Triple Squeeze

[Finch]

There have been posts both here and on r.g.b saying how rare triple squeezes are, and how rare a squeezes without the count are.

Here's a 3NT contract my partner played in a recent match. It's true the defence went very slightly wrong at one point, but I don't that take takes away from the hand.

 

IMPs, long KO match.

 

[hv=pc=n&s=sak98hkt73dak8ct6&n=s72h52d9532caqj73&d=s&v=0&b=11&a=1cp3c(Inverted)p3nppp]266|200[/hv]

(you decided this hand was too good to open a 15-17 1NT with so many controls & 10s, and it's 4-4 in the majors which is a bad shape for a maximum strong NT]

 

You get the jack of diamonds lead. After discussion with opponents about their lead style, you win in hand and play 3 rounds of diamonds. They break 3-3, LHO having started with J10x. RHO wins the third round with the queen, and switches to the jack of spades. You win this, and run the 10 of clubs which holds, RHO playing the 9. You then play a club to the jack, which also wins, RHO playing the 8. They play reverse count, but you may not believe them here because you are known to have at least two clubs.

 

Play on.

[MrAce]

Indeed interesting hand Francis. I am not good at squeeze names and all, but letme try to post how i would play it at the table.

 

Due to the lead i am predicting West to hold something like Qxx Hxx JTx Kxxx or Qxxx Hxx JTx Kxx or Qxx H(H)xx JTx Kxx, with some of those he could lead his 4 card major, although thats not a very strong argument and i am not relying on it very much.

 

After ♣J holds, and cashing 4th ♦, cashing 3rd♣ is kinda squeezing the hand if not 3-3. We can virtually make vs anything (except 3-3 ♣ and ♥A off) if i am not wrong by playing ♠ from dummy to 8, sacrificing our original ♣ trick. Also a lucky ♥ layout helps when A is off such as AQJ(x) or A98

 

Note that on 4th ♦ nobody can discard a ♣ yet, regardless of how it was split.

 

Play ♠ to 8 , let W win with Q, he cant play ♣ so (unless they hold ♠ 2-2 then A and another)

 

-If he plays back a ♠, win it with 9, cash K. An inexperienced west will discard his small ♣ instead of K he is known to hold if he started with 4 of them. But regardless, exit with small ♥, if W wins u are cold, if east wins and plays another ♥ cover.

 

-If he plays back a ♥, win K at some point and exit with ♥, due to their discards on 4th ♦ nobody should have more than 2♥ to cash and they will eventually either give to dummy's AQ ♣ or play ♠ to your tenace.

 

I am sure this wasnt the line your pd played, and that there are better lines. I like this hand regardless and waiting to see what happened at the table.

[BunnyGo]

Since the lead was a diamond, it is likely that LHO is 3=3=3=4 and RHO is 4=4=3=2, otherwise I'd have expected LHO to lead a major suit on this auction.

 

So when I cash the 4th diamond, LHO cannot pitch a club. If he pitches a spade, then I'll drop his Q and set up a long spade. If he pitches a heart, then I'll cash the A of club, and a spade to the Ace. If he doesn't unblock the Q, then he's to be endplayed. If he does unblock the Q, then I can set up a long spade.

[MrAce]

\

So when I cash the 4th diamond, LHO cannot pitch a club. If he pitches a spade, then I'll drop his Q and set up a long spade. If he pitches a heart, then I'll cash the A of club, and a spade to the Ace. If he doesn't unblock the Q, then he's to be endplayed. If he does unblock the Q, then I can set up a long spade.

 

If he unblocks ♠, you can set up a long ♠ that u will never have the chance to use. You already gave 1♦ so far, when u play ♠A and ♠(unblocked) thats their 2nd trick. RHO plays a ♥ through West's Aj or AQ = 4 tricks +♣K= 5 trix for defense.

 

When u cash 4th ♦ West will hold Qx AJ - Kx

 

The line i wrote makes always when 4-2 ♣ regardless of who has ♥ A, but i suspect Francis brought this hand because there is a way to make it regardless of 3-3 or 4-2 ♣

[BunnyGo]

If he unblocks ♠, you can set up a long ♠ that u will never have the chance to use. You already gave 1♦ so far, when u play ♠A and ♠(unblocked) thats their 2nd trick. RHO plays a ♥ through West's Aj or AQ = 4 tricks +♣K= 5 trix for defense.

 

When u cash 4th ♦ West will hold Qx AJ - Kx

 

The line i wrote makes always when 4-2 ♣ regardless of who has ♥ A, but i suspect Francis brought this hand because there is a way to make it regardless of 3-3 or 4-2 ♣

 

good point.

[Finch]

This hand perhaps isn't hugely difficult, or maybe the first two posts just stopped anyone else posting, but I thought it was a nice exercise in card reading. Mr Ace has this right: it looks extremely likely that LHO is exactly 3=3=3=4 because you'd expect a 4-card major to be led here in preference to a 3-card diamond suit (may be not at matchpoints but definitely at imps).

 

When you cash the fourth diamond (without taking a third club trick), you can discard a heart from hand but LHO is squeezed in three suits. A club lets you run the clubs. A heart lets you duck a spade to him as already explained. The queen of spades lets you take a spade finesse. A low spade is interesting, but then you notice that RHO is also under pressure on the fourth diamond and has to discard a potentially winning heart. Now you play ace of spades and a spade and they will have to give up either a club trick or a heart trick eventually as your ninth trick.

 

At the other table declarer played 3 rounds of clubs followed by a heart towards the king. RHO has the ace all along, so that was 9 tricks. Easy game!

 

As I said originally, I was prompted to post this after seeing two different threads saying how rare squeezes are, how rare triple squeezes are, and how 95% of squeezes only occur after rectifying the count.. then this hand came up. Since then I've played 158 boards without noticing one triple squeeze, but possibly I wasn't paying sufficient attention.

[cloa513]

This hand perhaps isn't hugely difficult, or maybe the first two posts just stopped anyone else posting, but I thought it was a nice exercise in card reading. Mr Ace has this right: it looks extremely likely that LHO is exactly 3=3=3=4 because you'd expect a 4-card major to be led here in preference to a 3-card diamond suit (may be not at matchpoints but definitely at imps).

 

When you cash the fourth diamond (without taking a third club trick), you can discard a heart from hand but LHO is squeezed in three suits. A club lets you run the clubs. A heart lets you duck a spade to him as already explained. The queen of spades lets you take a spade finesse. A low spade is interesting, but then you notice that RHO is also under pressure on the fourth diamond and has to discard a potentially winning heart. Now you play ace of spades and a spade and they will have to give up either a club trick or a heart trick eventually as your ninth trick.

 

At the other table declarer played 3 rounds of clubs followed by a heart towards the king. RHO has the ace all along, so that was 9 tricks. Easy game!

 

As I said originally, I was prompted to post this after seeing two different threads saying how rare squeezes are, how rare triple squeezes are, and how 95% of squeezes only occur after rectifying the count.. then this hand came up. Since then I've played 158 boards without noticing one triple squeeze, but possibly I wasn't paying sufficient attention.

A good deal of squeezes including triple squeezes are automatic- opponents fail without you even trying.