Beauty and the Beast

[lamford]

[hv=pc=n&s=sqj7hk6dj3cakj642&n=sak54ha754dak65cq]133|200[/hv]

7NT by South. Lead J♥

 

You have a good auction for once to everyone's favourite contract (come on, admit it). How are you going to play?

[nullve]

You have a good auction

Which one?

[lamford]

Which one?

Opponents silent throughout. 2C (FG or 20-22, may include singleton honour)-2NT(clubs)-3NT (bal, no club fit)-4C-(minorwood)-4D(3)-4H(QC?)-4S(yes and KS)-4NT(PCK)-5D-7NT

[Evies Dad]

I can come up with one simple plan.

E.g.Hearts 5-2 to West.

If E has 5 clubs neither defender can retain 3 diamonds after AH, QC, cash Spades, heart to the K, cash top clubs.

 

Hearts 4-3 is more things to consider.

Will get back to you.

[nige1]

[hv=pc=n&d=N&e=S32HQT8DT87CT9875&s=sqj7hk6dj3cakj642&n=sak54ha754dak65cq&a=2C (FG or 20-22, may include singleton honour)P2N(clubs)P3N(bal)P4C(minorwood)P4D(3)P4H(QC?)P4S(yes and KS)P4N(PCK)P5DP7NTPPP]300|300|7NT by South. Lead J♥ You have a good auction for once to everyone's favourite contract (come on, admit it). How are you going to play?

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Initial reaction. If RHO has 5+ ♣s, declarer can execute a 3-2 compound squeeze, on any lead[/hv]

[LBengtsson]

squeeze with no count. east hand squeezed east with 5♣/5♦. so play ♥A, ♣Q, ♦A, ♠Q, cash remainder of ♠s, then ♥ to K. east is lost, discard ♦ dummy ♦ are good, discard ♣ then declarer ♣ is good and ♦K is 13th trick

[Cyberyeti]

[hv=pc=n&d=N&e=S32HQT8DT87CT9875&s=sqj7hk6dj3cakj642&n=sak54ha754dak65cq&a=2C (FG or 20-22, may include singleton honour)P2N(clubs)P3N(bal)P4C(minorwood)P4D(3)P4H(QC?)P4S(yes and KS)P4N(PCK)P5DP7NTPPP]300|300|7NT by South. Lead J♥You have a good auction for once to everyone's favourite contract (come on, admit it). How are you going to play?

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Initial reaction. If RHO has 5+ ♣s, declarer can execute a 3-2 compound squeeze, on any lead[/hv]

 

You need to be careful with that construction there is a guard squeeze that operates if E discards all his diamonds allowing you to finesse the 6 later after playing JQK, what if W has the 8 or 7 ?

[nige1]

[hv=pc=n&b=1&d=N&e=S32HQT8DT87CT9875&s=sqj7hk6dj3cakj642&n=sak54ha754dak65cq&a=2C (FG or 20-22, may include singleton honour)P2N(clubs)P3N(bal)P4C(minorwood)P4D(3)P4H(QC?)P4S(yes and KS)P4N(PCK)P5DP7NTPPP]300|300|Lamford: 7NT by South. Lead J♥ You have a good auction for once to everyone's favourite contract (come on, admit it). How are you going to play?

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Initial reaction. If RHO has 5+ ♣s, declarer can execute a compound-squeeze, on any lead[/hv][hv=pc=n&b=2&d=N&e=S32HQT8DT42CT9875&s=sqj7hk6dj3cakj642&n=sak54ha754dak65cq&a=2C (FG or 20-22, may include singleton honour)P2N(clubs)P3N(bal)P4C(minorwood)P4D(3)P4H(QC?)P4S(yes and KS)P4N(PCK)P5DP7NTPPP]300|300|CyberYeti: You need to be careful with that construction there is a guard squeeze that operates if E discards all his diamonds allowing you to finesse the 6 later after playing JQK, what if W has the 8 or 7 ?

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Good point Cyberyeti but you only need the guard-squeeze if West leads a ♥ :) [/hv][hv=pc=n&b=3&d=N&e=ST32HQT8DQ8CT9875&s=sqj7hk6dj3cakj642&n=sak54ha754dak65cq&a=2C (FG or 20-22, may include singleton honour)P2N(clubs)P3N(bal)P4C(minorwood)P4D(3)P4H(QC?)P4S(yes and KS)P4N(PCK)P5DP7NTPPP]300|300|++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

There also seem to be clash-squeeze possibilities, on any lead :)

Here, GIB vouchsafes that you must win a ♥ lead with dummy's ♥A.

I don't know how you would suss out a winning line at the table :( [/hv]

[Evies Dad]

Ah. So keeping QC as an entry to test one round of Diamonds first is an improvement.

Forces E to transfer heart cover back to West.

I couldn't work that out.

[Evies Dad]

b

[lamford]

I don't know how you would suss out a winning line at the table :(

I think it is right to win the heart with the ace. Now it is not necessary to cash the ♣Q and indeed is fatal. Instead cash four rounds of spades. East who began with five clubs and ♦Qx is squeezed on this trick and forced to part with a heart. Now you cash the ♣Q, cross to the ♥K and run three more clubs squeezing West. And I don't think you are giving anything up by doing this as you still have all the simple squeezes. And I think it is wrong to cash the ♦A early as well. Dipak Finesson, the strong Indian player born in Iceland, played this way ... (Believe that and you will believe anything).

[hv=pc=n&s=sqj7hk6dj3cakj642&w=s986hjt82dt9842c7&n=sak54ha754dak65cq&e=st32hq93dq7ct9853]399|300[/hv]

Oh ... and thanks for the upvote, Nigel. And on a club lead, you play much the same but you must not touch hearts too soon. So play four rounds of spades. Again East is squeezed out of a heart. Now cross to KH and run clubs squeezing West.

[nige1]

[hv=pc=n&b=1&d=N&e=S32HQT8DT84CT9875&s=sqj7hk6dj3cakj642&n=sak54ha754dak65cq&a=2C (FG or 20-22, may include singleton honour)P2N(clubs)P3N(bal)P4C(minorwood)P4D(3)P4H(QC?)P4S(yes and KS)P4N(PCK)P5DP7NTPPP]400|300|

On a non-♥ lead, when East has 5+ ♣, you don't need to rely on a clash or guard-squeeze.

The ♦quacks don't affect the play.

Win the opening lead and cash 4 ♠s, discarding a ♣.

East must keep his ♣s -- so must abandon a red suit[/hv]

[hv=s=h6DCJ6&n=HA5D5&a=-SN]400|300|

If East abandons ♦s cash ♣Q, ♦AK, ♥K, ♣s to reach this 3 card ending.

Cashing ♣J completes the non-simultaneous double-squeeze :)[/hv]

[hv=n=H5DA5&s=D3CJ6&a=-SN]400|300|

If East abandons ♥s, you reach this similar ending. Again ♣J completes the non-simultaneous double-squeeze :)[/hv]

[lamford]

On a non-♥ lead, when East has 5+ ♣, you don't need to rely on a clash or guard-squeeze.

But surely the expert defenders will always lead a heart to attack the pivot suit ... This is the expert forum, not the beginner or novice one ... :)

[nige1]

[hv=pc=n&b=1&d=N&e=ST9HQT8DQT8CT9876&s=SQJ4hK5DK5CAKJ432&n=SAK32HA432DA432CQ&a=2C (FG or 20-22, may include singleton honour)P2N(clubs)P3N(bal)P4C(minorwood)P4D(3)P4H(QC?)P4S(yes and KS)P4N(PCK)P5DP7NTPPP]300|300| Lamford: But surely the expert defenders will always lead a heart to attack the pivot suit ... This is the expert forum, not the beginner or novice one ... :).

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Lamford implies that experts self-kibitz :(

Either or neither red-suit could be a pivot suit :)

It depends on which suit has honours split between the North-South hands :)

For example, in the layout above, both red-suits are pivots and there is no defence :)[/hv]

[LBengtsson]

squeeze with no count. east hand squeezed east with 5♣/5♦. so play ♥A, ♣Q, ♦A, ♠Q, cash remainder of ♠s, then ♥ to K. east is lost, discard ♦ dummy ♦ are good, discard ♣ then declarer ♣ is good and ♦K is 13th trick

 

good replies from other forum experts. my reply was garbage lol. [one minute analysis]

[johnu]

But surely the expert defenders will always lead a heart to attack the pivot suit ... This is the expert forum, not the beginner or novice one ... :)

I can think of many descriptions for defenders who know to lead heart to attack the pivot suit, but expert isn't one of those words.

[lamford]

I was not suggesting experts self-kibitz. Only a few days ago I was on a hearing into a player who had made 7NT here:

[hv=pc=n&s=sa92hk2dt2cqjt432&n=sqj76ha543dak43ca]133|200[/hv]

West did lead a heart, but there was no defence on any lead, and you will have no problem constructing the layout. Of course you would not be able to discern the heart pips, unless I tell you that East's were all higher than West's.

 

We found unanimously that there was no evidence whatsoever of self-kibitzing. Declarer had played for the only possible layout and come up trumps (metaphorically that is).