Intra-Finesses

 

An intra-finesse is a kind of backward finesse, most usually associated with suits that are missing the KQT.  They are relatively rare, and best explained by way of the following examples.

 

Related Extracts from Past Wednesday Games

 

 

26	♠ AQ8 ♥ AKJ ♦ A74 ♣ QJT8	From 11th October, 2006
♠ JT965 ♥ 75 ♦ K85 ♣ A93	North West             East           South	♠ 74 ♥ QT984 ♦ QT ♣ K752	Dlr     East Vul     Both
© BES, Inc  All Rights Reserved	♠ K32 ♥ 632 ♦ J9632 ♣ 64	West   North   East     South Pass   2NT     Pass    3NT Pass   Pass     Pass

 

Against 3NT, it seems normal (albeit dangerous) for East to lead a Heart.  That turns out to be fatal for the defense, as it presents Declarer with her 9^th trick … all she has to do is set about the Diamonds, eventually scoring 3 Spades, 3 Hearts, and 3 Diamonds.

 

The lead that really creates a headache for Declarer is a Spade, after which it will require double dummy play to make the contract:

            Win the opening lead with the A♠

            Q♣. which East must win to preserve West’s entries

            Spade continuation won by the Queen

            Low Diamond, won by East’s Queen

            Club to West’s King

            Spade to Dummy’s King

            J♦ squashing East's Ten, and that’s 9 tricks for Declarer

That play in the Diamond suit is a rare bird, indeed, it’s called an intra-finesse.

 

 

32	♠ A62 ♥ J643 ♦ A76 ♣ J85	From 11th October, 2006
♠ 43 ♥ AKQT82 ♦ KT2 ♣ T3	North West             East           South	♠ J85 ♥ 975 ♦ 9853 ♣ KQ6	Dlr     West Vul     E-W
© BES, Inc  All Rights Reserved	♠ KQT97 ♥ ♦ QJ4 ♣ A9742	West   North   East     South 1♥      Pass     2♥        2♠ 3♥      3♠        Pass     Pass Pass

 

North must have been tempted to go to game opposite South’s wide-ranging 2♠, and South must also have been tempted with that void in the opponents’ suit.

 

The question of the day is “Just how many tricks can N-S make in Spades?”.  Let’s say that the defense plays a forcing game, leading Hearts at every opportunity.  Eventually, Declarer can scramble 9 tricks … 3 Heart ruffs, 3 top trumps, the A♣, and two Diamonds.  The forcing defense makes it impossible for Declarer to enjoy the long Clubs.

 

However, Declarer has a resource which makes no fewer than 11 tricks possible!  Back on Board 26 we encountered that rare bird, the intra-finesse, and perhaps it’s their mating season because here’s another sighting.  Declarer ruffs the opening Heart, leads a Club to the Eight and the Queen.  Now another Heart ruff, draw trumps ending on the board, then the coup de grace … the J♣ allowing the Clubs to be picked up for one loser!  That’s 10 tricks, and, if Declarer wishes to be utterly piggish, she can take the Diamond finesse for 11 tricks.

 

7	♠ AKT8 ♥ J8432 ♦ 76 ♣ 52	From 18th October, 2006
♠ 74 ♥ KQT7 ♦ JT3 ♣ AQ76	North West             East           South	♠ J9652 ♥ 5 ♦ 52 ♣ KJ943	Dlr     South Vul     Both
© BES, Inc  All Rights Reserved	♠ Q3 ♥ A96 ♦ AKQ984 ♣ T8	South   West     North   East   1♦        Pass     1♥        Pass 3♦        Pass     3♠        Pass 4♥       Pass     Pass     Pass

 

A Club lead is clearly called for on this auction, and that will spell a one trick defeat for the contract.  Of course, Declarer will remember those two “intra-finesse” successes from the previous week, and will see another one here … if West holds QT or KT or Tx, Declarer can hold her trumps to one loser (and make her contract) by leading a low Heart towards her J8xxx, preparing to insert the 8 if West plays low.  But, alas, West does not have the magic holding, and it’s down one.

 

 

26	♠ KJ5 ♥ QJ4 ♦ A8432 ♣ A2	5th September, 2007
♠ A9 ♥ T75 ♦ KQ76 ♣ JT86	North West             East           South	♠ T87632 ♥ 932 ♦ T ♣ Q94	Dlr     East Vul     Both
© BES, Inc  All Rights Reserved	♠ Q4 ♥ AK86 ♦ J95 ♣ K753	West    North   East     South                         Pass    1♣ Pass    1♦        Pass    1♥ Pass    3NT     All Pass

 

East will presumably lead a Spade, more in hope than expectation, and Declarer has 9 easy tricks.  The simple way to try for a 10^th is to lose a Club at Trick Two, hoping that the suit is 3-3, about a 35% chance.  More exotic (and less likely to succeed) is to lead a low Diamond towards Dummy’s J9x, planning to play the Nine if East plays low.  It’s the so-called “intra finesse” which has the following ways to succeed:

-         East may have the doubleton Ten, in which case the Nine forces the Queen, and on the second round the lead of the Jack from the board squashes East’s Ten and sets up Declarer’s Eight.

-         East may have the KT or QT doubleton, which is good news for Declarer if she can guess the situation.

-         East may have the singleton Ten, more good news if Declarer guesses right.

 

The rule for East in this situation is to play the Ten whenever he holds Tx or KT or QT, thereby giving Declarer the maximum amount of guesswork.  On the actual hand, when East plays the Ten on the first round of Diamonds, if Declarer knows East to be a resourceful fellow, he won’t know whether that Ten is from T, Tx, QT or KT and may well guess wrong.

 

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