More on Taking Tricks The finesse against a King ========================== We have seen solid suit like SAK, or a solid suit with A missing like KQ. What about AQ which has a gap. K is missing It is not as good as SAK since it has Q instead of K. At the same time it must be better than KQ since it has A instead of K. Logic suggests that this is worth between 1 and 2 tricks. Is that silly or what? 43 2 tricks are available to N-S, provided that ------------- - The lead comes from N | N | - E plays K, S plays A 109| W E|KJ - If E plays J, S plays Q | S | ------------- AQ 43 ------------- This is other half of story. Sometimes W will have | N | the K. So N-S will only 1 trick. Why is position KJ| W E|109 of K important. This is because we play towards | S | left ------------- AQ The above technique of playing A should K appear and Q otherwise is called a finesse. A finesse is a play that will win an extra trick (or tricks) in a suit, provided that a key card (or cards) is located in a particular defender's hand In general, a finesse is a 50-50 proposition. A finesse will gain a trick half the time and break even the other half of the time Example Deal 1: The finesse against a K in action ================================================= NORTH Opening lead in CJ: S:AQJ Dummy takes CQ and plays H to HK and H:A43 takes S finesse. Then he comes back D:AKQJ to hand with HQ and another S finesse C:AKQ is taken. Thus he can get all 13 tricks -------------- If E has the K, then you lose 1 trick WEST |||||||||||||| EAST but then SQ is promoted so you get 12 S:K109 |||||||||||||| S:8765 tricks H:J109 |||||||||||||| H:8765 D:109 |||||||||||||| D:876 C:J10987|||||||||||||| C:65 -------------- SOUTH (D) S:432 H:KQ2 D:5432 C:432 Let us look at these two combinations AQJ AQJ ------------- ----------- | N | | N | K109| W E|876 876 |W E|K109 | S | | S | ------------- ----------- 432 432 N-S started with 1 sure S trick in SA. When W has K, N-S win 2 extra spade tricks when finessing twice. When E has K, finesse loses. Good news is that N's two other S are winners now. So you can win 3 or 2 tricks. Suppose we do not do finesse, but play A and then Q on which K is taken. Thus J is promoted. So promotion can win 2 tricks. Finesse may give you 3. Did it occur to you that the first finesse might win but second finesse might lose? Unless you are playing against real hotshot bridge players, it is safe to assume when a finesse works one time, it will work the second time. Finesse against the Ace: ======================= 32 ------------- S's K is his only hope. Do you think N-S can | N | win any trick at all? J10| W E|AQ They can win 1 trick provided: | S | - The lead comes from N ------------- - if E plays A, S plays 4 K4 - If E plays Q, S plays K 32 ------------- How many tricks can N-S win? | N | AQ | W E|J10 | S | ------------- K4 543 ------------- | N | You can win one trick by promotion? 1098| W E|A76 How many tricks via finesse? | S | Any thing is possible in bridge !!! ------------- KQ2 Example Deal 2 ============== NORTH How many tricks? S:543 N-S can win 10 tricks immediately H:432 They can win one S by promotion D:AKQ Can they win one more? think finesse C:5432 twice with S. If W has SAJ10, you will -------------- get 11 tricks. If W takes SA, then you WEST |||||||||||||| EAST will get 12 S:J109 |||||||||||||| S:A876 H:J1098 |||||||||||||| H:765 D:1098 |||||||||||||| D:J765 C:1098 |||||||||||||| C:76 -------------- SOUTH (D) S:KQ2 H:AKQ D:432 C:AKQJ The pseudo-finesse: a good time not to finesse ============================================== Remember we learnt that: 32-AK and K3-A2 are essentially same. Both win 2 tricks for the partnership. Similarly for touching hands AKQ, KQJ, QJ10 they got the same number of tricks. Now let us look at the finesse situation 32-AQ and move Q, to Q3-A2. What difference does it make? Q3 ------------- | N | Here now, if Q is played, E should play K. 109| W E|KJ If 3 is played he should play J. E's KJ have | S | N's Q completely surrounded. E must play J if ------------- 3 is played. A2 Famous rule: Usually cover an honor with an honor. An honor is A-10. Q3 ------------- | N | Here again, Q should be covered with K. J9 | W E|K10 Then J with partner always wins | S | ------------- A2 Q3 ------------- Here leading the Q will always lose a trick. | N | Leading the A in the hope that K will drop K | W E|J10987654 is not much of a chance, but it is the only | S | chance for N-S. ------------- A2 QJ ------------- | N | Whenever, QKA are played to first trick, J 98| W E|K10 comes in control. Then N=-S can win 2 | S | tricks ------------- A2 A new kind of finesse against K =============================== 32-AQ provides traditional finesse Q3-A2 provides no break QJ-A2 is strengthed by the H. Q has greater value. Q43-A2 what about this one? Q43 ------------- 3 tricks are at stake? N-S can win at least | N | 1 trick in A. Can they do any better? KJ10| W E|987 | S | ------------- A2 Q43 ------------- | N | Things are not so rosy if E was dealt the K. 987 | W E|KJ10 Q is surrounded by KJ10 and N-S can get | S | only one trick ------------- A2 Example deal 3 --------------- NORTH S:Q43 HJ is lead. S has 10 tricks outside H:A43 of Sp. SA is one trick. Should he win D:543 with HA in dummy or HKQ in hand. He C:5432 should win in hand. If he wins A, low -------------- S to A and a low S towards Q, W takes WEST |||||||||||||| EAST the K. Now Q is stranded with no way S:K6 |||||||||||||| S:J109875 to get to it. H:J10987|||||||||||||| H:65 D:1098 |||||||||||||| D:QJ76 Next suppose SA is played and a low is C:987 |||||||||||||| C:6 played and W takes SK, and leads H10, -------------- you should take HQ and retain HA as an SOUTH (D) entry S:A2 H:KQ2 D:AK2 C:AKQJ10 NORTH S:Q43 Suppose cards are like this. A is taken H:A43 and then Q is taken with SK with E. D:543 Do you see the problem? C:5432 So you should play low first to Q while -------------- still having A as a stopper. WEST |||||||||||||| EAST S:76 |||||||||||||| S:KJ10985 H:J10987|||||||||||||| H:65 D:1098 |||||||||||||| D:QJ76 C:987 |||||||||||||| C:6 -------------- SOUTH (D) S:A2 H:KQ2 D:AK2 C:AKQJ10 What did we learn: On many deals you will have a choice between winning a trick in the declarer's hand or the dummy. Think ahead as to where you will want the lead to be later As declarer, consider the tricks you might lose in addition to the tricks you might win Bridge is not a game that is well suited to general rules of strategy. The correct play for a particular card combination may not be the correct play in a complete deal containing that card combination Yes, some bridge deals are difficult, but you are well on your way to being able to recognize these deals and handle them properly Even if you can't solve the difficult deals yet, see them as learning experiences. If you have a good attitude, bridge is a fun game even if you make a mistake Fineese against the Queen ========================= We had seen a finesse against a King 32-AQ We had seen a finesse against a Ace 43-K2 A finesse against a Q: 432-AKJ (simplest kind) Jacks are always critical in finesses against Queens. The lead generally must come from the hand opposite the Jack when taking the finesse against the Q. When taking a finesse against a Q, you must hope it is under the J. When Q is over the J, the finesse will fail. 543 ------------- | N | Lead is with N, the hand opposite the J. E has 876| W E|Q109 Q so finesse is due to succeed. | S | If E plays 9, play J. If by mistake you play ------------- K, all is not lost. You need another entry to N AKJ Then you can play another card. 432 ------------- | N | Here W has only one card Q. This illustrates Q| W E|1098765 why it might be better to finesse in second | S | round. If you play J, the Q wins. If S plays ------------- K, the Q drops and AJ become tricks as well AKJ 432 ------------- Suppose W had 2 carder Q. S takes K, refusing | N | first finesse. Second time he can take finesse Q5| W E|109876 and Q will win or he can take A and Q will drop | S | ------------- AKJ The finesse or the drop: 8 ever, 9 never ======================================== There are two ways J can win a trick with 432-AKJ 1) S can spurn the finesse and win the first 2 tricks with A and K. This play will result in a third trick for N-S when Q drops in 1st or 2nd round 2) After winning a trick with A or K, a low card can be led towards S for a finesse. If E has the W, a third trick results for N-S. So which plan should N-S adopt? Both plans will work if Q is alone or E is dealt just 2 cards including Q The drop gains when W was dealt exactly 2 carder with Q The finesse gains when E was dealt 3 or more carder with Q It is more likely that E will be dealt 3 or more S including the Q than W to be dealt 2 carder Q. So finesse is better than drop. It is correct for N-S to finesse J on second round. So take a look at these combinations: 432-AKJ, 432-AKJ10, 5432-AKJ10, 5432-AKJ109 When N-S hand contains 6 cards missing only the Q, the second round finesse will produce a third trick more often than playing for a drop The other combinations have 7, 8 and 9 cards. 8 ever: Finesse ------ 5432-AKJ10: The "8 ever" part means that when a solid suit is missing the Q has 8 or fewer cards between N-S, the correct play is to finesse against the Q (After cashing A or K first) 9 never: Don't finesse -------- 5432-AKJ109: The "9 never" part means that when a solid suit is missing the Q has 9 or more cards between N-S hands, the correct play is to lay down A and K and hope the Q will drop Example Deal 4 --------------- NORTH 6NT by S: W leads HQ S:5432 -------------------- H:AK4 HQ is taken by HK. S2 is lead and SK taken D:5432 This is with 8 ever. Then C to CA, and S3 C:AK Now S10 is taken. Now what do you do. -------------- If you go for another lead of S by playing WEST |||||||||||||| EAST a H or C, you will lose control on the S:6 |||||||||||||| S:Q987 suit. So you should plan and play D. You H:QJ1098|||||||||||||| H:765 have 9 cards in D, so 9 never rule applys. D:Q87 |||||||||||||| D:6 Play DAK straight and if Q does not fall, C:QJ109 |||||||||||||| C:87654 it is OK. Play the D9 and give up DQ, -------------- which is a loser in any case. If you had SOUTH (D) taken S finesse earlier by playing C or H, S:AKJ10 E-W will run with that suit. So H:32 maintaining control is a useful thing D:AKJ109 C:32 Some finesses are certain to win - we call them proven finesses After the first S finesse won and W discarded, the second finesse was 100% certain to win 5432 ------------- There are 9 cards between N-S, so 9 never | N | applies. So playing AK is correct. In this | W E|Q876 hand after first K is cashed, proven | S | finesse will come in handy. E is then ------------- known to have Q. So he can take 2 AKJ109 finesses. The never in "9 never" is apparently too strong. "9 rarely" would be more accurate. We are having lots of trouble coming up with strategy rules that always apply. Ask yourself "what will happen next" Other combinations of Finesse with Q ------------------------------------ J43 Next is AKJ in different hands. Leading ------------- a 2 from your hand is not going to get | N | you a trick. What about leading J? Can | W E| N-S win 3 tricks by this plan? | S | ------------- AK2 J43 ------------- This is called a pseudo-finesse. If E plays | N | the 5 on J, then you can play 2 to win the 109876| W E|Q5 tricks. If E covers with Q, then you will | S | not get a trick. You can play for a drop ------------- AK2 So it is possible to win 3 tricks in some circumstances. This does not contradict "8 ever, 9 never" rule, which applies when the Q is the only relevant card missing. When J is in opposite hand, 10 becomes relevant. J103 ------------- | N | Here, we have N with 10. Here S should 9876 | W E|Q54 play K first, just in case Q is alone | S | but then take the J and finesse ------------- AK2 To summarize, J43-AK2, J103-AK2, J43-AK10 With the J opposite the AK and no 10 between the 2 hands, the only finesse is pseudo finesse. It is correct to cash AK, hoping for Q to drop The presense of the 10 in either hand makes the finesse a legitimate possibility. Use "8 ever 9 never" to decide between finesse and drop Sometimes 9 will also be relevant, but for now above rule is good enough Other combinations are: 432-AKJ, J43-AK2, J103-AK2, K43-AJ2, K103-AJ2, K32-AJ10 In the first 3 AK are in same hand, in last 3 they are in opposite hand K43 ------------- | N | In this case, finesse has to be taken. If you 876 | W E|Q109 take A, then Q is still guarded. So take K | S | first, So Q is still surround by AJ and finesse ------------- can be taken AJ2 N-S can take 3 tricks when ever E is dealt the Q by taking a finesse. It is important to cash the high card opposite the J on the first round K43 ------------- | N | There is no way for N-S to get 3 tricks if Q76| W E|1098 W has Q along with 2 more cards. Lead of J | S | is pseudo-finesse ------------- AJ2 K43 ------------- | N | In this case, if W has Q, AK is the only Q5| W E|109876 way to get all the tricks. So sometimes drop | S | will work, sometimes finesse ------------- AJ2 K103 ------------- | N | If 10 is with N (relevant card) amazing things 987| W E|Q65 happen. | S | ------------- AJ2 K103 ------------- | N | If we lead J, Q can be trapped. Did you notice Q98 | W E|765 what is fishy about this combination. Either | S | defender can be finessed for the Q!. This is ------------- called a 2 way finesse. It is always better AJ2 to cash the A (high card) before taking fin. In a 2 way finesse against the Q, the AKJ10 must be all present. The A and K must be split, but the H 10 can be either split or together Example deal 5: The 2 way finesse in action --------------- NORTH 6NT by S: S:AJ10 DJ is lead. This is good. H lead would not H:543 be good. There is a 2-way finesse for SQ D:432 since AK and split and J10 are there. In C:AJ32 C also there is a 2 way finesse. What is -------------- the food for thought? 9 never. You take DQ WEST |||||||||||||| EAST C is the next logical suit, even if we S:4 |||||||||||||| S:Q98765 lose CQ. We can develop 2 more tricks H:987 |||||||||||||| H:KQJ106 compared to S where only 1 can be done. D:JT9876|||||||||||||| D:5 E's singleton CQ falls. Then we take all C:654 |||||||||||||| C:Q the C. We have postponed SQ decision so -------------- far. We can postpone it more since we SOUTH (D) have HA, DAK as certain winners. If we S:K32 do that and SQ finesse goes wrong, opponents H:A2 will gain other tricks. We should cash DK D:AKQ since it is safe. E discards S6. Whats the C:K10987 big deal? We know E had 1 D only and W had 6. E had 1 C and E had 3 C. Therefore E has more likely chance of having Q. Take the A and then the J (or 10) from dummy. The last H2 is then only loser. Lessons learnt 1. There are many situations in bridge where defenders' distribution of a suit or suits can influence declarer's proper play in another suit 2. As declare try to make a mental note whenever the distribution of a suit becomes known. It takes a little practice to learn to count the hand in this way, but you will get the hang of it! 3. If a 9-card (or longer) suit contains a 2-way finesse for the Q, "9 never" still applies. We had a 2-way finesse for the CQ, but we correctly planned not to finesse in C at all. 4. It is generally correct to establish extra tricks in your longest suit first. Sometimes the lead has to be lost, but small cards in long suit will often become winners 5. Making good opening leads is one of the hardest parts of bridge. The opening leader sees just his own hand - the dummy is laid out after the opening lead Review of finesses ================== 32-AQ : Finesse E for K 43-K2 : Finesse E for A 432-AKJ : Finesse E for Q K43-AJ2 : 2-way finesse for Q K432-AJ1098 : Use "9 never". Do not finesse. Master Deal 1 ============= NORTH 7NT by S: Lead SJ S:432 With some good luck in C and D, 13 tricks H:K3 can be won. Win with SQ and go to dummy D:Q654 with HK or DQ. Play C6 to C10. Travel C:9876 back to dummy. Play another C to the J. -------------- Is there any more entry for another WEST |||||||||||||| EAST finesse. Take DAK and go to D6. Then take S:J10987|||||||||||||| S:65 another finesse. H:J1098 |||||||||||||| H:Q7654 D:J109 |||||||||||||| D:87 Count the number of cards the defenders play C:2 |||||||||||||| C:K543 in your important suits. You will then know -------------- when your small cards have become winners SOUTH (D) and how many times a finesse must be S:AKQ repeated. H:A2 D:AK32 C:AQJ10 Master Deal 2 ============= NORTH 3NT by S: Lead SQ S:5432 Need good luck H suit. W should have H:KQ76 HA. Play low H towards Q. Take Q if D:32 W plays 10. D to the K. Another H C:432 to K. Or C. Not with S since that is -------------- only stopper left. W cannot take HA WEST |||||||||||||| EAST otherwise N will get 2H. It does not S:QJ109 |||||||||||||| S:876 matter since S has 4 low H and an entry H:AJ10 |||||||||||||| H:98 to dummy. D:QJ10 |||||||||||||| D:9876 C:QJ10 |||||||||||||| C:9876 -------------- In some card combinations, there is more SOUTH (D) than one way that a trick can be won. The S:AK H suit had elements of promotion, finesse H:5432 and winning tricks with small card in a D:AK54 long suit. C:AK5 Master Deal 3 ============= NORTH 6NT by S: Lead SJ S:432 8 ever applies. The plan is to finesse H:432 CQ after cashing CA or CK. Promotion D:KQJ can result in 2 D tricks when DA is gone. C:5432 Win with SQ. Play CA in case W has CQ -------------- unguarded. Now we need to go to dummy. WEST |||||||||||||| EAST Play low D, W plays low and N takes DJ. S:J1098 |||||||||||||| S:765 Now play low C to 10. Now suppose you H:J1098 |||||||||||||| H:765 play another D and W takes A. Win any D:A1098 |||||||||||||| D:Q987 return. Dummy can now be reached with C:6 |||||||||||||| C:765 D. C can then be again finessed. -------------- SOUTH (D) When there is more than 1 suit in which S:AKQ declarer wants to develop extra winners, H:AKQ he should be careful to time his plays D:432 in these suits, switching back and forth C:AKJ10 between them if necessary. Master Deal 4 ============= NORTH 7NT by S: Lead SQ S:AK4 Position of CK and 2-2 D break is imp. H:K2 Take the SK. Now take a look at D suit. D:A6543 9 never applies. Take DKA and hope Q C:AQ10 falls. K from short hand should come -------------- first. Then take the DA. All the D WEST |||||||||||||| EAST winners should be taken now since no S:QJ109 |||||||||||||| S:8765 other entry. Now N has SA, HA and CAQ10. H:987 |||||||||||||| H:KQJ10 W has SJ,H9 and CK98. Now it is time for D:Q3 |||||||||||||| D:54 C finesse. It is correct to lead CJ so C:K987 |||||||||||||| C:654 lead remains with S for a second finesse -------------- SOUTH (D) Be careful when the lead is in a S:32 particular hand for the last time. Make H:2 sure to take all of your winners in that D:AJ109876 hand. Lead high cards for finesses to C:J32 preserve the lead in same hand Master Deal 5 ============= NORTH 3NT by S: Lead SK S:765 E plays the D9. So you have to win with H:KJ32 SA otherwise opponents will play D. At D:54 this time it is good idea to cash all C. C:432 This will help us learn more about the -------------- E-W cards. Also if finesse loses, E-W WEST |||||||||||||| EAST will cash all the D and you will lose S:KQJT98|||||||||||||| S:--- the C tricks. E-W both discard D on H:4 |||||||||||||| H:Q765 4th C. W is known to have 6S and 3C. D:QJ10 |||||||||||||| D:AK9876 He has only 4 cards left. E has 3 C C:765 |||||||||||||| C:1098 and 0 S. So he has 10 cards. The odds are -------------- that E has more chance to have HQ. So SOUTH (D) play low to the K. Continue with J so S:A32 that lead stays with dummy. Defenders H:A1098 get last 4 tricks. D:32 C:AKQJ Key lesson: Investigate the division of other suits before deciding which way to take a 2-way finesse. Play the defender with fewer cards in the other suits to have been dealt with the critical Q.