Bridge manoeuvre punishes opponents (7)
I believe the answer is:
finesse
'bridge manoeuvre' is the definition.
(term from the card game bridge)
'punishes opponents' is the wordplay.
'punishes' becomes 'fines' (punishes with a fine).
'opponents' becomes 'se' (I can't explain this - if you can you should give a lot more credence to this answer).
'fines'+'se'='FINESSE'
Can you help me to learn more?
(Other definitions for finesse that I've seen before include "Delicate manipulation, perhaps in card game" , "Skilful elegance or expertise" , "Delicate handling of a situation" , "subtle tactic" , "Subtlety, expertise" .)