For the Squeeze Mavens - I

[Phil]

Ive seen two hands this week that revolve around squeeze play. Here's the 1st:

 

[hv=pc=n&s=sak9haqj62dk7caj4&n=st42hk5daq652c952&d=s&v=0&b=11&a=2cdp(GF)p2np4np6hp6nppp]266|200[/hv]

 

Its a speedball, so you choose not to ask about the double of 2♣. LHO leads the ♣K, so assume he has clubs.

 

Its MPs. If you duck the ♣K, you'll get ♠2 shift and RHO will play the Q.

[whereagles]

Duck, as clubs might be 5-2. Then, seeing the spade play, it's likely RHO will hold the sole guard of diamonds; hence play for a black squeeze on LHO.

[Fluffy]

leading a spade puts LHO under pressure if he has jack, but why didn't he go passive with a diamond? because he either has 4, or 2. So diamonds won't break.

 

I go for the squeeze against LHO, cash hearts pitching all diamonds followed by ♣A, and the 3 diamonds, in the end i will have to guess the ♠J location, but I will have a lot of info.

 

This doesn't look very good, but didn' t find anything better :/

[xcurt]

I would cash two hearts at T3-4. Assuming all follow, I would cash winners to reduce to

 

Tx

--

AQx

9

 

-vs-

 

A9

--

x

AJ

 

with dummy still to pitch at T8. From this point I can squeeze LHO in the blacks (by pitching the diamond) or I can play to squeeze either LHO around the minors or RHO around the pointeds depending on my pitch on this trick.

 

If LHO is guarding the minors he's already had to pitch all his spades, and I should have a shot to count him out from the spade spots.

 

What do the opponents do?

 

Edit -- Really dont like locking in on the C-S squeeze; thats playing LHO to be pretty weak. On the other hand he did dbl 2C to remind himself to lead one.

[whereagles]

LHO weak? Why? Because his switch isolated a menace? Even garozzo has no x-ray vision...

[gnasher]

Why should we think LHO has isolated the spade menace in his own hand? RHO should always play ♠Q from QJ, because that's the card he is known to hold.

[gwnn]

Even I would find a non-spade switch at trick 2 with the spade jack. I think (and no offence) gnasher often overestimates defenders in his reasonings (at least compared to my defensive skills) but come on this one should be clear to most people (assuming they give it just a little bit of thought)?!

[mikeh]

We have the ability to squeeze LHO in the blacks or RHO in the pointed, or LHO in the minors, but have to commit to one or the other before we can test diamonds....and won't we look silly if we play for the black suit squeeze and diamonds were 3-3 all along?

 

I would find out as much as I could....so duck the first club, win the spade and cash the club A, two top hearts and the diamond K, then two more hearts, pitching a spade and a diamond from dummy. This reduces to a 5 card ending, in which I have preserved all squeezes and the 3-3 diamond split.

 

I have x void AQx x in dummy and Ax x x x in hand. The black squeeze sees me cash the last heart, pitching a diamond, and then cashing the diamond AQ. The LHO minor squeeze sees me cashing the last heart, pitching a spade, then the top spade, crushing LHO. The pointed suit squeeze sees me cashing the heart, pitching a club, and RHO can't hold 2 spades and 3 diamonds.

 

What do I know at this stage?

 

If LHO has shown, for example, a void diamond and 5 clubs, it is trivial to choose the black suit squeeze. Had he shown 6 clubs and at least 4 red cards, I'd play for the pointed suit squeeze on rho.

 

On some combinations, I will not have enough info to infer one line over the other, so would opt to squeeze rho in the pointed because doing so preserves the original 3-3 diamond break.

 

Btw, I wouldn't place a lot of credence in the inferences from the switch to the spade 2 unless I knew my opponents reasonably well. This is a speedball, where average or below average players will often make errors that they wouldn't make in a longer event (I think that goes for good players as well, especially if they are the type of good player who is very methodical in normal circumstances). Maybe LHO was afraid of picking off Jxxx in either red or Jxxx in hearts and was looking at Jxxx in diamonds.

[Fluffy]

This is a speedball, where average or below average players will often make errors that they wouldn't make in a longer event

I am not sure how to use the speedball info, since I though for the hand for about 5 minutes, not including the bidding, We are suposed to use the time we want, but opponents aren't? there are lines that work better assuming opopnents won't have the time to think about their discards.

 

Or perhaps we assume it is speedball, but at some point the hand goes away from the tourney, and time freezes and suddenly all [;ayers have time to think as much as they want.

 

 

[Finch]

Here's an alternative line give that (i) it's matchpoints and (ii) it's speedball:

 

Win the opening lead.

Play on diamonds. Make 13 tricks if diamonds are 3-3. Concede a diamond to RHO if they are 2-4 and hope clubs were 6-1.

If LHO has long diamonds, go off.

 

I'm not being entirely facetious here... if opponents play count signals at trick 1 I will know clubs are 6-1 some of the time and this may actually be the right line.

 

But I think you are really after Fluffy's position, where the auction and opening lead are speedball but after that we are allowed to think.

[Phil]

I think its difficult to put any faith in RHO's club pip, unless its the 3 and they play standard.

 

However, clubs were 6-1 so simply giving up a diamond works fine. The squeeze works too, as long as you play for it which means not combining chances with 3-3 diamonds. I think I'd rather fall back on the spades being onside than to try for 3-3 diamonds after the shift.

 

One small point: try to appreciate the need to cash the ♣A instead of a high spade.

[CSGibson]

...

 

Edit -- Really dont like locking in on the C-S squeeze; thats playing LHO to be pretty weak. On the other hand he did dbl 2C to remind himself to lead one.

 

It would also be playing LHO to be very strong. He may be breaking up the automatic double squeeze and making you commit to a single chance instead of combining squeeze chances & 3-3 diamonds.