Please let me be misunderstood

[pilowsky]

In my quest to become the best Bridge player in the world by next week at the latest, I decided it would be a good idea to learn about squeezes.

It turns out that Sterling and Nygate (1990; Python: an expert squeezer; J Logic Programming 8:21-39) had discovered that even invertebrates could squeeze.

So, I wondered: How hard can it be?

After trying a few books and articles, I came across this hand in an excellent series by Inquiry (Ben).

He only provided the North and South hands and avers that 7NT is available with a squeeze.

To better understand this, I reconstructed the hand on the teaching table.

Using my favourite bidding system, "Optimistic Pilowsky," I reach 7NT South.

 

I have 12 winners and possibly 1 loser.

Here's the problem; my understanding of advanced play methods is minimal. Still, I gather that if a squeeze is available, it is independent of how the remaining cards are arranged in the opponents' hands.

Is this a false belief? Please let me be misunderstood (http://bit.ly/NinaMisunderstood).

Here is the hand, West leads the ♥K.

 

Is it possible to make 7NT?

[hv=pc=n&s=sq82ha2dakq8ca542&n=sakjt976h3d32cq63&d=s&v=0&b=11&a=7nppp]266|200[/hv]

 

 

Here is the layout that I produced to test it.

 

 

[hv=pc=n&s=sq82ha2dakq8ca542&w=s543hkqj94d654ck7&n=sakjt976h3d32cq63&e=sht8765djt97cjt98&d=s&v=0&b=11&a=7nppp]399|300[/hv]

 

 

 

Here is a copy of the first part of the original post:

 

 

https://www.bridgeba...-squeeze-plays/

Your FIRST SQUEEZE: identifying the "BASIC SQUEEZE ENDING"

 

Let's examine a hand in which an automatic squeeze wil come to your rescue (P1.1). This hand arose late in a matchpoint game, in which south felt that he needed one more top score for a chance for first overall. South's 5NT bid was grand slam force, asking North to bid a grand slam with two of the top three ♠ honors: North's 7♠ bid confirmed that he held two of the top three ♠ honors.

 

With fewer than two top honors, South would not have bid higher than six ♠'s. South realized that everyone would bid at least 6S and many would probably bid 7S, decided to try to risk the small slam and try for matchpoint top in 7 NT. West's opening lead was the ♥J. For those of you unfamiliar with matchpoints, or why someone would risk the Grand Slam Bonus for a measly 10 points extra, should search this forum for an explanation of matchpoint scoring and strategy.

 

(I'm having problems reproducing Ben's original diagram, so here's a screenshot)

 

 

[AL78]

I'm not an authority on squeezes but to perform one, you do want key cards to be positioned in specific hands for it to work. You need one or both opponents to be overloaded guarding two or three suits, and at the point you run your winners, you want the overloaded opponent to unguard one suit before you have to decide which menace card to throw.

 

The hand you give looks like an automatic or double squeeze situation. Win the lead, cash the ♣A (Vienna Coup), then run the spades discarding losers from the South hand. If East has long diamonds and West has the ♣K, on the last spade, one will have to lose their minor guard, either setting up a diamond or the ♣Q, or they will have to throw all their hearts, promoting your ♥2. On the last spade, you have to guess whether East has come down to a singleton heart or three diamonds before deciding which red menace to discard, but I think it should be possible to work it out if you count the discards carefully. If East or West have long diamonds and the ♣K, they are subjected to an automatic squeeze, and when you run the spades, the overloaded defender will have to unguard a minor. This type squeeze is easy to perform since when running the spades, if you don't see the club king discarded, try cashing the diamonds from the top. The double squeeze operates as a simultaneous positional squeeze against LHO, and an automatic squeeze against RHO.

 

I'm sure someone will correct me if I have said something wrong in the above.

[DavidKok]

I don't think I've ever mentioned this, but I really enjoy reading your posts. Thank you for sharing these. I'm a big fan of Clyde E. Love's book on squeezes, so forgive me for using his terminology.

 

Your belief is false. There are many different types of squeezes, some of which operate against any distribution, and some of which only operate against specific distributions (kind of like a finesse). Thankfully the hand you show is of the "simple/basic squeeze" type (the name of which should be taken with a grain of salt, in that basic/simple is very much a relative term), which is arguably the easiest squeeze of all. If the lead was anything other than a heart it would be of a far more complicated "Type R double squeeze" type, but fortunately(?) that choice was eliminated by the defense.¹ Typically a squeeze of this type is a last resort for an extra trick. In this case your only alternative chances for 13 legitimate tricks are singleton king of clubs or diamonds JT9 tight, which coincidentally are also picked up by the squeeze line. So we immediately go for the squeeze instead.

 

If the defenders' hands are such that the squeeze produces an extra trick it is said to 'operate'. To squeeze a defender you need to identify two threats, i.e. cards that might potentially win the last trick for you. If one defender and one defender only can guard these threats, i.e. holds cards strong enough to prevent you from cashing these cards outright, this defender is said to be busy in two suits. For a squeeze to operate a defender needs to be busy in two suits.

 

On this hand your threats are the ♣Q (making the defender who holds the ♣K busy in that suit) and ♦8 (making the defender who holds at least 4 diamonds busy in that suit. Note that since you have 6 diamonds between declarer and dummy it is impossible for both defenders to hold 4 diamonds). On your example layout these holdings lie in opposite hands, and so there is no squeeze. If they were held in the same hand the defender would be squeezed (in this case regardless of if it is West or East).

 

The best line of play is in the spoiler below, but I recommend you rearrange the defenders' hands and try again first before checking.

 

Win the heart lead and cash the ace of clubs. Then play the queen of spades and a small spade to dummy, and cash every single spade. Pitch a heart and three clubs from your hand. If any defender throws the ♣K you are home. If not, in the 4-card ending (2 clubs and 2 diamonds in North, all diamonds in South) cash the top three diamonds. If the defender with the ♣K also held the long diamonds they could only retain 3 in the end figure, and so your ♦8 will be a winner on the 13th trick. You also incidentally pick up singleton ♣K or ♦JT9 tight with this line.

 

 

 

¹AL78 points out the double squeeze chances, but on the heart lead there is no late entry to the ♥2 threat so it does not operate.

[Cyberyeti]

There is a difference between "can you make this contract ?" and "can you make this contract against any lie of the opposing cards and lead ?".

 

A squeeze is a squeeze, it operates if the opp can't prevent it working and is independent of the above.

 

The most obvious lie of the cards that allows the squeeze most people will be able to visualise is that the same player holds ♣K and 4 diamonds, so you cash off the ace of clubs, ace of hearts and 7 spades, coming down to ♦AKQ8 in hand and the ♣Q alongside dummy's diamonds, and hope 5 into 4 doesn't go for one of the opps.

 

If the opps haven't led a heart (which breaks up the entry situation), there is the possibility of something more complicated

 

Rumble a load of winners and you get this position in your test hand:

 

[hv=pc=n&s=sha2d8c&w=shkqdck&n=s7h3dcq&e=sht8djc]399|300[/hv]

 

Now on the last spade, E has to pitch a heart, your diamond having done its job can be pitched and W is squeezed.

[AL78]

There is a difference between "can you make this contract ?" and "can you make this contract against any lie of the opposing cards and lead ?".

 

A squeeze is a squeeze, it operates if the opp can't prevent it working and is independent of the above.

 

The most obvious lie of the cards that allows the squeeze most people will be able to visualise is that the same player holds ♣K and 4 diamonds, so you cash off the ace of clubs, ace of hearts and 7 spades, coming down to ♦AKQ8 in hand and the ♣Q alongside dummy's diamonds, and hope 5 into 4 doesn't go for one of the opps.

 

If the opps haven't led a heart (which breaks up the entry situation), there is the possibility of something more complicated

 

Rumble a load of winners and you get this position in your test hand:

 

[hv=pc=n&s=sha2d8c&w=shkqdck&n=s7h3dcq&e=sht8djc]399|300[/hv]

 

Now on the last spade, E has to pitch a heart, your diamond having done its job can be pitched and W is squeezed.

 

Thanks, that was the double squeeze position that popped into my mind when I first saw the deal, but it doesn't work after the heart lead because you need the ace as an entry.