The Intra-finesse by Gabriel Chagas Part 3

The Intra-finesse by Gabriel Chagas Part 3

There are many variations of this theme. Most players know what to do with this combination:

The only chance to hold the losers to one in to lead low and finesse the 9 (unless West plays an honour). If this loses to the King or Queen your next play is the Jack from dummy, pinning the 10 if West started with 10-x

When two intermediate cards are missing you can achieve surprising results when both are favourably placed:

You lead low from hand, covering West’s 8 with the 9 and losing to the king or queen. On the next round you lead the jack, pinning the 10 and you still hold the major tenace, 7-5 over East’s 6-3. It may be noted that in many of these situations it is good deceptive play for the second hand to play his higher card on the first round, just as it is usually correct to play the jack for J-9.

There is a different type of Intra-finesse (Chagas’s description has passed into the language) that is very seldom mentioned in bridge literature. Consider this deal:

West dealer

North-South Vulnerable

The Bidding:

Contract: 3NT

Lead: 6

Spurning his partner’s suit, West leads the 6. East wins and returns a heart.

Assuming that the diamond finesse will be right, South needs to make four tricks in clubs. Because of the entry situation, he must lead the J – no other card.

Having overtaken with the A, he leads the 10, unblocking with the 8. Then he can make four club tricks and still be in dummy for the diamond finesse.

Overleaf is an extremely difficult hand with the same theme which someone showed me recently:

Dealer: South

North-South Vulnerable

West is a cunning fellow and the bidding goes:

Contract: 5 doubled

West begins with A and another spade. How can South make his contract of 5 doubled?

Even with a sight of all the cards, you might battle at this for hours without striking the right answer.

Everything hangs on the pips in clubs. South wins the second spade in hand, discarding a heart form dummy and nothing East’s echo. If West holds two clubs, or the singleton 10 or Queen, the contract is lay down, because declarer can pick up the trumps without loss and make three tricks in clubs.

The critical situation is when West has the singleton 7. Preparing for this, South leads the 8 at trick three. Seeing West’s 7, he plays low from dummy. East wins with the 10 and exits with a heart to dummy A.

Declarer now plays diamonds until East covers. South wins and leads 9 to dummy K . Now, with J-6 in dummy, A-3 in hand, he can pick up East’s Q-5 and still be in position to finesse again in diamonds.