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Making tricks from a long suit (continued)

It is worth comparing the chances of extra trick(s) from the long suit     (A K 3 2 opposite 6 5 4 (36%) or A K 4 3 2 opposite 7 6 5 (68%) ) with those from a finesse.

A simple finesse where one card is missing has a 50% chance of success.

A double finesse where two cards are missing has a 75% chance of success.

This page has some hands where the correct line of play depends on a comparison of these percentages.

Just in case all the above sounds cosy and straightforward, let's have a look at some of the problems, most of them arising from entry considerations.

1. Have you sufficient entries ? In the hand below, defenders will clearly hold up their ace to deny you access to dummy, so any other high cards in dummy are important if you are to reap the full benefit of this suit. Tackle this suit early while dummy's entries are still intact. Don't forget that trumps may be useful as entries.

   Dummy	#	Declarer
   K Q J 4 3 2		8 7

2. Sometimes you have no other entries. What can we do here ? Think about it before you look at the answer.

   Dummy	#	Declarer
   A K 4 3 2		6 5

Duck the first round is the answer. You need a 3:3 break, but will have four tricks if this is the case.

   3.  Another situation where we need to lose a trick is the suit below. It may be important to lose it specifically to one of the two defenders who can do you no harm. The technique here is to lead through the danger hand who will normally play low, enabling you to lose the trick to the safe hand.

   4. Here we have only one other entry to dummy. How should we play it ? Think about it before you look at the answer.

If we were to finesse successfully, we would only ever make two tricks since the king is unlikely to fall in two rounds. Don't finesse. Overtake the queen with the ace, play the suit until the king appears and then use your entry to claim the rest of the suit.

   5. Ruffing out a long suit is an established way of making tricks with small cards, and is important enough to deserve a page to itself.

This technique would apply to the suit below where you need two entries outside the suit (assuming a bad 4:2 break) and would ruff two small cards in your own hand, thus establishing the '2'.

   6. Have you got the time ? This final point is fairly trivial but worth making nonetheless. If your holding is

then you must lose two tricks to set up your '2'. Whenever you lose a trick, the defenders follow their own machiavellian plan designed for your disadvantage, and having two chances to do this may just be too much . Certainly in the final hand below, although in theory you can lose three tricks and set up your '2', you are unlikely to have the time.

I have put some hands together for you to practise this technique and the associated problems. Try them.

When you are ready, have a look at these practise hands which encompass concepts from all aspects of declarer play.