The Bridge Corner
By Gary Mitchell


The bidding explained: Notice that North-South have an eight-card Heart fit. The East-West bidding makes it impossible for them to find that fit. Also, over a four-Heart contract, E-W will probably bid four Spades, so here we are in five Clubs.

The play: You notice that you have a sure loser in both Hearts and Diamonds as well as a possible Club loser. So, you win the opening lead and take the Club finesse. It loses, and they return a Diamond. After pulling the last trump, you try to set up the Hearts, but they gain the lead and take their Diamond for down one. Again!

The Club finesse is a 50-50 proposition. Is there something better? Win the opening Spade lead and play a Club to the Ace. First of all, the Club King may come down. That is about a 22-percent chance. Now lead a Heart and finesse with the Jack. When that loses, win the Diamond return, lead another Heart to the Ace, and trump a Heart. Trump a Spade in dummy and discard your losing Diamond on a good Heart. You lose a Club and a Heart. This works any time Hearts are 3-2, and the person with 3 Hearts has the Club King, or when Hearts break 3-2 and East has 2 with the Club King, or the doubleton KQ of Hearts in either hand. These combined chances offer about a 55-percent chance of success. If you add that to the 22 percent of a singleton King of Clubs, you can see which line of play is better.

No, you do not need to know these percentages. You only need to know that the second line is better than the 50-50 finesse.

Questions: email gary@smabridge.com.  Lessons: Call 152-6351.