Circumstances alter the right approach

FRANK-N-ERNEST®

GRIZZWELLS®

BIG NATE®

ARLO & JANIS®

ZITS®

I am asked by students if they should study suit combinations. Well, it cannot hurt, but don’t even think of trying to learn them all. Every situation should be taken not in isolation but in terms of all 52 cards.

Consider today’s deal. Looking only at the North-south heart suit, how would you play it for no losers?

Right! You have heard of the saying, “eight ever, nine never.” With only eight trumps missing the queen, you take a finesse; whereas with nine trumps, you cash the ace and king, hoping the queen will drop. Those are the percentage plays, but is it right to cash the top honors here?

Following North’s Jacoby gameforcing raise, South’s four-heart rebid showed a minimum opening with no side-suit singleton or void.

West leads a spade, the defenders playing three rounds of the suit. Declarer has lost two tricks and is faced with potential losers in both red suits. A winning guess in hearts or a successful finesse in diamonds or clubs will bring home the contract. But there is a line of play that will save either a guess or a finesse. Declarer plays a heart to his ace and a heart to dummy’s nine.

Here the finesse wins, so the contract is safe. But suppose the finesse loses -- what would East return? If a spade, declarer ruffs in one hand and sluffs his diamond loser from the other. If a minor, South collects three tricks in that suit, again avoiding another loser.

Note that if South cashes the heart ace and king, he will go down with the given distribution.