Neither vulnerable. South deals.

Neither vulnerable. South deals.
NORTH
A J 10
4 3 2
A 10 9 8 6
K 2
WEST EAST
6 2 Q 7 5 4 3
A K Q J 10 9 6 8
3 4 2
Q 10 9 J 7 5 4 3
SOUTH
K 9 8
7 5
K Q J 7 5
A 8 6
The bidding:
SOUTH WEST NORTH EAST
1 4 5 Pass
Pass Pass
Opening lead: King of
Experts and novices have two different views on finesses. The expert hates a simple finesse; the novice loves it -- it either wins or loses, regardless of skill. The novice cannot tolerate a two-way finesse -- he has too much guessing to do; the expert prefers it -- he can learn enough from the cards to help him decide which way to take it. Consider this deal, one of Eddie Kantar's "Thinking Bridge" series.
West's four-heart pre-empt over the opening one diamond bid with a potential eight-winner hand puts pressure on the opponents. North has no idea how many diamonds his side can make. All he knows from the bidding is that partner has an opening bid with at least four diamonds. However, he cannot bid fewer or more than five diamonds.
"East plays three rounds of hearts -- attacking either black suit could be risky. The fate of the contract depends on finding the queen of spades, a suit that can be finessed in either direction. South does best to go for a count in the other suits before touching spades. When counting a hand, if one player is known to have a long suit, zero in on that player.
"After ruffing the third heart, trumps are drawn. Now South knows West started with seven hearts (East showed out on the second heart) and one diamond. Next the king and ace of clubs and a club ruff reveals that West has turned up with 11 cards outside of spades and can have at most two in the suit. Translation: East started with at least five spades and is a 5-to-2 favorite to hold the queen. Declarer should play the ace and run the jack through East.
"When missing a queen in a 'two-way suit,' go for the count in the other suits. Once you have the count, assume the player who started with the greater length in the key suit has the missing honor."
This column is written by Tannah Hirsch and Omar Sharif. For information about Charles Goren's newsletter for bridge players, call (800) 788-1225 or write Goren Bridge Letter, P.O. Box 4410, Chicago, Ill. 60680. Send e-mail to gorenbridge@aol.com.
& copy; 2006, Tribune Media Services
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