Interesting ending

[bridgeboy]

Hi all,

 

The following end-position came up in the last session of the Cavendish Pairs.

 

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No trumps, South on lead and need 5 tricks.

 

It is not too difficult to find the winning line but what I am really interested in is what this ending is called. Hopefully some of you can shed some light ;)

 

Thanks all!

[pclayton]

Strip squeeze and endplay.

 

East has an extra club winner; thats the only real difference to what is a very typical endgame position.

 

Note that South must cash the diamonds before the K♠.

[david_c]

That doesn't work does it? If you cash two top diamonds and then play a spade, you don't have any way to throw East in. It looks to me like East can always defeat you, what am I missing?

[bid_em_up]

Note that South must cash the diamonds before the K♠.

I don't think this works.

 

RHO simply keeps 10x of hearts and A9 of clubs. You have nothing but hearts left in dummy to exit with at this point, and must surrender 3 tricks.

 

I'm not even certain it is makeable.

 

If its not so hard to see the winning line, then I must be blind because as far as I can see, there isn't one.

[bid_em_up]

It looks to me like East can always defeat you, what am I missing?

I don't think you are missing anything.

 

Bridgeboy says that it isn't too hard to see the winning line. I say there isn't one.

 

(But I've been wrong before).

 

EDIT: And I am wrong again. Cash the diamond Ace then play spade.

 

This leaves RHO a myriad of losing options. If he pitches a heart, the hearts are up. If he pitches a club, you can play a diamond back the K and exit with a club, endplaying him into leading into dummies heart tenace. And finally, his last option is to pitch the diamond Q, establishing the Jack in dummy. Now you lead the diamond J, and East is stuck for a discard.

 

If he pitches a club, you overtake the J and exit a club, and he has to lead into the heart tenace, and of course, if he pitches a heart, you let the diamond J win and the hearts are good.

 

Very pretty, and not all that easy to see.

[pclayton]

Serves me right for answering this early in the AM.

 

I was looking at a solution that involved a ♠ up. As long as West clings to a club, I think you are beaten.

[djehuti]

Cash the ace of diamonds, and play a spade up. If East discards a club, K of diams and endplay in club. If a heart, hearts are good. Finally if East discards a diamond , play the jack of diamonds to produce a sort of entryshifting postion ( if E discards a heart, hearts are good, if a club, win in hand and endplay with a club.)

[jtfanclub]

Cash ONE diamond, spade to the king.

 

If he sluffs a heart, you're home (run the hearts). If he sluffs a club, you're home (play another diamond to the king and throw him in with a club).

 

If he throws the Q of diamonds....

 

Lead the jack of diamonds. If he sluffs the heart, don't overtake and run the hearts. If he sluffs a club, then overtake the J of diamonds with the K and endplay with the club.

 

I don't see any way around it.

 

Edited to add Djehuti beat me by 7 minutes (he posted as I was typing). Darn it!

[Fluffy]

balancing no trump squeeze, I didn't even know this existed.

[inquiry]

I prefer to call this a vulnerable stopper squeeze.

 

Normally vulnerable stopper squeezes work with two losers left in hand, not three, as in this hand. But the Eng book on squeezes (F. Eng, "bridge squeeze illustrated") has an entire chapter on extended vulnerable stopper squeezes where the number of losers is higher than 2. IF the number of losers equals two, the squeeze is usually termed a "strip squeeze" or "squeeze endplay."

 

The "vulnerable stopper squeeze" is a more generic term that I happen to like. The characteristics is that the stopper is vulnerable if the person can be forced lead away from it. Here Tx of hearts is vulnerable. The squeeze removes danger cards (exit) from their hand. If the number of losers is 2, the timing is not very difficult, if the number of losers is more than 2, the timing is more dellicate.

 

Here you see that you need to cash one diamond (this is actually part of the squeeze) and that it is fatal to cash two. You would not be able to make this hand if the DT and DJ were reversed. The Diamond JACK plays an essential role on some lines.

 

Then you cross to spade King, ok.. EAST has to throw something, it is easy from him to throw diamond queen. Now you lead diamond JACK.. if east throws a heart you duck in your hand and run dummys hearts. If he throws a club, youo overtake and lead a club to east, who can take a second club but has to give up the last two tricks. But here is why the Diamond jack is important, if the ten and jack were reversed, when you lead TEN from dummy, EAST can throw a heart, and you can not duck and retain lead in dummy.

 

I like Clyde Love's book, but Eng's is good too. I think Eng's is better for math-minded people as it gives squeezes all as algebraic and other equations and many people are turned off on his mathematical proofs about why squeeze work. I found it enjoyable, and I like many of his terms.

[bid_em_up]

Try Ottlik's book "Adventures in Card Play" for many similar esoteric squeezes.

 

I think he calls this an entry-shifting guard squeeze or similar.

[inquiry]

Try Ottlik's book "Adventures in Card Play" for many similar esoteric squeezes.

 

I think he calls this an entry-shifting guard squeeze or similar.

A guard squeeze involves a finessee or potential finessee against one of the opponents, and so threats exist against one or the other of the opponents. The blocked entry condition here (no heart in south hand), however, brings into play the entry shifting nature of this squeeze. In entryshifting squeezes, the ability to enter either hand "after" the squeeze has taken place (ie on the same trick) is key. So one could certainly add entry-shifting to the description of this hand. Exchange a diamond for heart in south's hand, and then you could reverse the Diamond Jack and Diamond Ten with no problem. The ability to "entry-shift" is one mechanism to overcome blocked entry conditions in the threat suits.

 

So this could be termed an entry-shfifting vulnerable stopper squeeze to take into account the need to be able to win the squeeze trick in EITHER hand.