Which squeeze?

Matchpoints

	♠ 3
	♥ Q J 4 3
	♦ A Q J 4
	♣ K 9 3 2
	♠ A K Q 10 6 4
	♥ K 5
	♦ K 5 2
	♣ A 7

You're declaring 3N against a diamond lead from a defender very fond of passive leads. You win, play a heart to the K and Ace, and a club comes back. How do you play for 12 tricks? Let's assume that the defense isn't very deep; the inferences from not ducking HA or not leading a 2nd heart are too complex.

Discussion below...




You might as well run diamonds and come down to:

	♠ 3
	♥ Q J 4
	♦
	♣ K 9 3
	♠ A K Q 10 6
	♥ 5
	♦
	♣ 7

No chances have been eliminated by doing this. From here, I'm pretty sure nothing is given up by cashing hearts, either (since only one player can guard that suit). After that, there's a fork, though:

[All lines work when the spades split or SJ falls, both have some vig for 5-2 clubs and a club-something squeeze]

a) test spades, then hope for a double squeeze around clubs. Requires long heart on left, long spade on right.

b) cash CA, then hope for spades and hearts in the same hand.

[If someone shows out on hearts, play RHO for spade length (likely if he's short in hearts, necessary if he's long) and choose accordingly]

How do you compare majors divided in a specific way vs majors together but in either hand? See Rubens's latest book. Perhaps I'll come back later and work it out in detail, but I'm pretty sure line b comes out slightly ahead.

For example, assume both red suits are 3-3. Then spades, if they don't split, are very likely to be 4-2. That would make it 5:3 that the odd heart is in the other hand, but that only works when it's hearts-left-spades-right-not-vice-versa, which cuts the odds to 2.5:3. But, it gets a bit closer after accounting for 5-1 spades.


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Test Your Play Again -- solution

I posted this recently:

Matchpoints, favorable.

	♠ 3 2
	♥ Q 9 4 3
	♦ K
	♣ K Q 10 9 3 2
	♠ A Q J 6 4
	♥ J
	♦ A 9 5 2
	♣ A 8 7

This is slightly modified from a hand I played on Saturday. LHO opened 1♠, RHO passes, and you wind up in 3N. ♠10 led, RHO shows out, pitching a diamond. When you play a club to the king, everyone follows.

How do you play?

Seems like LHO must have all the major suit honors. So you could try running all your minor suit winners to come down to a 4 card ending, then exit a heart to lose 2 hearts but score 2 spades at the end, for 11 tricks total.

However, even if LHO has both heart honors, the defense might be able to defeat this plan. How do you counter?

Answer below...



The problem is that LHO can pitch a heart winner in order to hold a diamond link to partner, who will have some good diamonds left. So, after ♣K (in case they're 4-0), unblock ♦K and play a heart. LHO can't cash 2 hearts or your 11th trick is established, but the position becomes a trick tighter. In the 3 card ending LHO must keep 2 spades and the other heart winner, and now it will be safe to throw him in.

In practice, one of my small diamonds was a heart. I played this way and successfully executed the endplay, but I could have almost as well just established a heart trick.

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Test Your Play Again

Matchpoints, favorable

	♠ 3 2
	♥ Q 9 4 3
	♦ K
	♣ K Q 10 9 3 2
	♠ A Q J 6 4
	♥ J
	♦ A 9 5 2
	♣ A 8 7

This is slightly modified from a hand I played on Saturday. LHO opened 1♠, RHO passes, and you wind up in 3N. ♠10 led, RHO shows out, pitching a diamond. When you play a club to the king, everyone follows.

How do you play?



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Test Your Play -- solution

	♠ A J 7 4 3 2
	♥ Q
	♦ A 10 2
	♣ J 4 2
	♠ 10
	♥ A K 10 6 4 2
	♦ K Q 9 5
	♣ 10 7

West	North	East	South
			1♥
Pass	1♠	Pass	2♦
Pass	3♣	Dbl	3♥
Pass	4♥	All Pass

Let's say the defense starts 3 rounds of clubs as you ruff (LHO started with Axx; for purposes of this problem you can assume RHO has 5 clubs) and all follow to the ♥Q. Now what?

As discussed yesterday, I crossed back with a low diamond to play 2 more trumps, RHO pitching a club on the 3rd round. That left this ending:

	♠ A J 7 4
	♥
	♦ A 10
	♣
	♠ 10
	♥ 10 6
	♦ Q 9 5
	♣

It seems like you basically have to pick up diamonds, and that playing for 3-3 or Jx is best, but I figured that I didn't have to do that right away. So, I tried ♦A (both follow, no J), ♠A and ruffing a spade. RHO followed with the king and the eight. Seems awfully likely that he has KQ87, so I exited my last trump, pitching the blocking ♦10 and endplaying LHO.

The main hint is "the blocking ♦10". Say I had unblocked that card at trick 5, leaving a very slightly different end position:

	♠ A J 7 4
	♥
	♦ A 2
	♣
	♠ 10
	♥ 10 6
	♦ Q 9 5
	♣

Now you have a much better option: ♠A, spade ruff, ♦A, spade ruff.

Case 1: LHO follows to 3 spades, and must be 3=4=3=3, so cash your diamond and concede trick 13.

Case 2: LHO only has 2 spades. Now she has 2 losing options: overruff and lead a diamond into your tenace, or pitch a diamond, allowing you to complete your elopement.

But, I think you can do better still. See below.



Basically, if RHO shows up with heart length, you'll probably regret unblocking ♦10. So, I think the best line is to not touch diamonds, but cross back to hand with a spade ruff. Now if LHO shows up with heart length, play along similar lines. If RHO shows up with heart length, then if he had a stiff spade play for 3-3 diamonds. If not, play ♦K and hook ♦10. If RHO started with 2425 with both red jacks, you'll go down.

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Test Your Play

	♠ A J 7 4 3 2
	♥ Q
	♦ A 10 2
	♣ J 4 2
	♠ 10
	♥ A K 10 6 4 2
	♦ K Q 9 5
	♣ 10 7

West	North	East	South
			1♥
Pass	1♠	Pass	2♦
Pass	3♣	Dbl	3♥
Pass	4♥	All Pass

Let's say the defense starts 3 rounds of clubs as you ruff (LHO started with Axx; for purposes of this problem you can assume RHO has 5 clubs) and all follow to the ♥Q. Now what?

I think there's a great line, including at least one very pretty variant. A sort of hint is below the fold: the inferior line I actually took.




I crossed back with a low diamond to play 2 more trumps, RHO pitching a club on the 3rd round. That left this ending:

	♠ A J 7 4
	♥
	♦ A 10
	♣
	♠ 10
	♥ 10 6
	♦ Q 9 5
	♣

It seems like you basically have to pick up diamonds, and that playing for 3-3 or Jx is best, but I figured that I didn't have to do that right away. So, I tried ♦A (both follow, no J), ♠A and ruffing a spade. RHO followed with the king and the eight. Seems awfully likely that he has KQ87, so I exited my last trump, pitching the blocking ♦10 and endplaying LHO.

More on Tuesday.

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