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Leading to and from.

When we take a finesse, we start normally with the hand that does not hold the key honours. Honours may be split between the two hands but there will certainly be an honour or two in the hand to which we are leading:

West                                            East

 A76                                          KJ43

We will play A first and always lead towards the East hand.

That may seem fairly straightforward though sometimes players get a little lazy in establishing tricks in a suit…and that laziness could cost them their contract.

 

 

South opens a 12-14 1NT. Using 2 Stayman, North establishes their side does not have a spade fit. So, the contract is to be played in no trumps, 2NT if South has minimum hcp, 3NT if they are maximum. South accepts the invitation as they have maximum hcp, 14, for their 1NT opening.

West leads 7 and it looks like where ever K is, you have 2 tricks in that suit. You decide to play low from dummy and East wins K before returning a second heart to your ace. What is your plan for making 9 tricks?

You have 2 heart tricks, 3 club tricks and 2 diamond tricks for certain but that is not enough. Maybe clubs will produce an extra trick but that is still not enough. You would rather create a third diamond trick if you can rather than rely on that flimsy-looking spade suit for a trick…and who knows how many heart tricks you will be losing in the meantime!

So, the best plan is to lose the trick you have to lose before you come anywhere near to your 9 tricks, A. Care is needed. Remember, it would be nice to score 3 diamond tricks….and that is more likely to happen if East holds A.

So, at trick 3, lead a diamond from dummy towards the South hand. Play one of the honours. It wins the trick. However, do not play a second diamond honour. If the suit breaks 3-3 in the opponents’ hands, all is well and good. Yet, give yourself an extra chance:

 

Had you  played a second honour from the South hand, you would only ever score 2 diamond tricks. Although the defence can only take 2 heart tricks, you would lose 2 diamond tricks as well, plus A and will finish up a trick short. The spade position is hopeless for declarer.

On winning the first round of diamonds, South must play a club to the ace and play the second round of diamonds from dummy. East’s A wins and they return a heart to South’s Q. South now has 3 diamond tricks. They cash the remaining 2 winners in that suit discarding spades from dummy. When they next play Q, they get some very welcome news in the appearance of J from West.

There is no nasty guess to be made in that suit..2 hearts, 3 diamonds and 4 club tricks adds up to 9 and the contract made. That is as long as the first two rounds of diamonds were played from the North hand: rather like a finesse.

Richard Solomon

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