Friday, August 7, 2009

Another old rgb hand -- Solution

This problem appeared in yesterday's post; the solution is below the fold.
[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.

3 comments:

  1. Cute hand, thanks for sharing.

    I wonder if the declarer found it at the table, or figured it out later. It's always easier later, isn't it?

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  2. 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.
    Win 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.

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  3. 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).

    I think Arik's line also works if LHO has stiff C9, but I'm pretty sure it's still inferior.

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