| North | ||
| ♠ 2 | ||
| ♥ 8 | ||
| ♦ A K J 10 7 6 | ||
| ♣ A J 9 5 4 | ||
| South | ||
| ♠ A K J 6 3 | ||
| ♥ Q J 4 | ||
| ♦ 3 2 | ||
| ♣ Q 10 7 |
Partner opens 1♦, you respond 1♠, West overcalls 2♥, partner chimes in with 3♣, and your 3NT bid ends the auction, partner passing reluctantly. West leads the ♥6, East plays the ♥9, and there you are in the wrong contract (partner’s fault, of course). Plan the play.
Obviously, you can’t give up the lead, and you have two suits to work with, diamonds, a suit missing a queen, and clubs, a suit missing the king. What to do? Remember your ‘combining’ rule and stay alive, stay alive!
Start by cashing the ♦A K. If the queen drops, you have 10 tricks. If it doesn’t, cross to the ♠A. No finesse, please! Even if the ♠J holds, you still need the club finesse so why take a practice (unnecessary) finesse? After winning the ♠A, run the ♣Q. If it holds, cash a second spade, discarding a diamond from dummy, and repeat the finesse running the 10.
Remember the tip from last week — when you can’t afford to give up the lead and you have two finesse suits going for you, one missing a queen, the other a king, either suit affording you enough tricks to make your contract if the finesse works, play the AK of the suit missing the queen, and if the queen doesn’t drop, take a finesse in the suit missing the king.
| ♠ 2 | ||
| ♥ 8 | ||
| ♦ A K J 10 7 6 | ||
| ♣ A J 9 5 4 | ||
| ♠ Q 9 5 | ♠ 10 8 7 4 | |
| ♥ A K 7 6 5 2 | ♥ 10 9 3 | |
| ♦ 9 8 5 | ♦ Q 4 | |
| ♣ 2 | ♣ K 8 6 3 | |
| ♠ A K J 6 3 | ||
| ♥ Q J 4 | ||
| ♦ 3 2 | ||
| ♣ Q 10 7 |