Rate a Slam #10

[inquiry]

[hv=d=s&v=e&n=saq852ha6da73ck73&s=sht542dq9caqt8652]133|200|Scoring: Chicago

3♣ = 4NT

5♥ = 6♣

Pass

 

Opening lead: ♣4

 

T1. C4-C3-C9-CT

 

Plan your play.

 

HINT: when (if) you duck a heart, they continue a second trump (west has it).[/hv]

[quiddity]

This looks like a straightforward "ruff out the king" hand with a positional squeeze against West as a second chance. Duck a heart at trick 2 and win the trump return in dummy. Spade ruff, heart ace, spade ruff, heart ruff, spade ace discarding the heart, spade ruff, and run the trumps. If the spade king drops or if West started with both spade and diamond kings you make it.

 

I have a feeling that I should be using the heart threat somehow..

[rogerclee]

This looks like a straightforward "ruff out the king" hand with a positional squeeze against West as a second chance. Duck a heart at trick 2 and win the trump return in dummy. Spade ruff, heart ace, spade ruff, heart ruff, spade ace discarding the heart, spade ruff, and run the trumps. If the spade king drops or if West started with both spade and diamond kings you make it.

 

I have a feeling that I should be using the heart threat somehow..

If east has the heart guard and west has the spade guard you have a double squeeze.

 

If west has the heart guard, and you pitch your heart, you're playing him to be 5422 with Kx of diamonds.

[quiddity]

Oh right - I see it now. I'll rate this one 3.5. It would be easier to find the right line if I didn't hold the diamond queen.

[inquiry]

As pointed out, when they go to stop you from ruffing two hearts in dummy, they left themselves open to a double squeeze. Of course you try for some other stuff first, like setting up spade queen with a ruff or two...

 

The full hand was.....

 

[hv=d=s&v=e&n=saq852ha6da73ck73&w=s

kt973hk93dkj5cj4&e=s

j64hqj87dt8542c9&s=s

ht542dq9caqt8652]399|300|Scoring: Chicago

My recommended line is win trick one, heart Ace, spade ruff, heart out. Win club continuation, spade ruff, heart ruff, spade ace, spade ruff (East will show out).

 

[/hv]

 

[hv=d=s&v=e&n=saq852ha6da73ck73&w=s

kt973hk93dkj5cj4&e=s

j64hqj87dt8542c9&s=s

ht542dq9caqt8652]399|300|Scoring: Chicago

My recommended line is win trick one, heart Ace, spade ruff, heart out. Win club continuation, spade ruff, heart ruff, spade ace, spade ruff (East will show out).

 

[/hv]

 

To get this "right" I think you have to try for all the chances. The community voted this from a 2.0 (intermediate) to a 4.0 (expert). While I think intermediates can be taught double squeeze (see my long thread on squeezes for example in the beginner/intermediate forum), I think only upper intermediates who had gone out of their way to study squeezes would get this right on purpose. In fact I would have rated this as an advanced player hand (3.0) to reliably find this. The 12 votes on this hand averaged 3.125, I think again, the community showed excellent judgement in rating this hand.