Finesse (Mind Loft)

About Finesse (Mind Loft)

Finesse is a card-play puzzle in the style of a bridge double dummy problem. All four hands are visible, a trump suit is named, and the contract tells you how many tricks you must win, for example five of the seven. You play South and the dummy hand opposite; the two defenders are played by a solver that sees every card and always defends perfectly.

The rules fit in three lines: follow the suit that was led if you can, the highest card of that suit wins the trick, and a trump beats any card that is not a trump. You tap a lit card to play it, and you can take a play back or start the deal again. Every deal is published only after a search proves that the contract can be made exactly, so a line that works against the defence is proved, not lucky.

The deck grows through the week, from four cards a hand on Monday to the full eight on Sunday, which is the same kind of puzzle at greater depth. A new deal arrives every day at midnight Eastern. No bridge knowledge or bidding is needed, though bridge players will recognise the finesses and squeezes involved.

How to play Finesse (Mind Loft)

1. Open Finesse and press Start to see the four hands, the trump suit and the contract.
2. On your turn, tap a lit card in your hand or dummy to play it.
3. Follow suit if you can; the highest card of the suit led wins unless a trump is played.
4. Plan your play so that you win the number of tricks the contract requires against the perfect defence.

Screenshots

Tips

• Count your sure winners before playing, then look for where the extra tricks must come from.
• Draw trumps only when it helps; sometimes you need your trumps to ruff losers in the short hand.
• Cash winners in the right order so you can get back to the hand holding the rest.

Questions