When you have a choice of cards to promote, it is usually best to try to promote your lower card first. Put another way, when you’re missing two (or more) high cards, finesse against their lower card. You’ll do this by taking a “deep finesse”. Take these combinations:

• 1) ♣ KJ2 facing ♣ 543
• 2) ♦ KJ10 facing ♦ 432
• 3) ♠ Q109 facing ♠ 654
• 4) ♥ AQ10 facing ♥ 642
• 5) ♣ AJ9 facing ♣ 643
• 6) ♦ K108 facing ♦ 542

1) Your only chance of promoting both ♣ K and ♣ J is to lead ♣ 3 to the lower ♣ J first, hoping the second hand holds both ♣ A and ♣ Q. If ♣ J wins (lucky you), cross back and lead ♣ 4 towards ♣ K.

2) Lead ♦ 2 to ♦ 10 (or ♦ J), finessing against ♦ Q. If the second player holds ♦ Q, either ♦ 10 will win or bring out ♦ A (you don’t mind). You’ll later lead ♦ 3 to ♦ J Erroneously lead to ♦ K first and you can only win one trick.

3) Needing one trick, lead ♠ 4 to ♠ 9 (or ♠ 10), hoping the second player holds ♠ J. If ♠ 9 forces out ♠ K, later lead to ♠ 10. Leading to ♠ Q first would work only if the second player held both ♠ A and ♠ K.

4) Lead to ♥ 10 first, the deep finesse, your only chance of promoting ♥ 10. If you have 25 per cent luck and the second hand holds both ♥ K and ♥ J, ♥ 10 will win. You can cross back and lead ♥ 4 to ♥ Q.

5) Lead ♣ 3 to ♣ 9 first, finessing against ♣ 10. Say the second player holds ♣ Q10 (or ♣ K10). ♣ 9 will draw ♣ K, enabling you later to lead ♣ 4 to ♣ J.

6) If you need a quick trick and cannot lose two tricks first, lead to ♦ K. However if you have time, you may be able to promote a trick with ♦ A offside — see deal.