[Stephen Tu]

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Small spade lead (attitude) to 9 and ace and a spade return. You play DT which is covered by DQ and DA, East follows small. Exactly how do you continue from here, what's the optimal line for 12 tricks?

[Cyberyeti]

I would have led a small diamond not the 10 in case of a stiff Q onside.

[Stephen Tu]

Cyberyeti, on 2017-November-21, 12:07, said:

I would have led a small diamond not the 10 in case of a stiff Q onside.

Surely T is better, catering to 9x offside, and void offside?

[Cyberyeti]

Stephen Tu, on 2017-November-21, 12:11, said:

Surely T is better, catering to 9x offside, and void offside?

9x still drops under the 10 when you lead it next time after finessing the J

[Lovera]

Stephen Tu, on 2017-November-21, 11:48, said:

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Small spade lead (attitude) to 9 and ace and a spade return. You play DT which is covered by DQ and DA, East follows small. Exactly how do you continue from here, what's the optimal line for 12 tricks?

Tops ♥ for a reciprocal squeeze with "double" menace in ♦ against 9xxx. The orientation of unilaterals is undeterminate but different.

[Stephen Tu]

Cyberyeti, on 2017-November-21, 12:59, said:

9x still drops under the 10 when you lead it next time after finessing the J

True, but are you saying then you are committing to returning to hand and running the T right away? And how will you return to do this? Playing the second diamond early may blow communication for certain squeeze positions.

FWIW I do think you are right, lead low is better, but it does depend on which end positions you are going to be catering to. If my gut is right there are certain squeezes you should play for, and other positions where you would make 12 if you knew the layout but will only make 11 in practice. But maybe there is a better line that I missed ...

Lovera, it's hard to understand your post, you might specify which cards you are cashing next and which end positions you are playing for.

[nige1]

Stephen Tu, on 2017-November-21, 11:48, said:

Small spade lead (attitude) to 9 and ace and a spade return. You play DT which is covered by DQ and DA, East follows small. Exactly how do you continue from here, what's the optimal line for 12 tricks?

My guess
Win ♠KQ, throwing a ♦.
Lead ♦T covered by ♦Q and ♦A.
Cash ♦KJ throwing a ♥.
Cash ♣KQ
Assume both defenders follow and ♣J is not doubleton.

If LHO guards ♦s, then
- Given that LHO has ♠ length, RHO is more likely to guard ♣s, so
- Cash ♣A ♥K, ♠J hoping to execute a double-squeeze:
- LHO must keep ♦s and RHO must keep ♣s, so dummy's ♥T is good.

If RHO guards ♦s, then
- Hope RHO also guards ♣s.
- Cash ♥K, ♠J, ♥A
- to execute an simple squeeze in the minors on RHO.

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This post has been edited by nige1: 2017-November-21, 21:21

[Lovera]

Stephen Tu, on 2017-November-21, 16:31, said:

Lovera, it's hard to understand your post, you might specify which cards you are cashing next and which end positions you are playing for.

After the top ♠ if the club suit is with diamond the opp is already squeezed. The other position is with the heart suit and the opp is squeezed at 10th trick when rescouting the club winners.

[johnu]

Lovera, on 2017-November-22, 02:32, said:

After the top ♠ if the club suit is with diamond the opp is already squeezed. The other position is with the heart suit and the opp is squeezed at 10th trick when rescouting the club winners.

Is there a line of play buried someplace?

[dieded]

If the clubs are with LHO and diamonds are with RHO, there is no squeeze.

After the prescribed play, I would cash cK (in case one shows out, then a club finesse can be made), then cQA.

- If the cJ is outstanding with LHO, then the only way to make is if he has long diamonds as well (LHO having hQJ is quite far-fetched, he might have led it). So cash all majors ending in hand and hope for the best.

- If the cJ is outstanding with RHO, then,
-- if the diamonds are with LHO, there is a double squeeze, and this requires cashing the diamonds early to squeeze RHO in the rounded suits);
-- if the diamonds are with RHO, there is a simple squeeze, and this requires NOT cashing the diamonds early to preserve entry.

Alas, there is no guaranteed way around this. By vacant spaces, LHO is likely to have length in diamonds, so play for the double squeeze.

Edit: Of course this is besides the fact that 12 tricks is always available if diamonds are 3-3, no matter what the play is.

[msjennifer]

I shall play for double squeeze as has been already described earlier by others

[Lovera]

johnu, on 2017-November-22, 05:04, said:

Is there a line of play buried someplace?

Perhaps. For instance, if you want to talk about double squeeze, can be considered the balanced by nige1 with unilaterals in minor suits or another positional is an RFL double squeeze with unilaterals in heart suit against QJ in W, rescouting KJ in diamond for the 9 in E and club as double (oriented) menace reentering in S with the ♥K for the squeeze card.

[Stephen Tu]

So my idea is: Cash clubs.
1. If RHO has Jxxx clubs, play for LHO to have the diamonds, cash diamonds, HK, spades, and the double making the hearts good. Fails if RHO has both minors and not also the HQJ.
2. If LHO has clubs, cash spades, pitching a heart and a diamond. If LHO started with 5 spades, now cash hearts. If LHO was 5224, RHO 2542, RHO was squeezed out of a red guard and either the 13th heart is good or the diamonds run. If LHO was 5044, playing the hearts squeezes him the minors.
If LHO had 4 spades, cash hearts and only succeed if LHO squeezed in minors 4144, or diamonds break. If LHO led from Txx 3 spades, again play for squeezing LHO in minors.

Is this better or worse than Nigel's line of diamonds first?

[Lovera]

Stephen Tu, on 2017-November-23, 16:07, said:

So my idea is: Cash clubs.
1. If RHO has Jxxx clubs, play for LHO to have the diamonds, cash diamonds, HK, spades, and the double making the hearts good. Fails if RHO has both minors and not also the HQJ.
2. If LHO has clubs, cash spades, pitching a heart and a diamond. If LHO started with 5 spades, now cash hearts. If LHO was 5224, RHO 2542, RHO was squeezed out of a red guard and either the 13th heart is good or the diamonds run. If LHO was 5044, playing the hearts squeezes him the minors.
If LHO had 4 spades, cash hearts and only succeed if LHO squeezed in minors 4144, or diamonds break. If LHO led from Txx 3 spades, again play for squeezing LHO in minors.

Is this better or worse than Nigel's line of diamonds first?

Let you try in this way: when in dummy with Ace of diamond cash K and Q only reentering in S in heart suit, lead all remaining spades pitching a diamond and 10 of heart. Then little for each Ace starting with heart suit squeeze each opp at time and if any unilateral is winner you have the 12th trick in diamond suit.