Hand of the Month 

By Joel Hoersch 

Editor, D 22 Forum 

Yes, I’m aware that the annual holiday this month is Christmas, but during Halloween week recently, two hands cropped up. One was amusing and the other was instructive, and together they seemed to be a logical basis for my Christmas gift to you this year. 

I checked my records, and it’s been a couple of years since I showed a hand in this column which featured an “intra-finesse.” This rare play was named by Brazilian world champion Gabriel Chagas, referring to the peculiar nature of the maneuver required to set up the winning position: Declarer must finesse against both defenders in turn, in the same suit. 

To refresh your memory of how it works, here’s an example from the Official Encyclopedia of Bridge (assume you have side entries in another suit if you need them): 

Í A93 

Í 102                                      Í QJ75 

Í K864 

Needing three tricks in this suit, South can play this combination successfully by leading toward dummy’s nine-spot, losing to the queen or jack. Next he leads to the ace, (smothering West’s 10), then finesses back toward his K-8 combination. 

The reason the intra-finesse is not more widely known is that in most positions where it would be successful, there is often a higher percentage play available, so obviously that other line is adopted by the more competent analysts ... and the less competent ones wouldn’t consider it in the first place. Consider my first example: 

Í AKJ6 

Ì Q876 

Ë 5 

Ê Q987 

Í Q1053    Í 9742 

Ì J3    Ì K102 

Ë Q972    Ë J1086 

Ê A65    Ê J2 

Í 8 

Ì A954 

Ë AK43 

Ê K1043 

When I played this deal in 4Ì as the last hand of a barometer game Halloween week, I won the spade opening lead in dummy, and decided to work on my side suit before playing trumps. When I led the ÊQ, LHO decided it was right to win the ace and attack my trump holding by leading the jack. As you can see, this blew one of the defensive trump tricks, so I wound up making an overtrick. 

When the results were posted, one of my more earnest students noted that I and the computer were the only ones who took 11 tricks on this hand. She sought me out, demanding to know how I had played the trump suit for one loser. Since this particular student is used to my teasing, I couldn’t resist having a bit of fun at her expense. 

“All you have to do is lead low towards the queen and duck in dummy, losing to the 10. Then later lead the queen and blot out LHO’s jack. That’s an intra-finesse: don’t tell me you missed that simple play!” 

She looked crestfallen for a moment, but since she is bright enough to be suspicious of my joshing, she asked why I had chosen to do that instead of simply playing LHO for the king, like everyone else would have done. She was so serious about the whole thing, I didn’t have the heart to keep pulling her leg, and finally fessed up to the fact that it was a defensive lapse rather than my own brilliance which had gotten the extra trick. 

With this hand fresh in my mind, I only had to wait until my very next visit to the club for this next exposure to the intra-finesse: At the mentor game two nights later, the following made its appearance, also in 4Ì, and also on the last hand of the session: 

Í J107 

Ì A873 

Ë A3 

Ê K953 

Í K84    Í Q6532 

Ì KQ6    Ì 105 

Ë 9872    Ë QJ1064 

Ê AJ7    Ê 8 

Í A9 

Ì J942 

Ë K5 

Ê Q10642 

The Halloween devil got into my head and made me overbid shamelessly on this hand when my partner opened the bidding. LHO did well never to make a bid, and led the Ë9. I won both diamonds, ending in dummy, then led the trump 3 to the 9, losing to the queen. Now I could still be beaten by ÊA followed by a club to be ruffed, but LHO thought clubs should be broken by leading low, retaining the ace, and that was the last chance the defense had: I led ÌJ, blotted out the 10, and claimed 10 tricks. 

Spooky, huh? Now I’m afraid of what might happen next Halloween: Maybe I’ll win the last trick of the tournament with the Ê6 ... and the other three cards will be the Í6, Ì6 and Ë6!