Bridge

The recommendation from both author and publishers is that Bridge Cardplay Made Easy by David Bird (pounds 10.99. Finesse Bridge Publications) be used as a textbook by bridge teachers. Its lucid style and user- friendly format does make it ideal for that purpose, but by the same token, it is even more useful as a tool for beginners who wish to progress at their own pace.

The hand selected is from the Finessing into the Safe Hand chapter. West leads the six of clubs against Three No-Trumps. South can count eight certain tricks and holds off his ace until the third round. (An earlier chapter dealt with the reasons for the hold-up.)

The only suit from which the ninth trick can come is diamonds. And the percentage play with eight cards between two hands, missing the queen, is to finesse. But other considerations come into the reckoning here. From the play to the first three tricks, West is known to have started with five clubs, as East showed out on the third round. Therefore finessing into the West hand is fraught with danger.

If West started life with 3Qxx(x), the contract is doomed anyway. What needs to be avoided is losing to 3Qx. As it happens, king, then ace of diamonds brings forth the queen - and ten tricks. And if East had held the queen all along? Low towards the jack on the third round of diamonds still produces the required nine tricks, without danger of any return harming the contract.

Game all; dealer South

North

4 K 8 3

1 Q 10 4

3 A 7 5 4

2 8 7 4

South

4 A 9 5

1 A K 3

3 K J 3 2

2 A 10 3

West

4 J 7 2

1 J 6 2

3 Q 8

2 K J 9 6 2

East

4 Q 10 6 4

1 9 8 7 5

3 10 9 6

2 Q 5