Declarer Play Techniques
The Finesse
A finesse in bridge is an attempt to win a trick with a high card, while the opponents have an even higher card that they could play. If that seems impossible, it is not. Bridge players do it all the time. It depends on which defender holds the higher card. Consider this example: For all of the examples in this section, we will consider Dummy in the North, Declarer in the South, with West on the left and East on the right.
(1) Dummy K 2
Declarer 5 4
Declarer can win a trick with the king if she leads a low card from the hand and when West plays low, call for the king. If West has the ace, dummy’s king will win. South has the advantage here, because West must play before South calls the card to be played from dummy. This is a bridge tactic called a finesse. Finesses occur in many variations.
(2) Dummy A Q 3
Declarer 4 2
Declarer plays low from his hand and when West plays low, calls for dummy’s queen. If west has the king, declarer will win two tricks, with any other play declarer wins only only one trick.
(3) Dummy A Q 9 7 5 4
Declarer J 10 8 6 2
With this holding, Declarer can finesse by leading toward dummy’s ace-queen, however, when you have 11 cards in a suit, the odds say play the ace and try to drop the king. If you had 10 cards, the finesse would be preferable.
(4) Dummy A J 3
Declarer K 2
Declarer can win three tricks in this suit if she plays the king from the hand (in case someone might have a singleton queen), then plays the two toward dummy. If West plays a low card, Declarer calls for the jack. South will win three tricks in the suit, if West has the queen, but only two if east has it.
(5) Dummy A J 5 4
Declarer K 10 6 2
Example (5) illustrates a two-way finesse. In order to finesse against the queen, declarer can lead the two from the hand and, when West plays low, call for the jack from dummy. Alternatively, declarer can play the four from dummy and, when East plays low, play the ten from the hand.
(6) Dummy A J 5 4
Declarer K 10 8 6 2
Here you also have a two-way finesse, but with 9 cards, the odds slightly favor trying to drop the queen. Unless you have a clue from the opponents bidding, it is best to play the ace and king hoping to find the opponents cards divided 2-2.
(7) Dummy K Q 4
Declarer 6 2
(8) Dummy A Q J 4
Declarer 6 2
Some finesses will have to be repeated in order to be successful. With example (7), declarer can win two tricks by leading a low card from the hand and, when West plays a low card, calling for the queen from dummy. If the q ueen holds the trick, declarer can return to the hand with another suit and once again lead low toward dummy. The same idea applies to example (8). Declarer leads a low card toward dummy and calls for the jack. If the jack holds, declarer can return to the hand and repeat the finesse.
(9) Dummy A J 10
Declarer 6 4 2
Example (9) illustrates another type of finesse that must be repeated. With this holding declarer must hope that the missing honors are split between the defenders’ hands. Declarer will play low from the hand and, when West plays a low card, call for dummy’s 10. Declarer expects the 10 will lose to one of the high honors. Later, when declarer next regains the lead, she can repeat the finesse. Unless, East was dealt both of the missing honors, this play will win two tricks.
(10) Dummy A Q 10
Declarer 6 4 2
(11) Dummy K J 10
Declarer 6 4 2
Here are two other examples of finesses that must be repeated. With the holding in example (10) declarer leads a low card from the hand and, when West plays low, calls for the 10 from dummy. If the 10 loses to East’s king, dummy’s ace and queen are established as winners. If the 10 loses to East’s jack, declarer can repeat the finesse, when next she gains the lead, hoping that West has the king.
Example (11), presents a similar problem. The best way to play this combination is for Declarer to play a low card and, when West plays low, call for dummy’s 10. If that loses to East’s ace, Declarer can repeat the finesse when she next gains the lead, establishing two tricks. If the 10 loses to East’s queen, dummy’s king and jack can force one trick.
(12) Dummy A 10 4
Declarer Q J 6
Some finesses start with the lead of a high card toward an even higher card, in the hope of trapping a defender’s card between the high cards. Example (12) illustrates such a case. Declarer could take the finesse by leading the 6 from the hand and when West plays low call for dummy’s 10. If dummy’s 10 holds the trick, Declarer will have to return to the hand with another suit in order to repeat the finesse. With this holding, it is best to play the queen from the hand. If West has the king but refuses to cover, Declarer will retain the lead and be ready to repeat the finesse immediately.
(13) Dummy A K 4 2
Declarer J 10 9
(14) Dummy A Q 10 9 5
Declarer J 3 2
There are a number of variations on this type of finesse. Examples (13) and (14) illustrate two of them. In each case, Declarer will start the finesse by leading the jack from the hand in hope of trapping West’s queen (example 13) or king (example 14). In both cases, if West has the high card and refuses to cover, Declarer will retain the lead in the hand and be ready to repeat the finesse.
The finesse is one of the chief tactics for developing tricks as declarer. Do remember, however, that a finesse is a 50-50 proposition. It is equally likely for the high card you hope to trap to be in either of the defender’s hands. Therefore, in general, you will win about 50 % of the finesses you attempt. This is why effective declarers often look to other ways, that give better odds, to develop extra tricks.