[lenze]

From a sectional tournament, MPs:

North
S – T65
H – QJT
D – A85
C – AQ43

South
S – AKQ7
H – AK9865
D – K4
C – 5

Most pairs were in 6 or 7 hearts, making 7.
A few were in 7NT, with the Spade 9 lead covered by dummy’s Ten and East’s Jack. Declarer wins and cashes two more spades. When west shows out on the third round (the 8 did not fall), it appears the contract depends on a club finesse. But does it?? Change the Club Q to the 2 and 7NT can still be made against ANY outstanding distribution. I leave it to you.

[inquiry]

Quote

From a sectional tournament, MPs:

North
S – T65
H – QJT
D – A85
C – AQ43

South
S – AKQ7
H – AK9865
D – K4
C – 5

Most pairs were in 6 or 7 hearts, making 7.
A few were in 7NT, with the Spade 9 lead covered by dummy’s Ten and East’s Jack. Declarer wins and cashes two more spades, When west shows out on the third round (the 8 did not fall), it appears the contract depends on a club finesse. But does it?? Change the Club Q to the 2 and 7NT can still be made against ANY outstanding distribution. I leave it to you

This is an easy to identify compound squeeze. To find these squeeze, you need to
a) have one threat isolated in one hand (here spades in EAST)
have threats in two other suits (here both minors cards in North)
c) have entries in both of the other threat suits (here DA and CA)
d) the isolated threat must be in the "upper" hand (here it is), or the other
two threats must be in the upper hand. All 3 threats can not be
in the same hand. The upper hand is the one that plays next after
the hand with the threat plays.
e) be able to handle the "both" threat ending in double squeeze if
the defense goes a particular way.. meaning here, you need the
diamond re-entry on this hand (if you cash Diamond ACE early, or
if they lead Diamond at trick one, stamp paid to your grand slam, if
the club QUEEN was the two)
f) have only one loser (correct count).

East has to keep the spade 8, so he can also not keep a diamond and/or 2 clubs in the ending. For a longer discussion of such squeezes in a more interesting hand to identify the key play, read http://forums.bridgebase.com/in...lay;threadid=94

While you CAN make the hand regardless of split of the opponents card, EW can try to make it hard for you with falsecard, especially in diamonds, and even more so if the club Q was the club 2. You have to decide which minor suit gives up.. Let's play the hand with two Club Kings (one each hand) and two Diamond QJT's, one in each hand... this is the ending...

void
void
Axx
Ax2
-- 8
-- --
QJT QJT
Kxx Kx
7
AK
Kx
x

On heart ACE, say WEST pitches a diamond exposing EAST to simple squeeze after and NORTH/EAST both a club. Now you cash the second heart, and WEST a club and EAST a club. Now the right play is a club to the ACE executing a simple squeeze against EAST in Diamond and spades.

IF instead EAST gives up diamonds, then you have to play a double squeeze. Play diamond to ACE and diamond back to the king and then lead the last heart. West has to keep a diamond, so after his club discard, dummy throws away the diamond and EAST is squeezed.. he has to come to one club or set up your spade 7.

What EW has to do when they realize that only EAST guards spades, and that the compound squeeze is coming, is to make it has hard for declearer to diagnosis what suit EAST gives up.

[lenze]

Hi Ben:

When I posted this, I knew you would give an excellent analysis of this compound squeeze. There is one point, however, to make. South made a technical error when he cashed the third spade. (If spades are 3-3 at trick 3, they will be 3-3 at trick 10). By cashing the 3rd spade, south converted his unrestricted compound squeeze to a restricted one. This means south must decide after 5 hearts which suit East has abandoned. Had he kept a Spade winner, he could afford to cash ALL six heart winners before deciding. This would greatly increase his chance of picking the correct play.

[inquiry]

:-)

I thought you wanted it played from when finding spades are 3-3... of course the best play from trick one is to run hearts first.

Ben