Eazy Squeezy?

[lamford]

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A number of the field in the Europeans had to play 7C and 7NT here, quite good contracts. Of course the board was passed out in the Italy match...

 

Both Bas Drijver and Mike Bell had to play 7C on a spade lead. How would you play? And on a trump lead?

 

And as I promised you two for the price of one, how would you play 7NT on a spade lead?

[Lovera]

Playing 7NT ought to work a double squeeze with two possibilities in double menace not knowing the correct orientation of the unilaterals (if an RFL or not).

[Winstonm]

With a spade lead, the simple line is to ruff a heart with a small trump - that is only about a 62% chance. Better is to ruff a heart with the J, but that only gets up to 68% for the 3-2 club break. The spade lead argues against trying to establish a long spade. Surely there is better? We can't squeeze east in spades and diamonds and if that is the case no double squeeze works either. The opening lead suggests that the spade queen is offside, and surely that is the case. In 7C, I can play off the ace then jack of clubs before playing the second high spade, just in case. So I do that. I return to hand with the high diamond then run the clubs playing for the double squeeze.

 

With a trump lead, I could try to ruff out the spades but that requires 4-3 spades and no overruff. The problem now is whether to cash spades or diamonds before running the clubs. With nothing to go on, and the guesses 50/50 as to which suit is right, I might go with door #2 and ruff a heart with the J after testing clubs. If a someone plays the 10 or 9 of clubs, I may rethink.

 

In 7NT, I play off the top 2 spades, then run the clubs, again playing for the double squeeze.

 

I am fairly confident none of this is right. But it's all I can do without more coffee.

[lamford]

Playing 7NT ought to work a double squeeze with two possibilities in double menace not knowing the correct orientation of the unilaterals (if an RFL or not).

The opponents are not going to show you their unilaterals. So you have to pick a squeeze.

[Winstonm]

On any squeeze, I would play for the spade queen offside else a simple finesse would do, That automatically requires the diamond to be to the left of the heart threats but again a simple finesse would do.

 

However if west had 5 hearts and the diamond the entries are screwy for a diamond finesse.

 

With this in mind , I could win the spade and run clubs. The high spade is left in dummy for the squeeze card.

 

This seems anti-percentage so I think the straightforward double squeeze playing spade offside is better so cash 2 high spades and then run the clubs.

[Lovera]

The opponents are not going to show you their unilaterals. So you have to pick a squeeze.

 

This should mean that on ♠JKA (pitching ♥ and ♣) the Queen does not fall otherwise I can orient ♠ towards the opposite side (if it falls in W on the third round the threat is then in a favorable position and therefore the squeeze is RFL otherwise no) I play all remaing ♣ discarding a ♠, a ♦ and ♥ (idle card) without cutting communications with the double threat, the♦ A and K and if no Queen falls it means that they will have both discarded Hearts and with the 7 I will have the 13th trick.

[lamford]

This should mean that on ♠JKA (pitching ♥ and ♣) the Queen does not fall otherwise I can orient ♠ towards the opposite side (if it falls in W on the third round the threat is then in a favorable position and therefore the squeeze is RFL otherwise no) I play all remaing ♣ discarding a ♠, a ♦ and ♥ (idle card) without cutting communications with the double threat, the♦ A and K and if no Queen falls it means that they will have both discarded Hearts and with the 7 I will have the 13th trick.

Yes, that works.

[lamford]

On any squeeze, I would play for the spade queen offside else a simple finesse would do, That automatically requires the diamond to be to the left of the heart threats but again a simple finesse would do.

 

However if west had 5 hearts and the diamond the entries are screwy for a diamond finesse.

 

With this in mind , I could win the spade and run clubs. The high spade is left in dummy for the squeeze card.

 

This seems anti-percentage so I think the straightforward double squeeze playing spade offside is better so cash 2 high spades and then run the clubs.

I think you can make it when the QS is under the AKJ and the QD is over it, without finessing at trick one.

[Lovera]

However, there is also another ending classified among the reciprocal squeeze (term of B. Romanet) where each winner accompanying a unilateral one squeezes the other opponent in the other two suits and which is better suited to the fact that it is not necessary to establish the right orientation unilateral having an idle card to be discarded on the squeeze card. Usually the control of the unilateral is maintained so the winner is given by the double threat.Therefore, after ♠ J and K discarding a ♣ we run all the ♣ discarding a ♦, a ♥ and a ♠ then ♦ A and K bring us in front of the double threat and on ♠ A the small ♥ is discarded as an idle card and if everything happens as said before we will have as a winner together with A and K the 7 in ♥ (otherwise the last winner will be one of the unilateral threats).

[Winstonm]

I think you can make it when the QS is under the AKJ and the QD is over it, without finessing at trick one.

Yes, that is true. I mentioned the finesse in the context of how do you determine the best overall line of play - should you even play for a squeeze in 7C.

 

Breaking the chances down, it looks to me as if playing for the double squeeze has the most chances of success - it will even work as a single played as a double if west guards spades and hearts.

[manudude03]

In 7C on a spade lead, I win the ace and ruff a spade, 2 rounds of clubs ending in South and ruff another spade (high if it doesn't give away a trump trick). If spades are 4-3, I have 2 discards. If they break 5-2 (assuming the queen of spades doesn't drop), then I rattle off the clubs to try and work out what squeeze to play for. On a trump lead, other than transposing a couple of tricks, I play the same way.

 

In 7NT, I win AK of spades throwing a heart. Then play 6 rounds of clubs throwing a diamond, heart and 2 spades. I would ultimately need to guess the layout though, but would likely resort to a double squeeze around the hearts.