[inquiry]

Scoring: IMP

West North East South
 Pass  Pass  Pass  1NT
 Pass  2♦!   Pass  2♥
 Pass  2NT   Pass  4♥
 Pass  Pass  Pass  

t1l H9 HK H2 H6
t2. DJ D4 D6 DK
t3. H7 HA HQ H8
t4. H3 D7 HJ HT
T5, DA D8 D2 D3
T6. DQ CT C2 D5
t7. CA C4 C7 C3
T8. CK C5 CJ C9
T9. C8 C6 H4 CQ

---

West starts a tricky ♥9 from T9x. You drop doubleton queen offside, good for you. West was proven to have exactly 2♦, 3♥ and 4♣ by trick 9. She lead a ♥ rather than any other suit, but had Kx in ♦ and four ♣ to the Ten. How shou;d upi continue?

[pclayton]

Hi Ben:

I love this hand, and I hope the others here will too. I spotted a small improvement in the middle game: Cash the ♣A-K, and see if the Q drops first (it doesn't on this one - but if it does, then easy road to 10).

My Keri partner cringed when I told him I bid 4♥ with the 4333 instead of 3N. LOL

[Free]

I don't have the energy to figure out/decode what cards are gone in our hands, construct the current situation,... so I won't answer at this point

[inquiry]

Free, on Jul 28 2004, 06:21 PM, said:

I don't have the energy to figure out/decode what cards are gone in our hands, construct the current situation,... so I won't answer at this point

So.. a free special.. here is the current position...

Left hand showed up with exactly 4♣, 3♥, 2♦ and thus 4♠'s, that leaves rho with 2♠, 2♥, 6♦ and 3♣. At this point, rho is 2♠ and 2♦, lho is 4♠

---

[luke warm]

this hand looks strangely familiar

[paulhar]

I have an answer which I have no clue whether it's right or not, but I don't want to deny anyone from the chance to work this one out. If the solution is what I think it is, it's a really cool problem. A hint: You know what Ben wants you to do, now you have to figure out why you should do it. I've Emailed my solution so I expect to hear shortly that I was wrong

[inquiry]

luke warm, on Jul 28 2004, 07:36 PM, said:

this hand looks strangely familiar

Lol... yes, you watched it from dummy.... :-)

Ben

[inquiry]

paulhar, on Jul 28 2004, 07:56 PM, said:

I've Emailed my solution so I expect to hear shortly that I was wrong

Paul got it right, and for the right reason.

[Free]

I don't see the big problem here. You can't make this on perfect defense imo, unless ♠A is onside or LHO's ♠ are AQJT. Play ♠, and cover whatever RHO plays. You have an automatic endplay if RHO can't play anything higher than the 9...

PS: tnx for the Free special

[twcho]

yes, perfect defense you'll go down because west shdn't discard the 4th C and the exit card. Now you can make the contract provided that east does not have 2 cards out of QJ10. Play the last trump and west will be squeezed in single suit.

[inquiry]

Thanks for everyone playing the game on this pclayton special, including phil. Taking it down to a four card ending, makes it easier to see the ending.

Let's run through what people suggested.

1) Phil suggested he spotted a minor improvement in that he could have cashed the club ACE/KING in case the QUEEN dropped. Ok, on some hands that would have worked but, on this hand he would have gone down if had done that. The reason why will be shown when We deal with the line of defense suggested by twocho when he suggest LHO misdefended by pitching spade instead of club.

2) Paulher got it right in a message to me. I will address his answer below when we go over the other answers.

3) Free says that you can't make it unless the SPADE Ace is on side (and you guess right), or if LHO has AQJT of spades. As we shall see, this is srong.

4) One person, who will remain nameless, says it makes only if the spade suit is split RHO with AQJx or AQJT... (giving EAST Tx or xx). This is wrong, East can have Qx Jx Tx and you still can make.

5) Twocho correctly diagnosis (as did Paulher) the one suit squeeze. He went further than Paul, however, and made critical comments about LHO pitching 13th club to keep 4 spades, suggesting that the contract will go down on that defense. I have to admit i would keep the club too, but on this layout, keeping a club does not help due to awesome power of the club-eight.

First, let's see the single suit squeeze in all its beauty. The defense has one trick at this point (diamond king), lead in dummy. The last trump is lead, rho throws ♦ and you a low ♠, but what is south to discard from AQJx or AJTx or AQTx (all the same, really). If he throws a low ♠, he is easily endplayed, after a ♠ from dummy and cover RHO's card. If RHO plays Q or J or T, you cover, otherwise play 7 or 9. If LHO throws a big spade, you can lead a spade from dummy and still just cover whatever rho plays.

How can you decide if to play rho for Hx without the ace instead of Ax? Well two reasons. With QJTx lho would start spade QUEEN. Second, Hx or xx with RHO is much more likely than Ax. Third why did lho start and continue trumps? There is some inferences you can draw.

Alright, what if lho pitches a spade (high or low) on third diamond? This wakes you up. Now you don't play to ruff a club in dummy, instead you pitch a spade. The defense is hopeless. You next duck a spade. If rho wins, he can't exit a club (wide to the jack),and you have time to ruff third spade and get to your hand to the 13th spade. So south will win the spade and exit a club to attack your entries... dummy plays low (unless ten is lead) and ♣9 forces the king. Exit another club. South wins. If he leads a club, he give up a trick,if he leads a spade, he gives up a trick. This ending is the problem with Phil's "small improvement" of cashing the club AK in the mid game hoping to drop the doubleton queen. On this layout, south COULD hold onto the long club and then defeat you.

All in all, a very enjoyable hand.

[pclayton]

inquiry, on Jul 29 2004, 04:34 AM, said:

What is south to discard from AQJx or AJTx or AQTx (all the same, really). If he throws a low ♠, he is easily endplayed, after a ♠ from dummy and cover RHO's card. If RHO plays Q or J or T, you cover, otherwise play 7 or 9. If LHO throws a big spade, you can lead a spade from dummy and still just cover whatever rho plays.

If LHO holds AJTx or AQTx, LHO can painlessly pitch a small one and RHO can play 2nd hand high with Jx or Qx.

SO these combos should be discarded as we can never make the hand. It comes down to Ax or 10x in RHO, and the point is valid about the opening lead.

FWIW; I saw this ending after I played the hand. I did play down to the shown 5 card ending, but didn't play my last trump (((. RHO didn't play 2nd hand high, so I made it on an easy endplay. LHO made an odd comment after the hand: "My pard (a star player) misclicked and had too much pride to ask for an undo". I guess every time I make an error, its the result of a misclick (in my brain maybe).

I don't think they grasped the concept about the one suit squeeze I brought up after the hand.

[inquiry]

oops... phil is right about the spade suit. East pops up and it is curtains in this ending unless it is Tx only. Interesting, see if you can find a line (earlier in play) that makes if rho has Qx or Jx of spades... But probably too much double dummy.

ben

[luke warm]

actually i wasn't kibbing, i was playing.. unless i'm mistaken, this hand is from a tourney phil and i were in... after the hand phil asked if i saw the single suit squeeze and i said no, i was too busy looking for 10 tricks

[inquiry]

luke warm, on Jul 29 2004, 05:55 AM, said:

actually i wasn't kibbing, i was playing.. unless i'm mistaken, this hand is from a tourney phil and i were in... after the hand phil asked if i saw the single suit squeeze and i said no, i was too busy looking for 10 tricks

That is what I mean when I said you watched it from dummy... .you were the dummy, your partner played it....

[Free]

I don't see how you can possibly make this contract if RHO has Qx or Jx, but ok, with Tx you have a squeeze in 1 suit...

[luke warm]

inquiry, on Jul 29 2004, 01:15 PM, said:

luke warm, on Jul 29 2004, 05:55 AM, said:

actually i wasn't kibbing, i was playing.. unless i'm mistaken, this hand is from a tourney phil and i were in... after the hand phil asked if i saw the single suit squeeze and i said no, i was too busy looking for 10 tricks

That is what I mean when I said you watched it from dummy... .you were the dummy, your partner played it....

after the lead, i remember thinking that phil had no chance... he played it beautifully, and i think he was a little tough on himself for not leading the last trump... i think a lot of people would be looking for ways to stay down one, but he never gave up

[inquiry]

Free, on Jul 29 2004, 08:00 AM, said:

I don't see how you can possibly make this contract if RHO has Qx or Jx, but ok, with Tx you have a squeeze in 1 suit...

Well making the hand if RHO has QX, Jx, QJ, QT, or JT requires virtual double dummy play. I think Phil's line playing for defensive error or RHO having Tx or worse is best.

The double dummy line, is win trump, pull three rounds (dropping queen as phil did), then play ♦Ace and ♦. West wins doubleton ♦K and must exit a club. Let that ride the ♣9-ACE. Now ♦Queen for ♠ discard. Exit small spade. If LHO wins, he can't lead a ♠ as gives up game going trick, and if he leads low ♣ you play low and EAST has to play the QUEEN, you win king and now jack is good. If West ducks the spde to EAST, East will return a ♦, dummy ruff. What did LHO discard? If spade, duck spade to him setting up king... and will get force ♣ return anyway. If a ♣, then ruff and lead ♣J to QUEEN=King and exit a club to enplay LHO.

bEn

[paulhar]

Back to single dummy, LHO would switch to a spade when in with DK (or would have led one) in all cases where RHO has SA except specifically AJ. Playing the trump first wins when RHO has 104 or 102, more often than AJ.

I must admit I would never find this play at the table

[paulhar]

In the four card end position described in this thread, Come to Papa wanted to impress the kibitzers so much! He spoke of the impending one-suit squeeze and confidently led the last trump. Why, that ornery Hog had foolishly discarded his club, and some people even thought he was the best player at the bridge club! When that silly wabbit discarded the Jack of Spades, the Horrible Hog let out a snort and started "Destiny had dealt the Wabbit the ace of spades and 4H was unbeatable. How could I beat an unbeatable 4H? Simply by dicarding my club, a play I would never make with the ace of spades, and letting Come to Papa see a chance to be clever!" The Wacky Walrus asked Come to Papa if he had not yet learned to save a trump when you had to give up the lead with a finesse.

Any similarity between these characters and others you might have heard of is purely coincidental.