I’ve been waiting for what feels like decades to make a contract by means of an intra-finesse. And not just because I love the name. When I first read about the manoeuvre, my mind was blown away in the same way it was when I first encountered squeeze-plays: ‘impossible’ games could be made!
The trouble with intra-finesses is that they are nearly as rare as nightingales. Indeed, they were virtually unknown to anyone apart from experts until about 50 years ago, when the great Brazilian Gabriel Chagas – a three-time world champion – contributed to a book in which top players gave their favourite bridge tips. He was the first to explain the technique, bringing it to a wider audience (some say he also gave it its name).
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