A ruffing finesse occurs when declarer holds a sequence in one hand and a void in the other. In this layout, South is on lead with spades as trumps:
| | Dummy | | |
| T987 | |
| -- | |
| 43 | |
| -- | |
West | | East |
-- | | -- |
K65 | | 432 |
AKQ | | JT9 |
-- | | -- |
| South | |
| A | |
| QJT | |
| 65 | |
| -- | |
South has two natural diamond losers, but can shed them by leading the
Q toward dummy.
If West covers with the
K, then dummy ruffs. South comes back to hand with the
A and discards dummy's diamonds on the
JT.
If West ducks the
Q instead, declarer throws a diamond from dummy and leads another heart, thereby repeating the ruffing finesse.
Example
| | Dummy | | |
| Q | |
| KJ962 | |
| K963 | |
| 432 | |
|
| |
| South | |
| JT94 | |
| AQT875 | |
| -- | |
| AQ5 | |
West
1
3
All Pass
|
|
North
Pass
4
|
|
East
2
Pass
|
|
South
3
6
|
Figuring dummy for a spade singleton or void on the auction, South optimistically barrels into 6
. West's opening lead is the
3, won by East's ace. At trick two, East returns the
J.
South knows that East should have played the
K (the lower of two touching honors) if holding both the ace and king. South can also count 22 HCP between his hand and dummy, and East has just advertised 5 HCP. Therefore, West should hold both the
K and
K to justify an opening bid.
South, then, should spurn the club finesse and try a ruffing finesse in spades. At trick two, he wins the
A and proceeds to draw trumps, finding them 1-1.
South now leads the
J through West for a ruffing finesse. If West covers, then dummy ruffs and South returns to his hand via a trump to play spade winners, dumping club losers from dummy. If West ducks the
J, then South pitches a club from dummy and continues with the
T. Either way, South's losing clubs can be ruffed in dummy to make the contract. The full deal:
| | North | | |
| Q | |
| KJ962 | |
West | K963 | East |
K8732 | 432 | A65 |
4 | | 3 |
AQ54 | South | JT872 |
K76 | JT94 | JT98 |
| AQT875 | |
| -- | |
| AQ5 | |