Bridge problem: A matter of finesse
Your hand sitting South
Bidding
Dealer West. North-South vulnerable.
Card play
Lead: ♠3.
In response to the reopening double, 3♣ shows an interesting hand which doesn’t justify a 2♣ overcall.
The conclusion is obvious. All that remains is to win!
Solution
The bidding was quite revealing. West, for his opening, almost certainly holds the Ace of ♣ and the Ace of ♠ and you should fear him holding the King of ♦ as well. But where is the Queen of ♣? Playing a ♣ to the Jack is extremely dangerous, as if East wins and returns a ♠, the opponents’ suit will be established before you have been able to establish the ♣ or the ♦. Moreover, the ♦ cannot produce enough tricks on their own (unless East holds King-third). It is therefore necessary to play ♣ on Trick Two. But watch out: you should put in the King if West follows with a low ♣. If it wins the trick, you have succeeded: running the 10 of ♦ will then be enough. West will win but that is not a problem: you will have time to make two ♠, two ♥, four ♦ and a ♣. And if West rises with the Ace of ♣ to play another ♠? You win in hand and try the ♣ finesse. East wins and has no more ♠!
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If West ducks the club then playing the diamond ten is mandatory, since if clubs are 3-2 South can’t win continuing the suit. As the cards lie (clubs 2-3) continuing clubs would also get the job done.
The commented deals mentioned at the end of the article have a rank in difficulty. How would you rank this hand?
Also, in which different categories would you put this hand?
I would suggest:
Timing
Destroying dangerous opponent’s entry