AUCTION BRIDGE.

Auckland Star, Volume LXII, Issue 215, 11 September 1931, Page 6

AUCTION BRIDGE.

A FATAL MISTAKE IN FINESSING

(Br A. E. MAXXING FOSTER.) In planning the play of a hand it is iiecessary to protect any weak spot there may be in it. In the following" hand from actual play the declarer did not -cent danger early enough, and by a wrong finesse away a rubber which was otherwise certain: — *—K 6 5 V-7 5 2 ♦—K 74 3 10 3 S 2 i A Bjf —Q J 0 #— Q 9 0 i i* — r> 2 ■ /H I *— S 7 4 V—A K f—A 0 5 *— A J S 7 4 Score game all: Y-Z 10 in rubber game. Z dealt and bid one no -trump. All passed. a opened with the Queen of Hearts and Z took the trick with the King. Four tricks in Clubs with two in Hearts and two in Diamonds would give him game and rubber. But he thought he might as well try _to make five tricks in Clubs if he could by fi* essm f against the Queen of Clubs. But he did not realise it mattered which way to trnesse. Obsessed apparentlv by the sound rule that it is better to take a finesse on the second rather than on the first round, he led his 4 of Clubs, put up dummy's King, and then led the 3 of Clubs from dummy and finessed his Jack. A won the trick with the Queen, and, instead of <roing on with the Hearts as Z anticipated, led Queen of Spades —an excellent move. If Z held ! the Ace of Spades A could see the game was lost i anvway. The Queen of Spades held the trick, and A'continued with the 10. The King was not plaved. but B overtook with the Jack and made his* three other Spades. Thus five Spades with the Club saved the game and rubber. Now, of course, tiiis was bad play on the part of Z. He was absolutely safe in finessing the Clubs up to B. It did not matter if B held the Queen of Clubs. Z had certain game whatever he returned. If Z did not like finessing on "the first round and wanted to take the chance of the Queen of Clubs dropping, he could have led Ace of Club from his own hand and followed with a small one, finessing the 10. The fact was that Z felt certain of the game anyhow, and did not take the trouble to work out the possibilities of unexpected play on the part of the opponents. Apart from the moral of the care necessary in playing an apparently easy hand, the example Is useful as illustrating a principle in defence. It is a good general rule for the opponnents playing against a, no trumper Dot to chop and change suits. Having once started a suit which vou can clear in two rounds, you should persevere with it. The exception is when you can see that the declarer must make game if you do. On these occasions it is necessary to depart from the rule and take a chance in another suit if that offers a prospect—even an apparently remote prospect —of saving the game.