[kenrexford]

Scoring: IMP

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East opened 1♠. South, needing some action, overcalled 1NT, and the end contract was 3NT.

West elects a fourth-best diamond, East's Jack taken by South's King. The diamond 10 is then floated and won. A small spade is then won by East's King, and the heart Queen is returned, won by Declarer.

A second spade to dummy is ducked by East.

Here things get interesting. Whether this is the right play, or not, the next play was diamond Ace and out, West winning and leading back a club.

North now holds ♠-- ♥xxx ♦9 ♣x. South holds ♠J9 ♥A ♦xx ♣QJ. East holds ♠Ax ♥x ♦-- ♣Kx.

On the last diamond:

If East throws a club, South throws a club. South will take one heart and will establish one spade in the end position.

If East throws a spade, South throws a spade. South will take one heart and will establish one club in the end position.

If East throws his seemingly useless heart, South pitches his heart winner, reducing his winner count, but eventually establishes two black winners in the end position.

This line gains whenever things are as they seem. However, if West actually has the club King, strangely, then the defense can accomplish a strange win on the board. West must first give South a "free finesse" that he cannot take. East must then pitch his heart and save worthless clubs to induce the pattern squeeze on South.

[pclayton]

Kind of interesting, but note how much 'cleaner' this end position is if South cashed the other high heart earlier.

[kenrexford]

pclayton, on Apr 17 2007, 01:32 PM, said:

Kind of interesting, but note how much 'cleaner' this end position is if South cashed the other high heart earlier.

It's real clean if that happens. LHO then cashes all his hearts. Very clean for the defense.

[awm]

So it looks like before the last diamond, the position is:

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The problem for declarer is that by cashing his last diamond, he effectively squeezes himself. He has to either unguard the clubs or unguard the spades or drop his heart winner. Fortunately RHO must discard before him.

[pclayton]

kenrexford, on Apr 17 2007, 10:41 AM, said:

pclayton, on Apr 17 2007, 01:32 PM, said:

Kind of interesting, but note how much 'cleaner' this end position is if South cashed the other high heart earlier.

It's real clean if that happens. LHO then cashes all his hearts. Very clean for the defense.

Right; which is why I find it odd that declarer chose to fart around with a spade at T3.

Whats wrong with clearing the diamonds immediately? The hook is pointless and we have the spots to establish 4 tricks. Clearly spades are 5-2. The diamond hook only caters to west leading from Qxx.

The defense shifts to a heart; Declarer wins and fires a spade. They win, heart and spades are cleared.

East is now endplayed and has to let declarer back in his hand for #9.

[Fluffy]

pretty squeeze, but it seems better to forget squeezing yourself and just play a black suit.

[Edmunte1]

Not the best play, but position is nice, definitely an imaterial squeeze. For more of this stuff i recommend you "Adventures in Card Play" - by Geza Ottlik & Hugh Kelsey. Great book!

[kenrexford]

Edmunte1, on Apr 19 2007, 07:34 AM, said:

Not the best play, but position is nice, definitely an imaterial squeeze. For more of this stuff i recommend you "Adventures in Card Play" - by Geza Ottlik & Hugh Kelsey. Great book!

Yeah -- my partners all want that book burned. After I read it, I gained a tendency to seek out the bizarre and spurn the simple. LOL

[inquiry]

The hand is totally flawed in that the line chosen is just wacky.

Win diamond King, cross to the diamond ACE, knock out the diamond Queen. Now you have stoppers in spades, hearts and clubs, and have established 4D tricks. You will win 2H tricks, and 1 club trick for sure, and have tempo to develop extra club or spade trick.

After winning the heart ACE, continue a spade which is ducked, there are so many ways to make the hand. You don't even need to establish a long diamond. Win the diamond ace, and then exit a club ace and a club, for instance. You will win 3D. 2H, 2S, and 2C. or if RHO throws two clubs, you could win 3 clubs. The ending is EVEN further flawed in that on the CLUB back when WEST wins the diamond queen. Simply ducking the club gives you sure 2C, 2H, 4D, 1S, no need for the "fancy" win ace and "throw away" the heart king.

Even the ending is flawed, the ending with lead in dummy is...

In this ending. North can lead any of his five cards and south will make. For instance, a club will establish the club trick, and he can build a spade trick since he has the J9. That will be 2C, 3D, 2D and 2H yet again. A heart followed by a club will do the same thing. Now, if EAST had the SPADE A9 and south had the SPADE A8, this would be different ending altogether. Interestingly, the line of play with DA and diamond would NOT have worked at all because EAST could afford the heart 3 pitch and south would be squeezed. (change spade 8 and spade 9 and see how it doesn't work).

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Having said all the problems with the hand and how fllawed it is for play purposes, the ending is rather cute. East is squeezed in three suits in an odd way. East has only two winners, and throwing away a spade, a heart or a club (all losers anyway) doesn't help diectly establish a winner for south. In fact, if EAST throws a spade, south must throw a spade and force the club to be a winner. If East throws a club, south must follow suit, and force a spade to be a winner. Finally, the odd case, if EAST throws a heart (a nonwinner), south must throw his heart ACE (a winner), but now he can force the development of one extra trick in each black suit.


as flawed by many different ways to make it,