Hand of the day #435
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This conundrum was written by Eddie Kantar and was originally published in the book Take All Your Chances - you can find out all about it further down the page.
After you open 1♣ and bid 1♠ over partner’s 1♦ response, partner invites slam in clubs, starting with a fourth suit 2♥ bid, and then supporting clubs after you leap to 3NT. You check for keycards and after finding two aces you trot out 6♣, the final contract. The opening lead is the ♥9. East wins the ♥A and returns a heart. Clubs are 2-2. Plan the play.
Your contract depends upon one of two finesses. If either finesse works you don’t need the other, but the sad news is that if the finesse you take loses, down you go. Life can be so cruel. There is a way to increase your chances when dealing with two suits each missing a queen, a contract-making finesse being available in either suit. This is the technique to follow after drawing trumps: play the ace-king of the longer suit, spades, and if the queen doesn’t drop, take a finesse in the shorter suit, diamonds. If the diamond finesse works, re-enter your hand and repeat it.
Note: It does not help to play the ♦A and ♦K and then the ♦J. Even if it is covered, you only get one spade discard on the ♦10. That play only wins when the ♦Q is either singleton or doubleton (less than 10%). Besides, you can’t afford to play even one round of diamonds as you may need two diamond finesses if the ♠Q doesn’t drop. You are much more likely to find the ♠Q singleton or doubleton (close to 20%), the reason for testing spades before taking the diamond finesse.
Tip
When you decide to play the ace-king of a suit that contains both the ten and the jack (spades), a suit you have no intention of finessing, at some point lead the jack. You’ll be pleasantly surprised how often the jack is covered.
The West hand: ♠976 ♥9876 ♦Q732 ♣54
The East hand: ♠Q85 ♥A5432 ♦984 ♣32
Selecting the best line of play in a bridge hand as declarer is not easy. Most novices know something about basic odds and percentages, and can often find a line that offers a reasonable chance of success. However, the expert will skillfully combine options, so as to take advantage of more than chance. Rather than putting all his eggs in one basket, he will 'stay alive', squeezing out every extra chance. In this book of intermediate problems, Kantar shows the reader how to do this — there is always a line of play that will allow you take all your chances, and bring home your contract.
