Spades Strategy: Assisted Finessing

Finesse opportunities can be also taken when we don't hold a tenace, but partner does lead one of the missing honors. An example:

Despite holding two low hearts and just the Ace, partner has led one of the missing honors for us.

If we choose to win partner's Q with our A...

It will cost us our team a Q and an A to win the trick. Meanwhile, the opponents only lose a couple of rag cards.

Going back to before...

Instead of capturing partner's honor lead, we can put it to work by playing low.

If East has the King and played low as well, partner's Q will win the trick.

The only time we need to intervene is if East covers with a higher honor.

It will cost our team a Q and an A like before, but at least this time around the opponents had to spend a K.

And like before, if West has the K, West will virtually always win it, but our A still has a good chance of winning the second round of hearts.

Here is one last example where partner leads a missing honor.

Our hearts suit was likely only going to win one trick, but with partner's J lead, we can treat this situation like the AJT finesse, possibly winning two tricks.

On this lead, we will play low (only playing high if East plays one of the missing K♥️ or Q♥️).

West predictably ends up winning this first lead (partner sometimes wins if East has both the K♥️ and Q♥️).

We will finesse East for the missing honor like we normally would with the AJT tenace on the second lead of the suit.

And we have successfully converted a one trick suit into a two trick suit.

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