Fascinating hand

[jvage]

This little gem popped up at live clubplay last monday. Norwegian junior international Erik Berg became declarer in 4♠ after my partner in East had bid 2♥ after 1♠ - pass - 1NT (semiforcing).

[hv=d=s&v=b&n=sa9hk9874dkt96cj9&w=s82ht5dj873cat752&e=sqj5haqj632da52c4&s=skt7643hdq4ckq863]399|300|Scoring: MP[/hv]

 

I led the ♥T to the K, A and ruff. Erik played a spade to the A and a spade back to his K. Then came the key move, a club to dummys 9, followed by the ♥9 covered and ruffed. Next came another club, I played low and Erik used the entry to establish a heart by another ruffing finesse. I won the ♣K with the A (if not declarer would get no club-losers) and played a diamond to partners A, Erik refusing to unblock his Q (if he had Dummy would be squeezed and endplayed). There are many variations and the board is quite complicated, but I still haven't seen any succesful defense (a spadelead would probably force declarer to guess diamonds). This was the end-position:

_____-

_____74

_____KT

_____-

 

-______Q

-______63

J8_____5

T7_____-

 

_____T

_____-

_____Q

_____Q8

 

If partner had played a red suit declarer easily establishes his needed tricks, when instead he cashed the last trump he squeezed me in the minors (dummy discarded a heart). The squeeze is non-material, in that declarer got enough tricks, but no communication to get them. If I discarded a club declarers hand was high with the ♦Q as entry. If I discarded a diamond dummy was high, overtaking the ♦Q.

 

What I found interesting was that declarer did not have to guess who had the ♦J. If partner had it he would be squeezed in the red suits when I won the ♣A. In other words, whoever had the ♦J would be squeezed by his own partner <_<

 

John

[gwnn]

may i say "wow" ?