| North | ||
| ♠ A Q J | ||
| ♥ A 5 | ||
| ♦ A 7 6 5 4 | ||
| ♣ K J 9 | ||
| South | ||
| ♠ 9 8 | ||
| ♥ 10 8 6 | ||
| ♦ J | ||
| ♣ A Q 10 8 7 6 5 |
You open 3♣ and partner experiments with a new gadget you have decided to play, a jump to 4♦ after a 3♣ opening bid as Keycard Blackwood. The idea is to keep the bidding lower if necessary as well as having room to make a queen-ask, if necessary. In any case, you wind up in 6♣ and West leads the ♥Q. Clubs are 2-1. Plan the play.
You have two choices:
- An immediate ‘all in one basket’ spade finesse (50%) and get it over with quickly.
- Try to set up the fifth diamond for a spade discard. This requires 4-3 diamonds (62%). Furthermore, if diamonds break an obscene 5-2, you still have the spade finesse in reserve. Suddenly you are up to a touch more than 80%! Start with the ♦A and ruff a diamond, cross to the ♣9 and ruff a second diamond. If both have followed to each diamond play, diamonds have divided 4-3 and it’s all over but adding up the score. Cross to the ♣J, ruff a third diamond, enter dummy with the ♠A, discard your losing spade on dummy’s fifth diamond, concede a heart, and ruff a heart. Admirable.
Had you taken the spade finesse early, and had it lost, you would be dead. You would also be a strong candidate for FA. (Finesseaholics Anonymous).
| ♠ A Q J | ||
| ♥ A 5 | ||
| ♦ A 7 6 5 4 | ||
| ♣ K J 9 | ||
| ♠ 10 7 4 2 | ♠ K 6 5 3 | |
| ♥ Q J 9 4 | ♥ K 7 3 2 | |
| ♦ Q 9 8 | ♦ K 10 3 2 | |
| ♣ 4 3 | ♣ 2 | |
| ♠ 9 8 | ||
| ♥ 10 8 6 | ||
| ♦ J | ||
| ♣ A Q 10 8 7 6 5 |
Note: Had clubs divided 3-0, you would have to give up on diamond establishment and fall back on the spade finesse. Why? In order to use an established diamond, assuming a 4-3 division, you must draw trumps. This means that there will not be a trump in the dummy to trump a heart if you discard a spade on the fifth diamond.