BRIDGE CARD COMBINATIONS
MAXIMS : TRUTH OR BY DAVID LINDOP
Handling Suit Combinations : PART 4
In this series of articles , we look at various suit combinations and how to handle them . The way we handle a suit combination can depend on various factors such as the contract , the auction , the number of tricks we can afford to lose , and the availability of entries .
Missing the Queen When we are missing the queen in a suit but holding the ace , king , and jack , we will often be in a position to take three or more tricks in the suit with the help of a finesse . Consider this :
Dummy ♦K 7 3
Declarer ♦A J 4 If we need three tricks , we can win the ♦K and then lead a low diamond toward our hand , planning to finesse the ♦J if East follows with a low diamond . It is a 50 % chance , if there is no helpful information from the auction or the play . Playing the ♦K first improves our odds slightly since it guards against West having started with a singleton ♦Q .
Finesses for a missing queen come in various guises , so we need to be prepared to spot them when Browsing Declarer ’ s Checklist while making our plan . Suppose we are declarer in 6NT . This is the full layout :
♠ J 10 8 3
♥ Q 8 4
♦ Q 9 5
♣ 6 4 2
W
N
S
E
Dummy
♠ A 7 5
♥ J 5 6NT
♦ K 7 3
♣ K Q 10 8 5
♠ Q 9 6 2
N
♥ 10 9 7 3
W E
S ♦ 10 8 6 2
Declarer ♣ 9
♠ K 4
♥ A K 6 2
♦ A J 4
♣ A J 7 3
14 Audrey Grant ’ s Better Bridge | July-August 2024
West leads the ♠J . We start with eleven sure tricks : two spades , two hearts , two diamonds , and five clubs . We need one more and the diamond suit jumps out as a 50 % possibility . However , we should look further and notice the heart suit also offers the chance of a finesse for the missing ♥Q by leading toward dummy ’ s ♥J .
With two possible finesses , we want to combine our chances if possible . Which finesse should we start with ? If we start with the diamond finesse and it loses – as on the actual deal – it is too late to try the heart finesse . We ’ d have to lose a trick even if the finesse works and that would be a second loser . Instead , we should follow the general principle of taking our losses early .
We start with the heart finesse . We can ’ t afford to play a high heart first , so we simply lead a low heart toward dummy ’ s ♥J . On the actual deal , West wins the ♥Q and dummy ’ s ♥J becomes our twelfth trick . No need for the diamond finesse .
What if the heart finesse failed and East captured the ♥J with the ♥Q ? Then we could fall back on our second chance of the diamond finesse .
In the above layout , give East both the ♥Q and the ♦Q . Now the heart finesse loses but the diamond finesse wins .
Adding a Ten Including a ten along with the jack usually improves our chances for an extra trick . Consider this familiar suit layout :
Dummy ♠A K J 10
W
N
S Declarer ♠7 4 2 Now we are guaranteed a third trick even if we lose a trick to the ♠Q . What if we need four tricks from this
E
Suppose w
combination ? The odds favor taking a finesse for the missing ♠Q rather than playing the ♠A-K and hoping the ♠Q will fall . But , assuming we have enough entries , we can improve the odds slightly by first taking a trick with the ♠A or ♠K , just in case East started with a singleton ♠Q . If the ♠Q doesn ’ t appear . We come to our hand and take a finesse . When this succeeds , we cross back to our hand for a second time and repeat the finesse . As mentioned , this assumes we have all the entries we need to travel back and forth between our two hands .
Careful , however ! Let ’ s put a similar looking combination in a complete deal . We are declarer in 4♠ and West leads the ♦3 .
Dummy
♠ A K J 10 5 3
♥ 7 3 4♠
♦ 7 6 2
♣ 8 6
♠ Q 9 6 2
♠ 8
N
♥ J 8
♥ A 10 6 4 2
W E
♦ Q 9 5 3
S ♦ K J 4
♣ J 7 3
♣ Q 10 4 2
Declarer
♠ 7 4
♥ K Q 9 5
♦ A 10 8
♣ A K 9 5 The defenders are going to drive out our ♦A , leaving us with two diamond losers and a heart loser we can ’ t do anything about . We ’ ll have to avoid a spade loser . No problem , we can try the spade finesse , hoping West started with the ♠Q .
Do we take one of dummy ’ s high spades first to guard against East holding a singleton ♠Q ? Look what happens if we do . East doesn ’ t have a singleton ♠Q and we can cross to our hand to try the spade finesse . This works , but East shows out . Without any spades in our hand , we can ' t repeat the spade finesse and capture West ’ s ♠Q . So we can ’ t afford to play a high spade from dummy first . Instead , we must take a first-round spade finesse . When this works , we