Right Through the Pack

[Walddk]

"Right Through the Pack" is a very entertaining book written by Robert Darvas and Norman D. Hart. A group of 52 linked short stories, each narrated by one of the 52 cards in the deck.

 

Can we do something similar without using any of the stories in the book? We need 51 more after I have told

 

The Tale of ♣2

Normally, everybody regards me as nothing at all. ♣2, the lowest card in the pack which virtually never takes a trick in notrump, almost never in a non-club contract, and unfortunately also rarely when one finally decides to play in clubs. They always sacrifice me under trump ace or king.

 

On this deal, however, revenge was sweet. At long last, I was in the hands of a player who knew how to treasure me:

 

[hv=d=s&v=b&n=sa10532h9765d4cj87&w=s7h108432dqj96cq95&e=sj98hqjda1053c10643&s=skq64hakdk872cak2]399|300|Scoring: IMP[/hv]

Contract: 6♠ by South. Lead: ♦Q.

 

After an elegant auction with a 2♣ opening, transfer, slam tries, etc., my master arrived in the spade slam. Some may be able to see that with ♦A on side the contract is cold. You can ruff three minor cards in the dummy, but that would mean that I, among others, would be sacrificed.

 

No way did my master allow that to happen!

 

He thought for about 9 minutes and 37.2 seconds before leading to trick three, but then he spotted the chance. Look how beautifully it can be done:

 

East won ♦A at trick one and switched to ♥Q. My master won in hand, cashed ♠K and ♠Q, West pitching a heart. Then came ♥K and ♠4. At this point, West was squeezed; he just did not know.

 

Obviously, he could not let go a club. A heart wouldn't work either (then my master sets up an extra heart trick), so he had to discard a diamond.

 

No harm done, is there? Both defenders can hold on to a diamond, but in reality that's an illusion. A heart was ruffed, ♦K cashed and a diamond ruffed in dummy.

 

This was the ending with four cards left:

 

[hv=d=s&v=b&n=sa10532h9765d4cj87&w=s7h108432dqj96cq95&e=sj98hqjda1053c10643&s=skq64hakdk872cak2]399|300|Scoring: IMP[/hv]

 

Yesssss! A double squeeze has presented itself now that only East is able to guard diamonds. ♠10 kills the defence. East must pitch a club in order to keep ♦10, "we" toss the now useless ♦8, and West is wriggling. He can't throw ♥10, else dummy's 9 is high, so he must also depart with a club.

 

Do you see it? The smallest card had become the BIGGEST! The 12th and decisive trick was won by little, sorry BIG me! What a ball I had; it will likely not happen again in the foreseeable future.

 

The squeeze outlined above is well known, but as you saw there was also a squeeze when ♠4 was played. It is known as a "pentagon squeeze" (squeeze in 5 suits) - first West in three, then East in two.

 

Roland

 

P.S. The hand came up in a tournament in Canada in 1997. John Gowdy (gowdy on BBO) was the declarer.

[luke warm]

nice job, roland... wish i had the imagination to play