[SketchyMan]

I carefully established my ninth trick in 3NT, then abandoned it in a moment of absent-mindedness only to have it multiply:

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At trick ten I was gifted an opportunity to reach the entry-less South hand to cash the abandoned diamond for an otherwise impossible squeeze.

I love when a bizarre play opens up a fascinating mechanism in a hand that wouldn't otherwise have materialised!

[pescetom]

SketchyMan, on 2026-October-20, 23:29, said:

I abandoned my ninth trick in 3NT in a moment of absent-mindedness, only to have it multiply:

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T1: West led ♣4, ♣3, ♣Q, ♣K
T2: South led ♦K (held)
T3: South led ♦Q (held)
T4: South ducked a diamond to East’s ace.
T5: East led ♣T, ♣J, ♣5, ♣2
T6: South led ♥K, ♥8, ♥2, ♥4
T7: South led ♥5, ♥Q appeared, ♥A, ♥6
T8: North led ♠Q, ♠K appeared, ♠6, ♠2
T9: East cleared clubs with ♣7, ♣8, ♣6, ♣A
T10: North led a spade ♠3, and East ducked (!) ♠9, ♠T, ♠4
I had somehow landed back in the entry-less South hand with the diamond winner that I'd abandoned. Now the otherwise impossible squeeze was on:
T11: ♦J, ♣9, ♠8… East went into the tank, so I said that the heart/spade squeeze seemed to be on and she threw the ♠A.

I love when a bizarre play opens up a fascinating mechanism in a hand that wouldn't otherwise have materialised!

I think there were several errors, some fairly obvious, none really bizarre, no fascinating consequences.
At trick 7 South should cash ♦J, a heart gives up a trick.
At trick 9 East could have thrown in North with a heart.
At trick 10, East was smart to duck, but doesn't really seem to have understood what was going on if she tanked on the next trick, where it makes no difference what she throws.

[SketchyMan]

Sometimes there's no justice: my error improved my result. If I hadn't abandoned my diamond, the squeeze wouldn't have materialised and I wouldn't have made eleven tricks.

Ducking the spade was an error. If East had counted my points they'd have known that I had no other way to access that diamond and make eleven tricks.

If this hand doesn't amuse you, post one that does. I'd love to read about a funny hand.