November 2008 - 51

Dlr: South  A K 9
Vul: Both  K J 10
KQ72
AKQ
3
42
 9 6 4 3 2 WN E  Q 8
 A 10 9
J86543
S
 J 10 8 7
965
 Q J 10 8 7 6 5
A75
-
432
North
4NT
7

South
3
6
Pass

West leads the J.
Bidding commentary: South's 6
response to North's Blackwood query
shows one ace and a diamond void.
North decides to gamble on a grand
even though he is only able to count
12 tricks! He can be sure of seven
spades, three clubs and two hearts,
but he sees so many chances for 13.
If a red suit is led, there are 13 tricks.
If South has two hearts and four clubs
to go along with seven spades, there
are 13 tricks, as a club can be ruffed
in dummy. If the A ruffs out, there
are 13 tricks. If all else fails there
is always a two-way heart finesse.
When there are so many chances for
an extra trick, go for it!
Lead commentary: It is far too
risky to lead the A after South has
told the world of a diamond void. The
club sequence is a safer choice.
Play commentary: South can do
better than take an early heart finesse.
After the A K, the K is led from
dummy. If East has the ace and covers, South has 13 tricks. If East plays
low, South ruffs, enters dummy via a
club, ruffs another diamond, returns
November 2008

to dummy via a second club and ruffs
a third diamond. Happiness! The ace
drops and there is no need to worry
about the heart finesse. And what
if the ace hadn't fallen? Then South
would try to work out from the fall of
the cards which opponent figures to
have the greater length in hearts, and
then play that opponent for the queen.
As it happens, that wouldn't work.
West has the greater heart length,
but East has the queen. Go figure. In
any case, it is important to look for
alternative chances before banking
on a finesse. Of course, it would
have been much easier on everyone's
nerves if North had decided to play in
6 or if West had led a heart.
Dlr: West  5 3
Vul: None  A Q J 4
76532
32
92
864
 K 10 8 6 WNE  9 7 5
AJ8
K4
S
KQ74
 J 10 9 8 6
 A K Q J 10 7
32
 Q 10 9
A5
West
1
Pass

North
Pass
4

East
South
2
3
All Pass

West leads the K.
Bidding commentary: South's
jump to 3 is strong. When the bid
to the right is weak (2), a jump by
next hand is strong. When the bid to
the right is strong, a jump by next
hand is weak.
Defensive commentary: East plays
the J at trick one to alert partner of
a club sequence headed by the jack.
It may be important for West to know
this. Perhaps West may want to un-

INTERMEDIATE PLAYERS

Chalk Talk

Eddie Kantar
www.kantarbridge.com

derlead the Q to get East in to lead
another suit. One never knows.
Play commentary: With four possible losers in the minors, this hand
depends upon the heart finesse. And
if the finesse works, it has to be repeated. If South draws trump and then
takes the heart finesse, even though
it works, South cannot get back to
his hand to repeat the finesse without
surrendering the lead. Once on lead,
East-West can take three diamonds
and a club. How much easier to take
the heart finesse at trick two, and then
draw trump ending in the South hand.
Now the heart finesse can be repeated
safely.
In order to make entry-conserving
plays, you must learn to project
the play forward. When you have a
repeatable finesse possibility, you
should ask yourself: If the finesse
works, do I have a convenient way
of immediately returning to the facing hand to repeat the finesse? The
answer here is to use a spade from
dummy to get back to your hand to
repeat the finesse. No law states that
you have to draw trumps early when
you need your trump suit for communications.
r
Check Eddie's website for future
bridge lecture sites: kantarbridge.com.
51
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Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of November 2008
