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Anthony Ker

The Practice Finesse.

Kathy and Anthony Ker had a fine Congress especially in the New Zealand Open Pairs where they finished runners-up. Today, we see Anthony at work though this occurred at the back end of the week.

 

You reach 5 after the sequence above and receive the A lead followed by J switch. What is your plan for making 11 tricks?

Dummy is very attractive and you have differing ways of disposing of your club losers, either by ruffing in dummy or after removing the A. This leaves you with one loser in each black suit and the issue of drawing trumps. We know that East has a pre-emptive hand but so too may West, although a rather stronger one. That jump could equally be made on diamond shortage as could the opening pre-empt. Both opponents could have any number of diamonds.  

How then to play the trump suit? Anthony Ker found a way by enlisting the help of his opponents. He took an unnecessary finesse at trick 2, the heart finesse. While unnecessary, he was pretty confident on the bidding that the finesse would work.

Indeed it did work as East followed low, a relief to Anthony that East did have a heart. Then, at trick 3, he led A…and his trump problem was solved as East ruffed low:

 

 

Anthony could over-ruff and draw trumps in 2 further rounds. Then, with a trump still in dummy, he could knock out the A and claim 11 tricks.

Assuming East held 7 clubs, they had confirmed having one heart and would not have more than 3 spades for their pre-empt. That left a minimum two diamonds in the East hand. As you can see above, having 6 clubs, as quite frequently happens, especially at favourable vulnerability, meant that East held three diamonds.

After over-ruffing, Anthony could lead a low diamond from his hand. When West followed, Anthony knew he could draw trumps and make his contract.

Could East have anticipated Anthony's plan? There seemed no hope for the defence if South held A.Indeed, if South held that card, they would surely draw trumps as quickly as possible. However, if East discarded, pretending to have no trumps, Anthony could deduce why. East, the pre-emptor, with only one heart, just had to have some length in diamonds. 

We are often told only to finesse when we have to. Certainly, taking the heart finesse would be a good move if East was about to ruff the first round of the suit. Anthony finessed not because he wanted to use the A to dispose of one of his losing clubs but to confirm the trump position.

A practice finesse? Not really. Finesse with purpose.

Richard Solomon

Note that a "practice finesse" is one not needed to make one's contract. Indeed, if it fails, it often endangers a contract's success. 

 

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