[kfay]

Here's a declarer play problem I faced today:

Scoring: Chicago

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Contract is 6NT

♥seven, ten, QUEEN, trey
♠seven, QUEEN, deuce, four

PTP

[benlessard]

Assuming you are in 6Nt

T
---
x
x

vs

---
---
AKx
----

is the ending you want to reach you will make if east has KJ of spades and LHO has the club guard.

[gnasher]

benlessard, on Nov 18 2009, 06:39 PM, said:

T
---
x
x

vs

---
---
AKx
----

is the ending you want to reach you will make if east has KJ of spades and LHO has the club guard.

Shouldn't my advanced/expert opponent have switched to a diamond?

[kfay]

gnasher, on Nov 18 2009, 12:49 PM, said:

benlessard, on Nov 18 2009, 06:39 PM, said:

T
---
x
x

vs

---
---
AKx
----

is the ending you want to reach you will make if east has KJ of spades and LHO has the club guard.

Shouldn't my advanced/expert opponent have switched to a diamond?

Well GIB was sitting East.

Anyway we don't live in a world of perfect players. Maybe they just thought they would make us commit or not commit to the spade finesse early? If you think about it that doesn't make sense, but maybe they just read that chapter of Kelsey on Defense or Bridge Odds for Practical Players and that's the first thing that popped into their head. Spade was returned now you have to take advantage.

[gnasher]

If I trust my RHO, the double squeeze to play for is with spades as the pivot.

Looking at something like KJxxx Qxx Qxx xx, RHO should have envisaged the squeeze and switched to a diamond. With Kxx Qxx Qxxxx xx, it was correct to switch to a spade, playing me for ♠AJ and ♦AKJ.

[Phil]

Cash no side tops. Run three more hearts - how are they splitting?

What do they pitch - in order?

[655321]

If you pick the position you can always make when West has the club length by running all the hearts coming down to

---

then cashing the winners in the suit West has unguarded and squeezing East.

But if East has the club length and keeps a spade guard while West keeps a diamond guard I can't see how to make.

benlessard, on Nov 18 2009, 12:39 PM, said:

...is the ending you want to reach you will make if east has KJ of spades and LHO has the club guard.

If you are playing East for the KJ of spades isn't it better to run the spade switch around to the Ten?

[Vilgan]

I'd probably play hearts and get to that position, but I'm not seeing a lot of good ways to play it from there other than:

A♣
A♠
2 rounds of clubs (pitching spade on 2nd)

If clubs didn't break and I haven't seen the KJ of spades discarded, I now play a diamond to my AKx and hope they run. Would love to see a better analysis tho, as I'm picking that line by intuition rather than logic. Makes when LHO has club guard and either Jx of spades or no spade honor (or obviously if clubs are 3/3). Not sure what other situations it works in if discarding is perfect.

[655321]

In the 7 card ending, if West has the club length he can only keep 3 Spade/Diamond cards. If he keeps 3 spades, you cash the AK of diamonds (forcing him to pitch 2 spades) then play 3 rounds of clubs to squeeze East in Spades and Diamonds. If West keeps 3 diamonds, you cash the ♠A (forcing a diamond pitch) then 3 rounds of clubs, again squeezing East.

If East has the club length and keeps 3 diamonds with his 4 clubs you can play the ♠A (forcing a diamond pitch) then squeeze West. But If East keeps 3 spades and 4 clubs the equivalent line (cashing AK of diamonds forcing 2 spade pitches) does not work because West is discarding after declarer and is not squeezed.

[jdonn]

655321, on Nov 18 2009, 06:55 PM, said:

benlessard, on Nov 18 2009, 12:39 PM, said:

...is the ending you want to reach you will make if east has KJ of spades and LHO has the club guard.

If you are playing East for the KJ of spades isn't it better to run the spade switch around to the Ten?

It would be fun to lose a spade trick to west's jack while clubs are 3-3, but probably not as much for partner.

[655321]

jdonn, on Nov 18 2009, 08:05 PM, said:

655321, on Nov 18 2009, 06:55 PM, said:

If you are playing East for the KJ of spades isn't it better to run the spade switch around to the Ten?

It would be fun to lose a spade trick to west's jack while clubs are 3-3, but probably not as much for partner.

Good point

[benlessard]

Your 7 card ending still need a big read.

If they discard a club from (5th or 2) or 2 diamond from a 5 card suit and you are screwed because you will orientate your squeeze on the wrong side but i agree that cashing AK of D before the S ace might be better depending on the discards

Quote

Shouldn't my advanced/expert opponent have switched to a diamond?

Not if hes got both black guard.

[gnasher]

655321, on Nov 19 2009, 01:48 AM, said:

In the 7 card ending, if West has the club length he can only keep 3 Spade/Diamond cards. If he keeps 3 spades, you cash the AK of diamonds (forcing him to pitch 2 spades) then play 3 rounds of clubs to squeeze East in Spades and Diamonds. If West keeps 3 diamonds, you cash the ♠A (forcing a diamond pitch) then 3 rounds of clubs, again squeezing East.

If East has the club length and keeps 3 diamonds with his 4 clubs you can play the ♠A (forcing a diamond pitch) then squeeze West. But If East keeps 3 spades and 4 clubs the equivalent line (cashing AK of diamonds forcing 2 spade pitches) does not work because West is discarding after declarer and is not squeezed.

Is this Compound Squeeze Week?

[gnasher]

benlessard, on Nov 19 2009, 05:06 AM, said:

Quote

Shouldn't my advanced/expert opponent have switched to a diamond?

Not if hes got both black guard.

When I wrote "Shouldn't my advanced/expert opponent have switched to a diamond?" it was in reply to a post where you suggested playing for a layout where East had the spade guard and West had the club guard. On that layout it is correct for East to switch to a diamond.

If your point is that East should vary his defence according to what is in his hand, then I agree.

[kfay]

gnasher, on Nov 19 2009, 05:45 AM, said:

655321, on Nov 19 2009, 01:48 AM, said:

In the 7 card ending, if West has the club length he can only keep 3 Spade/Diamond cards.  If he keeps 3 spades, you cash the AK of diamonds (forcing him to pitch 2 spades) then play 3 rounds of clubs to squeeze East in Spades and Diamonds.  If West keeps 3 diamonds, you cash the ♠A (forcing a diamond pitch) then 3 rounds of clubs, again squeezing East.

If East has the club length and keeps 3 diamonds with his 4 clubs you can play the ♠A (forcing a diamond pitch) then squeeze West. But If East keeps 3 spades and 4 clubs the equivalent line (cashing AK of diamonds forcing 2 spade pitches) does not work because West is discarding after declarer and is not squeezed.

Is this Compound Squeeze Week?

Here's the whole hand:

Scoring: Chicago

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