[han]

7NT, no opponent interference, club lead

---

Here a hand for squeeze lovers. I could see a transfer squeeze, double squeeze and Vienna coup, but wasn't sure how to combine my chances. At the table I unblocked the spade AK immediately to keep the double squeeze and simple squeeze on either opponent alive, hoping to guess which line to take after the run of the clubs. Assuming that I'd guess right I would make if the person with the spade queen has diamond length, or when LHO has the spade queen and RHO the diamond length.

Does anybody see a better line? Should I first cash 4 rounds of clubs to see if I can guess the position of the spade queen?

[whereagles]

The Great Shuffler gave us the heart ten That must be a sign that a guard squeeze is the right move

Cash all the top diamonds and spades and run the clubs. Discard 2 spades and 1 heart from hand. Now watch opps faces and decide what to do next

[Free]

agree with whereagles, a guard squeeze can also be combined here

[david_c]

Hannie, on May 2 2006, 04:51 AM, said:

Does anybody see a better line? Should I first cash 4 rounds of clubs to see if I can guess the position of the spade queen?

I think you can afford to start with five clubs (pitching two spades and a heart) and still keep both the simple and double squeezes intact. So I'd probably do that, and follow up with the AK of spades. With any luck, one of the opponents will show out on the second spade and I'll know what to do. This is much less likely to happen if I play only four rounds of clubs first.

[winkle]

I'd cash five clubs pitching 2 spades and a heart, then SAK and HAK. This makes whenever one person guards diamonds and either hearts or spades.

Would anything I find out earlier in the hand cause me to play differently? I suppose if righty shows out on the first spade, I'd play for the double squeeze around hearts instead.

[winkle]

Free, on May 2 2006, 05:20 AM, said:

agree with whereagles, a guard squeeze can also be combined here

Note that the guard squeeze is not "free." In order to take advantage of it, you'd go down in some cases where the double squeeze would've worked. Say you run five clubs pitching a heart and two spades, then play SAK, DQKA (pitching SJ when the SQ doesn't appear). Now when you cash the HK righty drops an honor. It's right to take the heart finesse, which picks up the case when righty guards spades and diamonds and has one heart honor. But you lose the case when righty guards diamonds, lefty guards spades, and righty has both heart honors.

[inquiry]

For the ♦=♠ simple squeeze, you need to keep the ♦ entry to one of the hands and you will need to cash the ♥ ace

For the double squeeze, you can not cash the ♥ ace

For the the quard squeeze, you can not cash the ♥ ace, nor can you cash the last high ♦ until all the other (none-heart suit) winners have been cashed.

For the potential ♥=♠ simple squeeze, you must cash all the diamonds and not cash the ♥ (someone with QJx(x) of ♥ and ♠Q

For the potential ♥=diamond squeeze, you must must keep either a heart or a diamond entry to the hand opposite the last black card winner, and if your last black card winner.
So each line requires something a little different in the order of cards cashed. So as you can see, some of these are mutually exclusive, and the squeeze is not limited to those above. In all the ones above, the "spade threat" was the ♠J in north. However, if while running ♣ and BEFORE you throw two ♠'s away, someone pitches a ♠, then the spade thread can be in south hand simply because after a spade discard, both opponents can not have as many as three spades. This opens the door wide to a hole host of additional squeezes where the spade entry to south plays a role.


For what it is worth, you could also have a guard squeeze in ♠ (in addition to the obvious on in ♥'s). However, I can see no advantage into turning the squeeze into a guard one by throwing two hearts away from south and unblcoking ♠ (throwing Jack on thrid ♦...and that has to be done BEFORE using up ♣ entry to dummy.

The advantages of having the ♠ threat in south hand are tremendous, the either-or nature of the ♠ threat would mean you can make double dummy (by cashing the appropriate red suit). I guess I would play for split ♥ honors, and play for the double squeeze whoch could be single played as a dobule if one hand has five ♥ or both ♥QJ, and might become a compound guard squeeze if RHO has ♥J or ♥Q as well as ♠J and four ♦'s. as on last ♣ he can not keep his ♠, his long ♦ and his guard against the hook in his partner's hand.

However, my line would be to win ♣ in south, cash the ♠ACE, run four ♣ if nothing exciting happens, cash the last ♣ (throwng a second ♠). Then cash both sp, then run 3♦ tricks. I admit my line might change depending upon what was discovered on the third and foirth ♣, and or on the first ♠.

[whereagles]

winkle, on May 2 2006, 11:47 AM, said:

Note that the guard squeeze is not "free."

Yes. Maybe Michael Rosenberg can evaluate all the probabilities at table and follow the best possible line. I can't do that, so I just trust my instincts and go for the guard squeeze. It's much sexier if it makes

[inquiry]

I assume by "guard squeeze" you mean an ending where EAST has to keep 2♦, the ♠Q and he has one of the two heart honors.. something like...

On the ♣A, east has to stiff the ♥J, now you can cross to the ♦AK, pitching a ♠ and hook the ♥ on the way back

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While the guard squeeze is certainly one way to handle this ending, anytime this squeeze works, cashing the ♥AK effectively squeezes east in ♦ and ♠, without the added necessisity that he hold one of the top heart honors. The quard squeeze (as played this way) is inferior to the normal simple squeeze because of the extra requirement that east have one top heart. That is, anytime this guard squeeze works, the simple squeeze works. I think I would go for the better odds of the simple squeeze (cash two hearts early) than the "sexy" guard squeeze. However. a DOUBLE quard squeeze can come to your rescue in some flawed double squeeze endings. One example is where you didn't cash both ♠'s but kept your ♠ threat in your hands and unblocked ♠ in the third ♦. The ending might be...

On the ♣A, east has to stiff the ♥J, now you can cross to the ♦AK, pitching a ♠ and hook the ♥ on the way back

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Really. running ♣'s (at least several of them early) gives you the best chance to learn about the opponents hand before they know where your problems are. It is the fifth club that is the first step to comitting you to one line or the other as it forces a 2nd ♠ from your hand. There is as much reason to play for the quard squeeze in ♠ as in hearts (shown above), as that also works when one hand has both 4♦ and 4♠, works in some of the simple squeeze endings (spades and hearts, and some double squeeze (complicarted by playing it as a double guard squeeze). It is impossible to say which line one would prefer to take without some discards on ♣ shared with us. And against great players who are "tricky" with their discards even then it might be impossible to read.

[whereagles]

inquiry, on May 2 2006, 02:47 PM, said:

And against great players who are "tricky" with their discards even then it might be impossible to read.

I wouldn't be worried of opps doing tricky stuff. I'm declarer and have enough trouble already trying to figure out what squeeze to go for, so you can imagine the headache defenders will get into. Getting tricky is probably not too high on defender's priorities

Anyway, you're probably right that the guard squeeze is not odds-on. But bear with me: I only thought about it for 5 seconds

Come to think of it, you don't HAVE to make a guard squeeze out of it. Casing the D/S winners works in a number of occasions on a straightforward double squeeze. The guard squeeze might come into the picture if East starts squirming on the run of the clubs

[Winstonm]

Ben, you might want to correct me as it has been a long time since I read Clyde Love.

I would cash the AK of spades...if the 10 comes down I now have a threat in hand with the 9 of spades which gives more squeeze flexibility. Assuming worst case scenario and only low spades appear, I must now run the clubs and decide whether to play as a spade/diamond simple or a B1 double or a double guard squeeze.

I think I like this best as it gives the most chances. Top two spades followed by the rest of the clubs, pitching two spades and a heart from hand. This results in a 6 card ending that allows a double squeeze to function whenever LHO has the spade Q and hearts are balanced, a simple squeeze whenever LHO has the spade Q and diamond length, a spade/diamond simple when East hold spades and diamonds, or a double guard squeeze whenever East has the spade Q, diamond length, and either the heart Q or J. After the clubs are done, I can lead a heart toward hand and if the Q or J appear from RHO, I have to guess if this is a false card from QJ. If a low card appears, I have to decide whether to play another heart for a simple squeeze or run the diamonds for a double.

Winston

[inquiry]

Winstonm, on May 2 2006, 02:15 PM, said:

Ben, you might want to correct me as it has been a long time since I read Clyde Love.

I would cash the AK of spades...if the 10 comes down I now have a threat in hand with the 9 of spades which gives more squeeze flexibility. Assuming worst case scenario and only low spades appear, I must now run the clubs and decide whether to play as a spade/diamond simple or a B1 double or a double guard squeeze.

I think I like this best as it gives the most chances. Top two spades followed by the rest of the clubs, pitching two spades and a heart from hand. This results in a 6 card ending that allows a double squeeze to function whenever LHO has the spade Q and hearts are balanced, a simple squeeze whenever LHO has the spade Q and diamond length, a spade/diamond simple when East hold spades and diamonds, or a double guard squeeze whenever East has the spade Q, diamond length, and either the heart Q or J. After the clubs are done, I can lead a heart toward hand and if the Q or J appear from RHO, I have to guess if this is a false card from QJ. If a low card appears, I have to decide whether to play another heart for a simple squeeze or run the diamonds for a double.

Winston

You are correct, if the ten falls, but not the queen, the ♠9 becomes a thread card, should you decide to use it. And since you have double entries in hearts, you will have a nice pleasant B2 double squeeze, but the problem with this logic is that for it to work, you have to unravel all your other winners.

So the line would be an early AK of spade (trick 2 and 3), and then if the spade ten falls, three rounds of ♦ discarding a spade from dummy, then run clubs (preseving both ♥ winners). this double squeeze works as long as the spade quard and diamond quard are in separate hands, but fails if WEST has both of them as you have thrown the spade from dummy on the third diamond.

It also fails, odly enough when EAST has both ♠ and ♦ becauxe you will have no entry to your hand when you play for a double squeeze since you are using hearts as a "B" suit when no "B" exist (although here the quard squeeze could save you as noted above) should you read it correctly. An interting quetion is which line has the best chances? This is why I like running clubs, they are more likely to give each other accurate info on discards if they know less about your hand.

[whereagles]

inquiry, on May 2 2006, 07:31 PM, said:

This is why I like running clubs, they are more likely to give each other accurate info on discards if they know less about your hand.

Also, cashing the top diamonds early kinda gives away a bit of the show and may help defenders getting together.