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Please let me be misunderstood Can a python squeeze?

#1 User is online   pilowsky 

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Posted 2021-February-28, 22:30

In my quest to become the best Bridge player in the world by next week at the latest, I decided it would be a good idea to learn about squeezes.
It turns out that Sterling and Nygate (1990; Python: an expert squeezer; J Logic Programming 8:21-39) had discovered that even invertebrates could squeeze.
So, I wondered: How hard can it be?
After trying a few books and articles, I came across this hand in an excellent series by Inquiry (Ben).
He only provided the North and South hands and avers that 7NT is available with a squeeze.
To better understand this, I reconstructed the hand on the teaching table.
Using my favourite bidding system, "Optimistic Pilowsky," I reach 7NT South.

I have 12 winners and possibly 1 loser.
Here's the problem; my understanding of advanced play methods is minimal. Still, I gather that if a squeeze is available, it is independent of how the remaining cards are arranged in the opponents' hands.
Is this a false belief? Please let me be misunderstood (http://bit.ly/NinaMisunderstood).
Here is the hand, West leads the K.

Is it possible to make 7NT?



Here is the layout that I produced to test it.
Spoiler


Here is a copy of the first part of the original post:
Spoiler

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#2 User is offline   AL78 

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Posted 2021-March-01, 05:14

I'm not an authority on squeezes but to perform one, you do want key cards to be positioned in specific hands for it to work. You need one or both opponents to be overloaded guarding two or three suits, and at the point you run your winners, you want the overloaded opponent to unguard one suit before you have to decide which menace card to throw.

The hand you give looks like an automatic or double squeeze situation. Win the lead, cash the A (Vienna Coup), then run the spades discarding losers from the South hand. If East has long diamonds and West has the K, on the last spade, one will have to lose their minor guard, either setting up a diamond or the Q, or they will have to throw all their hearts, promoting your 2. On the last spade, you have to guess whether East has come down to a singleton heart or three diamonds before deciding which red menace to discard, but I think it should be possible to work it out if you count the discards carefully. If East or West have long diamonds and the K, they are subjected to an automatic squeeze, and when you run the spades, the overloaded defender will have to unguard a minor. This type squeeze is easy to perform since when running the spades, if you don't see the club king discarded, try cashing the diamonds from the top. The double squeeze operates as a simultaneous positional squeeze against LHO, and an automatic squeeze against RHO.

I'm sure someone will correct me if I have said something wrong in the above.
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#3 User is offline   DavidKok 

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Posted 2021-March-01, 05:32

I don't think I've ever mentioned this, but I really enjoy reading your posts. Thank you for sharing these. I'm a big fan of Clyde E. Love's book on squeezes, so forgive me for using his terminology.

Your belief is false. There are many different types of squeezes, some of which operate against any distribution, and some of which only operate against specific distributions (kind of like a finesse). Thankfully the hand you show is of the "simple/basic squeeze" type (the name of which should be taken with a grain of salt, in that basic/simple is very much a relative term), which is arguably the easiest squeeze of all. If the lead was anything other than a heart it would be of a far more complicated "Type R double squeeze" type, but fortunately(?) that choice was eliminated by the defense.1 Typically a squeeze of this type is a last resort for an extra trick. In this case your only alternative chances for 13 legitimate tricks are singleton king of clubs or diamonds JT9 tight, which coincidentally are also picked up by the squeeze line. So we immediately go for the squeeze instead.

If the defenders' hands are such that the squeeze produces an extra trick it is said to 'operate'. To squeeze a defender you need to identify two threats, i.e. cards that might potentially win the last trick for you. If one defender and one defender only can guard these threats, i.e. holds cards strong enough to prevent you from cashing these cards outright, this defender is said to be busy in two suits. For a squeeze to operate a defender needs to be busy in two suits.

On this hand your threats are the Q (making the defender who holds the K busy in that suit) and 8 (making the defender who holds at least 4 diamonds busy in that suit. Note that since you have 6 diamonds between declarer and dummy it is impossible for both defenders to hold 4 diamonds). On your example layout these holdings lie in opposite hands, and so there is no squeeze. If they were held in the same hand the defender would be squeezed (in this case regardless of if it is West or East).

The best line of play is in the spoiler below, but I recommend you rearrange the defenders' hands and try again first before checking.
Spoiler


1AL78 points out the double squeeze chances, but on the heart lead there is no late entry to the 2 threat so it does not operate.
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#4 User is offline   Cyberyeti 

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Posted 2021-March-01, 05:34

There is a difference between "can you make this contract ?" and "can you make this contract against any lie of the opposing cards and lead ?".

A squeeze is a squeeze, it operates if the opp can't prevent it working and is independent of the above.

The most obvious lie of the cards that allows the squeeze most people will be able to visualise is that the same player holds K and 4 diamonds, so you cash off the ace of clubs, ace of hearts and 7 spades, coming down to AKQ8 in hand and the Q alongside dummy's diamonds, and hope 5 into 4 doesn't go for one of the opps.

If the opps haven't led a heart (which breaks up the entry situation), there is the possibility of something more complicated

Rumble a load of winners and you get this position in your test hand:



Now on the last spade, E has to pitch a heart, your diamond having done its job can be pitched and W is squeezed.
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#5 User is offline   AL78 

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Posted 2021-March-01, 08:54

View PostCyberyeti, on 2021-March-01, 05:34, said:

There is a difference between "can you make this contract ?" and "can you make this contract against any lie of the opposing cards and lead ?".

A squeeze is a squeeze, it operates if the opp can't prevent it working and is independent of the above.

The most obvious lie of the cards that allows the squeeze most people will be able to visualise is that the same player holds K and 4 diamonds, so you cash off the ace of clubs, ace of hearts and 7 spades, coming down to AKQ8 in hand and the Q alongside dummy's diamonds, and hope 5 into 4 doesn't go for one of the opps.

If the opps haven't led a heart (which breaks up the entry situation), there is the possibility of something more complicated

Rumble a load of winners and you get this position in your test hand:



Now on the last spade, E has to pitch a heart, your diamond having done its job can be pitched and W is squeezed.


Thanks, that was the double squeeze position that popped into my mind when I first saw the deal, but it doesn't work after the heart lead because you need the ace as an entry.
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