Those extra ten points

[kjpod]

[hv=pc=n&s=s87hqjt4dj87ct643&w=skqt65ha2dk3ck952&n=s32h9765dq962ca87&e=saj94hk83dat54cqj&d=n&v=n&b=5&a=p1np2hp3sp6nppp]399|300[/hv]

 

In one of the pairs events at the Gatlinburg MABC this week, most E-W pairs bid to a spade contract, either game or slam, and quietly made 12 tricks. Seemingly a dull hand, but at a few adventurous tables where West decided to grab for a top board by bidding 6NT, the play became interesting.

 

South led the queen of hearts, won on the board, and declarer led a club, ducked. Crossing back to dummy with a spade, declarer led another club off the board, and this time North took the ace. (Ducking again would have complicated matters, but I see no reasonable alternative for declarer but to cross back to the board, take a guess in clubs and hope to be able to fall back on the actual line of play if it goes wrong.) North returned a heart, East won and ran spades leaving this five card ending:

 

♥

9

♦

Q962

♠Q ♦K3 ♣K9 ...... ♥8 ♦AT54

♥

T

♦

J8

♣

T6

 

When declarer cashes the last spade (throwing a diamond from hand), North gets the dubious honor of deciding which defender will get squeezed. If North throws a heart, that will expose South to a three-suit squeeze, as a diamond pitch will allow declarer to pick up the diamonds via a finesse later. If North throws a diamond instead, allowing South to throw a heart, this will only put off the deadly moment, as when declarer cashes the king of clubs now North will be caught in a positional squeeze.

 

As a practical matter, the heart pitch is a slightly better option for North, as it leaves a faint hope that declarer might make a mistake at the end and play for the drop in diamonds instead.

[KurtGodel]

Very nice! This sort of position is really rare.

[Lovera]

This is one position of guard squeeze. With Cicchelli notation it may be written ♠ C(=sq.card)/N(=idle diamond card) 2dr/3drimp(double menace with impasse situation) in diamond, -/1d(=8 of heart), 2f(=K9 of club)/-. (See "Double squeeze tecnique ..)(Lovera)

[gszes]

They would have beat the tar out of me I would have been quietly resting in 6s.