Independent on Saturday

NEIL HAYWARD BRIDGE

Contract: 6♥ by South

Opening Lead: ♠T. What is your plan? Recommended Line: This is a hand where “obvious plays” will be your undoing. Many will cover the lead in dummy, thinking it is a “free” finesse. And many will fall for the sparkling opportunity to pull off a double finesse in diamonds, offering an alluring 76 percent chance of success. Well, bad news abounds. An astute East does not cover dummy’s spade honour at trick one, and you find out that a 76 percent success rate equates to failure a quarter of the time. To succeed, think more deeply. The obvious is just treachery dressed in smart clothes. You should see that East might not cover when you play a high spade on table. If so, you win a spade in dummy too early. Secondly, just because the diamond suit offers you a double finesse, it does not mean you have to accept the offer. Play low on table at trick one, win in hand, and draw trumps, discarding a diamond. Unblock the ♣Q, and play spades till you gain an entry. Then cash clubs. Twelve tricks. No double diamond

* finesse. That’s strictly for the flashy declarer.

THE XFILES

en-za

2022-05-28T07:00:00.0000000Z

2022-05-28T07:00:00.0000000Z

http://independentonsaturday.pressreader.com/article/282235194283747

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