come back to our hand and repeat the finesse using our remaining spade . We avoid a spade loser .
Replacing a Ten with a Nine How do we handle this combination ?
Dummy ♠A K J 9
W
N
S Declarer ♠7 4 2 Whoa ! First we need to know how many tricks we need , what our entry situation is , and whether we can afford to give up a trick to the opponents . We have two spade tricks for sure . If we need all four , we can play one high spade from dummy and , if a low spade appears from East , the percentage play is to then come to our hand and lead a low spade to dummy ’ s ♠J . We ’ ll need West to have started with three spades including the ♠Q , but that ’ s our best play for four tricks .
Suppose , however , we only need three tricks and can afford to give up a trick to the defenders . Then our best play is to start by playing the ♠A-K . If low spades appear , we cross to our hand and lead our last spade toward dummy , planning to play the ♠J .
Let ’ s put a similar looking combination in a complete deal and see how we should handle it . We reach 4♥ and West leads the ♦Q .
Dummy
♠ A K J 9
♥ K Q 5 4♥
♦ 8 6 4
♣ 7 6 2
♠ 10 8 3 2
♠ Q 7 5
N
♥ 8 6
♥ 10 7 2
W E
♦ Q J 10 5
S ♦ K 7 3
♣ Q 9 4
♣ K J 8 3
Declarer
♠ 6 4
♥ A J 9 4 3
♦ A 9 2
♣ A 10 5 We have two diamond losers and two club losers , one too many . There ’ s nothing we can do about the diamond and club losers within the suits themselves . We need to create an extra winner in dummy on which to
E discard one of the losers . The spade suit offers that possibility . Not only do we have the ♠J , but we also have the ♠9 .
Suppose we win the first or second round of diamonds with the ♦A . We now draw trumps , ending in our hand . We lead a low spade toward dummy and , when West follows with a low spade , we finesse the ♠9 !
On the actual deal , this drives out East ’ s ♠Q and we can now use the established ♠J to discard one of our minor-suit losers . What if the ♠9 had lost to the ♠10 in East ’ s hand ? Then we would hold our breath and , on regaining the lead , play a low spade and finesse the ♠J . If East turns up with the ♠Q , we will have just lost two spade tricks to go with our four minor-suit losers . Hopefully , that won ’ t be the case .
By planning on finessing the ♠9 followed by the ♠J if necessary , we will get an extra trick if West started with the ♠Q or the ♠10 or both the ♠Q and ♠10 . We win in three of four situations , losing only when East holds both the ♠Q and ♠10 . We have a 75 % chance of success .
Why start with the finesse of the ♠9 ? If it wins , we have the chance for an overtrick when West started with both the ♠10 and ♠Q .
Safety First Let ’ s look at a suit combination missing the queen in one more deal . We are in 3NT and West leads the ♥Q .
Dummy
♠ 7 4 2
♥ K 5 3NT
♦ A J 6 4 2
♣ K 7 2
♠ K 10 8
♠ Q 9 5
N ♥ Q J 9 7 4 ♥ 10 8 3 2 W E
♦ 7
S ♦ Q 10 8 5
♣ J 9 6 3
♣ Q 10
Declarer
♠ A J 6 3
♥ A 6
♦ K 9 3
♣ A 8 5 4
We have one sure spade trick , two heart tricks , two diamond tricks , and two club tricks . That ’ s seven tricks , so we need two more . They aren ’ t coming from hearts and are unlikely to come from spades or clubs . We can only afford to lose the lead once before the opponents will have established their hearts and be ready to defeat the contract if we lose another trick .
So we need to go with the diamond suit . On the surface , this looks like a straightforward play of taking the ♦K and then finessing dummy ’ s ♦J . That will give us five tricks if the finesse works and four if it loses . That , of course , assumes the five missing diamonds divide 3-2 . What if they divide 4-1 ? We only need four diamond tricks , not five , so we want to play the diamond suit in the safest way to guarantee four tricks .
After winning the first trick with the ♥A , we should play a low diamond to dummy ’ s ♦A and then lead a low diamond from dummy . If East were to show out , we would win the ♦K and then lead toward dummy ’ s ♦J to guarantee four tricks . If East follows with a low diamond , we plan to insert the ♦9 . If that loses to the ♦Q or ♦10 , the diamonds have divided 3-2 and we have the rest of the diamond tricks . If it wins – as on the actual deal – we take the ♦K , cross to dummy with the ♣K , and lead a fourth round of diamonds to establish the last diamond winner we need .
On the actual deal , East may choose to play the ♦10 when we lead a low diamond from dummy . That ’ s okay . We win the ♦K and use the ♦9 to drive out the ♦Q . Again , we have the diamond tricks we need .
Conclusion When missing the queen but holding the ace , king , and jack , take time to consider the best way to handle the suit . It may depend on whether there are lower-ranking cards such as 10s and 9s in the suit . It may depend on the entry situation , how many tricks are needed , and whether we can afford to give up a trick to the defenders . Only by making a plan for the entire deal can we settle on the best way to handle the particular suit combination .
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