Chapter 5
YOU Can Execute an Endplay
© 2004 - Marty Bergen
Page 55
YOU Can Execute an Endplay
Avoiding a Misguess
If you don’t like
finesses that lose, an endplay can be invaluable. Suppose you
have this side suit:
North
K 10 6
South
A J 4
If either defender
leads this suit, you’d be delighted. Regardless of which
opponent held the queen, you would be assured of winning all
three tricks based on the very sound principle
"last is best."
However, without a
favorable lead, you must tackle this suit yourself and try to
guess who has the queen. On some hands, there are clues
available from the bidding or earlier play. But, on many other
hands, it’s just a blind guess.
If the stars are
not aligned or your ESP is out of sync, sometimes your finesse
will lose, and you won’t make your contract. This is especially
frustrating because someone (either friend or foe) will be sure
to point out that you could
have made the hand,
if you’d only "gone the other way." Yuck. That’s no fun.
There must be a
better way. Endplays – here we go.
© 2004 - Marty Bergen
Page 56
YOU Can Execute an Endplay
East wins the club
lead and continues clubs. You carefully ruff the third
round with the
 J,
but West follows with a club. Before reading on, how do you like
your chances? If you are confident, would you be willing to bet
$10 against a doughnut?
Even if you’re not
a hungry gambler, you can afford to make this bet. You have a
sure thing. Draw trumps ending on the board, then ruff dummy’s
last club to eliminate that suit.
At this point, the
stage is set. Lead the
 3
to the ace, and throw E-W in with your inevitable diamond loser.
The defender who wins the
K
will be endplayed. If he leads another diamond, you’ll
ruff in one hand and sluff a spade from the other. If, as is
likely, he leads a spade, your spade problems are over. Who’s
got the queen? It doesn’t matter – you’re home free.
© 2004- Marty Bergen
Chapter 6 :Tricks
of the Trade ........................................ 63
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