[UPDATE: formatting issues corrected. Also, further discussion coming later.]
Qxx
Kxx
AQ7xx
K8
-
Axxxx
2
AQJ7xxx
Play 7C after a heart lead, LHO originally opened 1S.
Answer below...
Give LHO 5 spades for the opening bid, 3 hearts for you to have a chance, and K 4th or 5th of diamonds (hopefully you can figure it out). Win the lead in *hand* and run 5 rounds of trumps:
Q
K
AQ7xx
A -
QJ
Kxxx
- -
xxxx
x
xx
On the next trump, LHO is squeezed. A heart pitchgives up 3 tricks. A diamond pitch allows you to finesse and ruff, setting up the suit. So he must pitch the SA. Dummy pitches a diamond.
Now take the diamond finesse, cash the DA and SQ and LHO is trump squeezed:
Q
K
7x
- -
QJ
Kx
- -
xxx
-
x
On the SQ, a heart pitch allows HK, hand good. A diamond pitch allows diamond ruff, dummy good.
Cute hand, thanks for sharing.
ReplyDeleteI wonder if the declarer found it at the table, or figured it out later. It's always easier later, isn't it?
I think there is another plausible line that allows for 13 tricks – give LHO AK 5 times spades, 3 hearts, K three times diamonds and 9x in clubs.
ReplyDeleteWin heart in hand, finesse diamonds, ruff a diamond, finesse club, ruff a second diamond and enter dummy with a club. Cash the good diamonds ruff a spade back to hand and run the remaining trumps to catch LHO in a simple spade-heart squeeze.
However, this line seems to be inferior to the one presented above as it requires clubs to split 2-2 and the 9 of clubs to be with LHO.
Apart from that, triple trump squeeze is way cooler than finesse & a simple squeeze combo.
So far as I know this was not solved at the table. And the first line that solvers adopted was something like win the heart in dummy and play LHO for 5350 for a more normal progressive squeeze (run all trumps, hook diamond, and you have a 2 trick heart threat with an entry plus 2 1 trick threats in the pointed suits in dummy).
ReplyDeleteI think Arik's line also works if LHO has stiff C9, but I'm pretty sure it's still inferior.