[jillybean]

Scoring: IMP

---

West North East South

 -     -     Pass  2NT
 Pass  7NT   Pass  Pass
 Pass  

west led ♠7 , ♠A, east followed with ♠8

what is the best line of play?

ty
jb

[jillybean]

Ok I give, what is wrong with the question?
This is a real hand and exactly how the bidding and opening lead went
Is the answer so obvious...

[david_c]

Well, let's say we start by cashing the AKQ of spades. How do they break?

[jillybean]

If you continue ♠ East shows out on trick2...

[luke warm]

[P_Marlowe]

Hi,

I am not really good at those thing, of course, I would
curse inwardly about North bidding, simple bidding would
mean 6NT, 7NT is just garbage.

Assuming spade break or the jack of spade fells and
spade are 4-2 you haave 12 tricks, i.e. you need to
make a finesse at least once, which say all about te quality
of this grand.

So the obvious procedure would be, to get a feeling about
the unknown distribution, after cashing the first 2 spades,
you discover, that they break 5-1.
=> 9 tricks, which means you need both minor finesses,
start with the diamond finesse, since you dont need to guess
which way, cross to dummy with the jack of hearts repeat it,
cash the Ace of diamonds, cash the hearts, and you will reach
the following position:
...

Q
-
-
K43

opposite

-
7
AJ10

Cross to the King of clubs, play the Queen of spades,
if 7 of diamonds gets high pitch clubs else play for the
finesse.

The line is the same as outline by Luke.

With kind regards
Marlowe

[jillybean]

The title of the thread is meant to carry a tone of affliction, shame its lost on the web.

[han]

7NT seems a terrible call when playing bridge, but when playing in a short indy it may very well be the right call. Say that you are at +20 IMPs with 10 boards being played and 2 to go, bidding and making 7NT may be the only way to win.

I don't understand the squeeze on east. It only works when the club finesse is already working. I haven't given it much thought yet, but I think that I'd play it differently. I'd first test the spades. When they come in for 5 tricks I only have to guess which finesse to take in the minors.

When the spades split 5-1 it is best odds to take the diamond hook so I might as well take it immediately. Let's say it wins. I cross to the heart jack and take one more finesse. Now I take all my red suit winners. If east has 4+ diamonds then I make on a double squeeze no matter who has the club queen. If east has diamond length as well as spade length then I will likely take the club finesse through east.

Here is the double squeeze position:

---

When I play the heart queen west has to keep 2 spades and must come down to a doubleton club. I then pitch the spade 10. I cross to the club king and cash the spade queen. East must hold on to a diamond so must hold on to only one club. I pitch the diamond and when I lead a club to my ace the queen will drop.

Apologies for posting this is the B-I forum but this seems far superior to any simple line I see.

[Walddk]

Hannie's line is no doubt superior to any other line. I promise not to tell how jillybean played it, but who cares, she made it

The double squeeze would have worked, and so would Jimmy's because East had Kxxx diamonds and ♣Q.

Roland

[Winstonm]

The first thing that must be done is to find out the spade position as 5 spade tricks alters the way the hand is played. When RHO shows out on the second spade, I am back to 10 tricks and must try the diamond finesse. Assuming it wins else there is no story as they say, return to the J of hearts and repeat the diamond finesse.
Cash the diamond A, pitching a spade. Now play off all the hearts, pitching 2 clubs from dummy. The position is:

---

Cross to the club king and play the spade Q, pitching the last diamond if RHO holds a boss diamond. With a boss diamond, RHO has no room in his hand for more than 2 clubs. LHO has to hold Jx of spades, so also has no room for more than 2 clubs. A club to the king, the Q of spades, and then a club to the A will bring in all the clubs.

[david_c]

For the double-squeezers: suppose that when you lead a club at trick twelve, East follows small. What do you play from hand? (East dropped the king on the third round of diamonds, of course.)

[Winstonm]

david_c, on Jun 11 2006, 11:16 AM, said:

For the double-squeezers: suppose that when you lead a club at trick twelve, East follows small. What do you play from hand? (East dropped the king on the third round of diamonds, of course.)

If East plays the diamond king on the third diamond, I will need to know the length of LHOs hearts before answering. If LHO showed out on the third heart and the diamond K is true, then LHO is 5242; if he follows to three rounds, he would be 5341 at least. As long as LHO follows to 3 diamonds and 3 hearts, he will hold at most 2 clubs, which would mean for me abandoning the double squeeze in favor of the simple club finesse. The double squeeze was assuming that LHO shows out on the third diamond or RHO does not play the king.

Of course, this will fail if LHO is 5332 with the Queen doubleton and RHO started with 1444 and played the King on the third diamond.

[luke warm]

david_c, on Jun 11 2006, 11:16 AM, said:

For the double-squeezers: suppose that when you lead a club at trick twelve, East follows small. What do you play from hand? (East dropped the king on the third round of diamonds, of course.)

i say well done david, dropping the king from K8 4th ...

[jillybean]

Scoring: IMP

---

West North East South

 -     -     Pass  2NT
 Pass  7NT   Pass  Pass
 Pass  

S7 SA S8 S2
HJ H4 HT H2
H9 H5 HA H3
HK H7 C2 H6
HQ D2 C3 H8
CT C5 CK C6
D4 D3 DJ D6
S9 S3 ST C7
SK C8 CJ S5
SQ CQ D7 SJ
D9 D5 DQ DT


Here's the full hand. The lead of 7♠ and 8♠ appearing first trick made me
wonder - lacking the skills to apply double squeezes, this is the only way I could see to make it.

[inquiry]

jilly had shown me this hand before it was posted, so I refrained from answering.

After the spade lead, even if spades come in for 5 tricks, you need a finessee in a minor or drop of the club queen (should you choose to play it that way). If spades don't come in for anymore than 3 tricks, you need three diamonds and a squeeze or luck in clubs.

I think the correct line is to win the Spade ACE, cash club AK (ending in dummy), and when queen doesn't fall, take the diamond hook. When that wins, cash four hearts... This gives you 2C, 3D (eventually with second hook), 3S, 4H for 12 tricks.

Now you play spade to dummy (forgo the finessee) and EAST feels the pinch. This will be a simple squeeze played as a double. West had to keep long spades, so can not have a fourth (long diamond), East has to keep the long diamond, and someone has to keep a club.

[jillybean]

inquiry, on Jun 12 2006, 10:51 AM, said:

I think the correct line is to win the Spade ACE, cash club AK (ending in dummy), and when queen doesn't fall, take the diamond hook. When that wins, cash four hearts...

Using J♥ as entry to dummy for the 2nd ♦ hook?

[inquiry]

jillybean2, on Jun 12 2006, 01:38 PM, said:

inquiry, on Jun 12 2006, 10:51 AM, said:

I think the correct line is to win the Spade ACE, cash club AK (ending in dummy), and when queen doesn't fall, take the diamond hook. When that wins, cash four hearts...

Using J♥ as entry to dummy for the 2nd ♦ hook?

After the first hook wins, don't touch diamonds again (you will be out of useful entries to your hand if you do).

Win spade,
Win two clubs to dummy
Win diamond hook
run 4 hearts to reach... .

Now spade to King then queen. East has to find two discards. You will know his hand is 1-4-4-4, or 1-4-5-3 by this time, as he will have to keep diamonds, (there will be only one club out, after he has thrown one and they both followed twice to AK, so he can not have only three diamonds). If he was 1453, of course, you are down unless his third club was the queen but it is too late to do anything about that now.

---

[luke warm]

ben, the ♠A is already gone on the 1st trick

[inquiry]

luke warm, on Jun 12 2006, 07:30 PM, said:

ben, the ♠A is already gone on the 1st trick

Lol.. ok make it KQT if you prefer