Interesting Play problem

[dcvetkov]

[hv=d=s&v=n&n=sqxh7xxdaxcakqxxx&s=saxxxxhakxdkxxxcx]133|200|Scoring: IMP[/hv]

 

I am posting this hand as I found it interesting and get more opinion. Declarer played not the best but made it on defensive error in discarding. I altered it slighlty to made it more interesing.

 

Contract is 6NT, LHO leads J of hearts. Since you'll need 6 club tricks anyhow you try small spade to the Q, but East wins.

 

Seems your options are reduced to some type of squeeze, and double squeeze seems more likely.

 

Plan the play on various returns on East ( Hint - clubs are 3-3)

 

1) small heart

2) spade

3) J of Diamonds

4) club

5) Queen of H

 

 

Does the return matter? Describe the layout you are playing for and ending if possible

[Apollo81]

On a heart return, win and cash the clubs, discarding 2 spades, 1 heart, and 1 diamond from hand. On the last club discard either a spade or a diamond depending on what East has unguarded. Let's assume East was 4243 and unguarded diamonds. Now cash the ♠A. This squeezes West in the red suits.

 

On a spade return, win and cash the clubs, discarding the same way. The last club squeezes both opponents in the above case.

 

On a diamond return, win the ♦K and cash the clubs. East again will probably protect spades in the above case. When you're done, cash the ♠A squeezing West in the reds. Now you have to figure out which red trick to cash first depending on what West has unguarded.

[dcvetkov]

I expected this hand to provoke more interest, but maybe its too simple?

 

Here is one more hint before i give full hand.

LHO guards spades ( J9xx) and RHO guards diamonds (J10987).

See if there is double squeeze in the works on any return by East.

[inquiry]

This hardly a simple hand, nearly hopeless is a better desciption.

 

First, you must sssume club's run, so clubs have to be 3-3. If someone can be isolated on spades, that suit ahs to be 4-2, and if someone can be isolated on diamonds, that suit has to be 5-2. Instead, you can play for someone that holds 4 spades or 5 diamonds or 5 hearts and try for a compound squeeze. But lets work with you given assumptions. LHO has 4S, RHO has 5D. Yuck.

 

But first we can QUICKLY rule out no "double squeeze" works regardless of EAST's return. Let's examine a traditional double squeeze in your example LHO guards spades, RHO guards diamonds, both guard hearts. But there is two problems here. First, to squeeze LHO one of the threats has to be in north. The spade threat can only be in south, so the heart 7 is the threat. But all traditional double squeezes require an entry to the double squeeze threat in its own suit. There is not entry to north in hearts (the doublely quarded suit), so simply stated no double squeeze. And should it be RHO that guards spades, a heart return when he wins the spade king would remove the heart entry for a double squeeze threat against him (a double squeeze that would have failed anyway, because all threats (D,H,S) can not be in the same hand. Since NORTH can never hold the diamond or spade threat, the heart threat has to be NORTH.

 

The lack of entry in the double squeeze suit puts the kabash on any normal double squeeze. In addition, there can be no "double guard squeeze" ((which is a normal way to deal with a double squeeze that is defective due to the lack of an entry in the doubly guarded sui)) since there is no partially finesable suit.

 

With double squeeze gone, and needing 3-3 clubs, there is no way to have a triple squeeze on one player, as there is no way to distibute 5D, 4S, 5H and 3C to the same hand!!! So that leaves you with a couple of simple squeeze possibilities. A spade-diamond or spade-heart, or heart-diamond simple squeeze.

 

In the first case, one hand has to hold 4S-5H-1D-3C, in the second, 4S-5H-1D-3C, and in the last, 0S-5H-5D-3C. Since both followed to the first spade, the heart-diamond simple squeeze is not possible (given optimal defense). So I will deal with the ways to play the hand on the various returns.

 

1) small heart

 

Since I assume I haven't seen the heart Queen, and there is no evidence they are playing anything but standard leads, I will assume hearts are not being kind. So I would play for a spade-diamond simple squeeze. This squeeze only works against RHO, since both diamond and spade threats are in south. If I KNEW West had 4S, I would instead assume a tricky lead and play for a vienna coup (the heart lead helped execute it) against LHO and play him for 4-5 in the majors. This line, win heart, cash diamonds, run clubs. Threat Heart 7 and spade x, entry to spade threat the spade ACE.

 

3) J of Diamonds

4) club

5) Queen of H

 

All these leads, I would feel better about the vienna squeeze. The heart Queen gives a better chance hearts are 5-2. Win the return, cash all my red suit winners, run the clubs. This squeeze works no matter which opponent has 5H and 4S.

 

2) spade

 

Spade removes the vienna coup and any chance for a heart-Spade simple squeeze against LHO. The reason why is the entries are muddled. There is no criss-cross squeeze in the majors either, since you have no entry to north in either threat suit (spades or hearts). Given your requirement that RHO hold 5D and LHO holds 4S and the need for 3-3 clubs, (and that both followed to the first round of spades), there is no squeeze that works. I would play for either a type 0 positional simple squeeze against your RHO with him being 4-5 in the majors, or against him with him being 4S and 5D (4S-1H-5D-3C). Cash two diamonds. If RHO follows twice, you have to play him to be hold precisely 4S-1H-5D-3C, if he shows out, you have to play him to be 4S-5H-1D-3C. After taking the diamonds, run clubs.

 

 

PS.. with no working double squeeze, the compund squeeze will fail, as after the opponent with the singely guarded threat abandons a suit, you have to have established a working double squeeze.... which here does not work.

[dcvetkov]

Thanks Ben

 

This is as comprehensive analysis as it gets. On the first glance it looks like there is a chance for double squeeze with hearts as a pivot suit, but fluidless entries do not permit. it is worth noting that if heart honours are divided between North and South, odds improve significantly, but, defence get off to a good starts to attack double threat suit and double lead of ♥ will kill the threat ( Heart lead and heart continuation upon gaining the lead).

 

Spade return and club are most troublesome, as they commit you prematurely and South hand has uncomfortable discards to make while heart suit is blocked ( not Viena cupped yet). basically you will be playing for simple positioning squeeze against East ( spade and diamonds)

 

However, Queen of ♥ return is a mistake. That transfers heart guard solely with West and he can be squeezed in the end game in the majors. This is the only scenario where current layout allows the hand to be made. On any other return declarer can not prevail, as long as East maintans heart guard

 

its a low percentage slam, but not without chances, I thought might be interesting

here is the full hand

 

 

[hv=n=sqxh7xxdaxcakqxxx&w=sj9xxhj1098dqxcxxx&e=sk10hqxxdj10987cj10x&s=saxxxxhakxdkxxxcx]399|300|[/hv]