BRIDGE

BRIDGE

Neither vulnerable. South deals.

NORTH

x7 4

uA 4 3

vA Q J 9 8

wQ 10 5

WEST EAST

x8 3 2 xK Q J 9 5

u9 8 7 6 uJ 10 5

v5 3 2 vK 7 6

wK 8 2 w7 6

SOUTH

xA 10 6

uK Q 2

v10 4

wA J 9 4 3

The bidding:

SOUTH WEST NORTH EAST

1w Pass 1v 1x

1NT Pass 3NT Pass

Pass Pass

Opening lead: Two of x

If you consider the diamond and club suits in isolation, the finesse in each has a 50 percent chance of success. In the play of the hand, however, that does not translate into making no difference which one you select in your effort to make the hand.

The bidding is routine. With the equivalent of an opening bid facing a partner who clearly has a sound minimum, balanced opening bid with at least one spade stopper, North jumped to game as soon as a playable strain was located.

West made the correct lead of the deuce from three low cards in the suit partner had bid. Declarer allowed the jack to win and ducked the continuation of the queen as well before winning the third round of the suit perforce. That posed a discarding problem from dummy. If declarer was going to attack diamonds, a club or heart had to be discarded. If declarer was going to play on clubs, one of dummy’s diamonds (or a heart) had to be dumped.

Is it a guess which finesse to take? Not even close! The defenders have collected two spades and, if East gains the lead, the defenders will bank two more for a total of five tricks. Since declarer has four tricks in the majors and needs five from the minors, South can afford to lose a trick to West, but not East. Therefore, declarer should discard a diamond (or a heart) from dummy, cross to the ace of hearts and run the queen of clubs. Win or lose, the club finesse will produce nine tricks.

One more trap to avoid, though. When the club finesse to West loses and a diamond comes back, declarer cannot risk the finesse. South must rise with dummy’s ace and cash out nine tricks — four clubs, three hearts and the aces in the two other suits.

2013 Tribune Media Services