It is a remarkable fact, but no less a truth, that many persons who have
played the game of Whist during several years do not seem to realise what a
finesse is.
To finesse is to play a card, not the best in the hand, on the chance that
the higher card which {199} might win the trick is on the right of the
third player. To take the most simple example, we will assume that the king
of spades is turned up to the right of the player A; B, who is A's partner,
obtains the lead, and plays a spade. Z, who was the dealer, plays a small
spade; A, third player, plays the queen, holding ace and queen of spades.
If A did not _know_ that Z held the king, he ought yet to play the queen
third in hand, on the chance that Z held the king; this would be
_finessing_ the queen. If, however, the king had not been turned to A's
right, and A led a small spade, which B, A's partner, won with the knave,
then A would know that the king of this suit could not be in the hand of
his right adversary; and if his partner returned this suit, A must play his
ace, third in hand, not his queen. To play his queen would not be a
finesse, but would be playing the queen to be taken by the king; when,
perhaps, his ace, if the suit were other than trumps, might be trumped in
the third round.
When it is known that a certain high card cannot be in the hand of the
right-hand adversary, it is worse than useless to play as though it might
be there.
Finesses are of two kinds, speculative and obligatory.
The finesse speculative is as follows:--You hold ace, queen; or ace, queen,
knave of a suit, which your partner leads. Third in hand, you play the
queen, if you hold ace, queen; or knave if you hold ace, queen, knave. This
play is adopted on the chance that the king is to your right, and is
therefore a speculation.
The finesse obligatory is as follows:--You hold king, ten, seven, and three
of a suit, and you lead {200} the three; your partner plays the queen, and
wins the trick, and returns a small card of the suit. From the fact of the
queen winning, you know the ace is not held by your right-hand adversary;
you also know your partner does not hold the knave. When your partner
returns a small card of the suit, you know he does not hold the ace. If
both the ace and knave are to your left, it matters not whether you play
king or ten third in hand. If, however, the knave be to your right, your
ten draws the ace, and you remain with the king, the best card of the suit.
Hence you are obliged to play the ten third in hand in order to give
yourself one chance--viz., that the knave is to your right; consequently,
this is called the finesse obligatory.
Before a speculative finesse is attempted, the state of the score should be
considered; if only one trick is required to win the game, and you hold
ace, queen of a suit, the ace should be played, unless there is a certainty
of this ace being trumped. Also a player should consider whether it is
specially desirable that he obtain the lead, when he has the chance of a
finesse. If the lead is important, the finesse should not be made; if the
lead would be detrimental, it should generally be attempted.
What a finesse really is should now be comprehended. It is not merely
playing the queen third in hand when holding ace, queen, but it is playing
the queen on the chance that the king may be in the hand of the second
player. If the second player hold none of the suit, no finesse can be made;
the ace _must_ be played by the third player, if second hand has not
trumped. It is curious how often bad players will commit the error of
playing queen third {201} hand, holding ace, queen, when the second player
has failed to follow suit, and has refused to trump.