No hurry to finesse

Daily Bridge Club

The road to success isn’t always paved; you can’t expect all your finesses to win. But a finesse that will win now will win later. A missing honor won’t magically switch hands.

Against today’s five clubs, West led a spade, and East took the queen and led the ace. South ruffed, drew trumps and led a heart to dummy’s jack. East won and led another high spade, and South ruffed and ran his winners. At the end, he took the A-K of diamonds, but East’s queen won the 13th trick. Down one.

“I feared the heart finesse would lose when the man had bid,” South shrugged.

THIRD DIAMOND

South should not rush to finesse in hearts. After he ruffs the second spade, he can take the A-Q of trumps, ruff dummy’s last spade, cash the A-K of diamonds and lead a third diamond.

When East wins, he is end-played. If he leads a heart, South wins in dummy and discards a heart on the 13th diamond. If East leads a spade, South pitches a heart, ruffs in dummy and pitches another heart on the 13th diamond.

DAILY QUESTION

You hold: A K Q 6 5 K 8 2 Q 9 8 4 3. You open one spade, and your partner responds two hearts. The opponents pass. What do you say? ANSWER: Your partner’s response promises five or more hearts (more strictly, a suit that can play opposite three-card support). If he had only four hearts, he would always have an option — even a temporizing response in a three-card minor. Your correct call is a raise to three hearts. South dealer N-S vulnerable