Play of the Cards - The finesse

Contract : 3 NT
Lead: 4 of Spades

			8 5 3
			A 8 6
			A 6 5 3
			10 4 2
	K J 7 6 4	N W E S			Q 10
	9 4 2				Q 10 5 3
	10 2				J 9 7
	K J 8				Q 9 7 3
			A 9 2
			K J 7
			K Q 8 4
			A 6 5

The contract is obviously 3NT after rapid bidding (advice 11.7); eight tricks on the horizon: where can we find the ninth (advice 11.4)?
Show by elimination of the other suits that it is only in Hearts that we find the key to the problem. Ask the declarer before he begins to play to think about this problem: where must I hope to find the Queen of Hearts (advice 11.5)? …

Repeat the same procedure as at the beginning of the lesson, by placing on the table now:

A 4

Q 2

Ask if it is still possible to make two tricks. There must be somebody who will reply that you can try to play the Queen. Show that this manoeuvre will fail wherever the King is.
Then replace the 2 with the Jack {Q J opposite A 4}. Ask what happens if you play the Queen. Then give the definition of the forcing finesse : make tricks by playing the honours of one hand, with a lower honour opposite.

Make your pupils discover the principle of this finesse while insisting on the - extremely important - point as follows: for a forcing finesse to be possible there must be one extra equivalent high card than for the corresponding "simple" finesse.

Reinforce your demonstration by asking them to think about the following situation:	Change the cards to obtain:
J 10 3	A J 3	A J 10
A K 2	K 10 2	K 3 2

In The last two cases, ask in which direction one should make the finesse … and enjoy contradicting gently those who propose only a single direction. Finish by showing them that two finesses are possible: a simple finesse and a forcing finesse …

And get them to play deal 10B without delay