Cape Argus E-dition

NEIL HAYWARD BRIDGE

Contract: 6NT by South

Opening Lead: ♦Q. What is your plan?

Recommended Line: You hold ten top tricks.

If clubs break 3-2, you have an eleventh, and spades will have to provide just one more. However, if clubs break 4-1, you will need to make all four spade tricks. Many players will look at the spades and think that the best way to get a maximum yield is to finesse. But the savvy player does not aim at the maximum number of tricks; only the required number. That word “required” is the key. How many tricks would that be? You don’t know – yet. To find out, go after clubs right away. If they break 4-1, you need four spade tricks. A finesse is your best option. If clubs break 3-2, as here, you need only three tricks from the spades. Your safest route to making the three tricks you need is to play the ♠A and ♠K. If the ♠Q does not fall, you return to hand and lead towards

♠ J2. You win in so many ways: if the ♠Q drops singleton; or doubleton; or if the suit breaks

3-3; or if West holds ♠ Q963, say. This hand teaches us: need beats greed. The finesse leads to defeat. It pays to do your homework.

THE XFILES

en-za

2022-06-25T07:00:00.0000000Z

2022-06-25T07:00:00.0000000Z

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