hand will always make you lose a 4th Heart trick as if the ♥Q with West – he will cover the ♥10 and only allow you to make three Heart tricks.

35. You play 6♥ and West, who opened 1♠, lead the ♠Q. Which finesse do you take if any?

You play 6♥ and West, who opened 1♠, lead the ♠Q.

As it's clear that West has all the missing points, there is no use to try the club finesse: Ruff trick 1, play a Heart to hand and continue with a LOW Diamond at trick 3! West must play low (else he promotes your ♦KQ for a club discard) and you win with the ♦K. Run all your Hearts and the ♠AK. West must keep the ♦A and ♣Kx.

Play your ♦Q at trick 11 and West, upon winning the ♦A will have to play a club from his ♣Kx and so you score the last two tricks.

36.You play 4♠ after a 1♦ opening from East and 2♦ support from West. Which finesse(s) do you take?

You play 4♠ after 1♦ opening from East and 2♦ support from West. West lead the ♦4.

The danger in taking a normal club finesse is to fall into East's hand and get a Heart shift for 1 club and 3 Heart losers.

So, ruff Diamond when East play the ♦K, go back to dummy on spades and play the ♦J. If East covers with the ♦A - ruff again, play another spade to dummy and try the ♦10.

When East fails this time to cover it, throw a club from hand! West will win with the ♦Q and switch to club (As the ♥K protects you against a Heart play from West).

Win with the ♣A and continue with the ♣J , performing a ruffing finesse against East. That way you will manage to throw two Hearts later on the clubs and lose just 2 Hearts and 1 Diamond.

37.You play 6♠ on ♦K lead. Which finesse do you take, if any?

You play 6♠ on ♦K lead.

You have a 100% line to make your contract! Win the ♦A, pull trumps, play ♣AK and run the ♣J, planning to throw the Diamond loser, if East doesn't cover.

Even if West has the ♣Q and he wins with it - you are safe as dummy's remaining 2 clubs are high and you can throw the Heart losers on them (Avoid the Heart finesse).

If East covers the ♣J with the ♣Q - ruff, play a Heart to the ♥A, and throw 2 losers on the remaining good clubs.

38. You play 6♥ and West lead a trump. Plan your play.

You play 6♥ and West lead a trump.

Beware! If you win in hand, play a Diamond to the ♦J and try the club finesse - West will win and play another Heart. You would need to win it with the ♥K, play another Diamond to ♦Q and ruff the 3rd club.

But now you don't have a quick entry to the dummy and West can take the 2nd spade and give a Diamond ruff to his Partner.

A safer line is to give up the club finesse and play ♣A and ♣Q from hand. West wins the ♣K and plays a Heart, but you win the ♥K, play a Diamond to the ♦J, ruff the 3rd club, continue with a Diamond to the ♦Q, pull opponents' last trump with the ♥Q and throw the spade loser on the 4th Diamond.

39. You play 3NT on a ♥6 lead. East plays the ♥J and you win with the ♥Q. Which finesse do you take, if any?

You play 3NT. West leads a Heart and East follows with the ♥J.

Win the ♥Q, play ♣AK and when the ♣Q doesn't drop, run the ♦10, and lose it to West's ♦K. The ♥10 protects you from a Heart return. Win the spade return with the ♠K, finesse Diamond again and play a 3rd club.

You promoted the 4th club too: 2 spades, 2 Hearts, 2 Diamonds and 3 clubs = 9 tricks.

If you try the club finesse earlier, East will get the ♣Q, return with Heart, and West will make 4 Heart tricks, using the ♦K as entry.

40. You play 6♠ and West, who opened the bidding with 1♥ and later rebid Hearts, leads the ♥A. Which finesse do you take, if any?

You play 6♠ and West, who open the bidding with 1♥ and later rebid Hearts, lead the ♥A.

Ruff, play a spade to the ♠A, ruff the second Heart, play the ♣A, continue with a second spade to the ♠J (spades were 2-2) and finesse club when East follows with a low club .

That will ensure the contract:
- If East has ♣Qxx - the finesse works and you make all your clubs.
- If the finesse fails - West takes the ♣Q but has to play either a Diamond into your tenace, or a Heart, giving you a ruff/sluff. The third diamond will get thrown on the 5th club (if West has ♣Qxx, he will be endplayed upon winning the ♣Q, after playing AK and a third club).

Stay tuned for Part 5 of the test!