Make 4NT

[Jotte65]

Contract: 4NT

Declarer: South

Lead: K♦

Problem: must make 4NT no matter what defense!

[hv=d=s&v=n&n=sakh64dq75432c762&w=sj876543h732dkck5&e=shjt98djt98cqjt98&s=sqt92hakq5da6ca43]399|300|[/hv]

 

Enjoy :)

[Finch]

Contract: 4NT

Declarer: South

Lead: K♦

Problem: must make 4NT no matter what defense!

[hv=d=s&v=n&n=sakh64dq75432c762&w=sj876543h732dkck5&e=shjt98djt98cqjt98&s=sqt92hakq5da6ca43]399|300|[/hv]

 

Enjoy :)

first thoughts:

 

Duck the opening lead.

West switches to a spade, say. I win, and East must discard a club.

Club to the Ace (West must unblock or he gets endplayed trivially).

Ace of diamonds.

Spade to the King, East must discard another club (or a red suit comes in).

 

Now East is down to 4 hearts, 2 diamonds, 2 clubs. My hand is down to 2 spades, 4 hearts, 2 clubs (that adds up).

 

Heart to hand (bye bye queen of diamonds).

Queen of spades discarding a diamond.

 

- if East discards a club, I play a club (establishing a club trick in hand). Whatever he plays back, I can cash winners from hand then exit with the 4th heart to be given the DQ. I've lost a diamond, the fourth heart and a club.

 

- if East discards a heart, I cash four hearts and exit in clubs. East must give me the DQ (I've lost a diamond & two clubs)

 

- if East discards a diamond I appear to be off. So this doesn't work yet, but I've got other things to do with my time. Maybe I should duck a club?

[inquiry]

Let WEST help you squeeze EAST.

 

Win spade lead, duck a club.

 

Eventually you will unblock spades, and duck a spade to west. Who will have to return a spade or heart (you can freely cash top three hearts so it will be a spade.

 

This is a fraternal squeeze.. the ending is something like this..

 

[hv=n=shdqxxcx&w=sxxxxhdc&e=shjdjtcq&s=sqhxdxcx]399|300|You just threw west in wth spade TEN. You have won 3H, 1D, 3S, and 1C at this point. [/hv]

 

On the spade, dummy lets go a club, but what is east to do? A heart sets up your heart which squeezes him in the minors. A club sets up the club which squeezes him in the reds, and a diamond sets up two diamond tricks immediately. What Clyde love called an extended threat.

 

So this fraternal squeeze is a two suit gainer due to the extended threat in dummy. Of course, you could duck the spade without cashing everything, but the partner leading the squeeze card has a kind of poetic flair.

[Finch]

That doesn't work, because they led a diamond, and if you then duck a club they can play a second diamond on which West discards the King of clubs.

 

But I quite fancy this spade exit later in the play.

Does win the lead, win the spade switch, duck a club, win the spade/diamond, ace of spades, ace of clubs, ace of diamonds, spade exit work?

 

 

Never mind, now I have to go for a run & listen to the aussie wickets fall.

[Jotte65]

@FrancesHinden: if duck the ♦ lead, then I think West better continue K♣ and not a ♥. I think that you will never make it this way.

@inquiry: so you duck the ♦ lead as previously, still ♥ continuation, and duck a club? Well, East will win because West won't cover with the K. Then East will lead a ♦, and West will discard his K♣ to make sure you can't endplay him. You will never make it this way.

@FrancesHinden: as I was saying... if you will duck a ♣, East will continue a ♦ so West can discard his K♣. Same defense pattern.

 

Thank you, and... take your time... :)

[Winstonm]

First line didn't work. Let me try again. The key issue seems to be from which hand you play the Club. Win the diamond lead and lead a low club from hand. If West rises with the King, you can eventually strip him of clubs, cash two high spades and lead the 10 of spades for the repeating squeeze while East cannot get on lead to destroy the Diamond entry. If West ducks, East cannot shift to diamonds as this allows West to be endplayed in clubs to lead a spade and a club return set up the same repeating squeeze as before.

 

Winston

 

Dang. I didn't see the diamond return with the club King jettisoned. I give.

[bestguru]

I don't see the error in Ben's line. The K♣ doesn't matter because the 2♠ is such a powerfully low card.

[inquiry]

I have to admit, I didn't even consider the ♦King lead for a second. That really, really complicates the hand, and makes the play much more difficult.

 

Ok.. the play i suggested on all but ♦king lead surely work (and if you needed two tricks, the three suit squeeze is in your mind as a possibility, turns out at first I can't count). On diamond king, you have to remove their ability to win the ducked club in EAST.

 

This means you have to play to keep EAST off the lead (second diamond is deadly), so you can't be leading clubs to duck a trick. And you can't duck a diamond either. Nor can ducking a heart helps as that kills your squeeze threat. So, after you remove the impossible, whatever is left, no matter how unliklely, must be the solution. Yes, instead of club duck and spade duck, you will have to duck two spades.

 

This looks impossible, but a little study suggest it can be done, you just have to sacrafice a spade trick to do it. Now your total will be 2S (not three), 3H, 1C, 2D. but the triple squeeze works fine. In fact, I must have miscounted earlier, cause I had nine and didn't need the triple squeeze, the play I showed above must make five NT (9 top tricks plus two more on the triple squeeze... ).

 

So the trick to this hand is timing... win diamond ace, cash one spade (not two, as you need to throw west in twice to correct the count). Then run top three hearts and jettison the ♠ACE. Then throw west in with a spade. I guess WEST might not want to cooperate with your plan, which is why god gave you the spade deuce, you saved it right when you cashed the spade king?

 

In with a spade, West can't return a club (or you can duck in clubs after all), If he returns a spade into your tenace, you would think all was great and good with the world. You got your ducked trick, you got your three spade tricks after all. But that is not true, you have nine tricks again, but your loser count is three.. the triple squeeze requires a loser count of two. But a really neat ending is available if you kept 3♣ in dummy (this is what clyde love called a CLE for companion lead entry, or a developmental delayed duck squeeze). These squeeze work with ANY NUMBER OF LOSERS from two up, as long as there is no useful exit card.

 

The ending will be...

[hv=n=shdqxxcxxx&w=sjxxxhdckx&e=shjdjtcqjx&s=sqhxdxcaxx]399|300|After west wins your spade 2 exit and returns a spade to your QT... [/hv]

 

Now you squeeze just WEST in one suit by cashing the club ACE (a non-material squeeze, ala Adventures in card play)... West has to decide what club to play. If low, you can duck club to him, if he discards the club King, his club five just isn't big enough. and this discard exposes his partner to the CLE squeeze on the spade queen. Watch.. if low club, duck club to WEST and the spade back is the killer on his partner. IF it is the club king, South simply cashes the spade queen, discarding diamond from dummy, East is then squeezed in three suits. IF a heart, you cash the heart for your 10th trick. If a diamond, you cash two diamonds, and if a club? You duck a club, and score dummy's club seven and the diamond queen.

 

I don't remember ever seeing this type of non-material squeeze on WEST exposing his partner to the CLE developmental squeeze or a fraternal triple squeeze before. very interesting. Thanks for pointing out diamond King lead.

[han]

Win the Diamond Ace and play off the Ace and King of spades. RHO can afford 1 diamond but then must let go a club. Lead three top hearts, then exit with the spade 10. East must release another club. If West exits with a low club, win and lead a club back - West must then lead a spade to squeeze East. If West tries to get out with the King of clubs, duck and win the club continuation. Whatever East does, he is squeezed in 3 suits when the spade Q is cashed. Regardless of West's play, this will be the end position when the spade Queen is cashed.

 

Dummy:

Qxxx

 

East:

J

J10

Q

 

South:

Q

x

x

x

 

 

 

Winston

What if west returns a spade spade jack immediately after winning the spade jack? East can discard all clubs as east has clubs guarded and all those spade winners.

[Guest Jlall]

what a great hand.

[Jotte65]

@Wistonm: Hannie showed you the defense :)

 

very good inquiry!

Jettison the A♠ on 3-th ♥ is 90% of the problem resolved!

Still i'm not sure i fully understand your final. Let's get back at the magic moment when South using the 2♠ give hand to West:

[hv=n=shdq754c762&w=sj8765hdck5&e=shjdjtcqjt9&s=sqth5d6ca43]399|300|[/hv]

Let's see what are the possible returns from West:

1. Spade? - will offer South the missing trick!

2. low Club - South will win with Ace, then will return club for West and put him in a position to offer the missing trick on Spades (see 1.)

3. K Club - South can't afford to win, so he needs to duck it. So West must continue club to South's Ace.

Now South will play 10 ♠ for West J. He must win, else South will get his tricks. West is reduced to spades only... and he will play it for South's Q. So in this final of four cards, East is reduced to J♥ JT♦ and Q♣ but he is squeezed one by one.

Game done, the only 3 loosers were 2 spades and a club!

 

Edit: sorry I forgot to add Congratulations to inquiry!

[inquiry]

@Wistonm: Hannie showed you the defense :)

 

very good inquiry!

Jettison the A♠ on 3-th ♥ is 90% of the problem resolved!

Still i'm not sure i fully understand your final. Let's get back at the magic moment when South using the 2♠ give hand to West:

[hv=n=shdq754c762&w=sj8765hdck5&e=shjdjtcqjt9&s=sqth5d6ca43]399|300|[/hv]

Let's see what are the possible returns from West:

1. Spade? - will offer South the missing trick!

No, a ♠ back, by iteself does not solve all of south's problems. On the spade back, south has to be very careful.

 

If South throws a club from dummy on the spade back he is TOSSED... You solutions on club back are easy enough. But on ♠ back the play has to be precise.

 

1) South must throw ♦

2) South must not CASH second spade first, as it squeezes dummy. As claimed in adventures in card play, playing the spade queen first REMOVES your elbow room. Now WEST can keep his club king, as he has cashable clubs. You are toast if you dont' discard the Diamond on the spade back and cash immediately the club ACE. Quite interesting ending you dismiss as "spade will offer south the missing trick".. remember, south had 3♠ all along... so this "regift" is not enough.

[Winstonm]

Well, this was just awesome and beyond my feeble mind. :) As usual, on the right track but couldn't make it to the finish line, LoL.

 

Winston.

[Winstonm]

"So, after you remove the impossible, whatever is left, no matter how unliklely, must be the solution. Yes, instead of club duck and spade duck, you will have to duck two spades. "

 

Thanks Uncle Sherlock. Great Solution. How are things on Baker Street these days, anyway?

 

Winston

[Jotte65]

yes inquiry, you are again very right!

 

You explained it correct. Must not discard ♣ from dummy and must cache his A♣ before playing last round of ♠.

 

I don't know you, but you must be a World Class bridge player :)

[inquiry]

yes inquiry, you are again very right!

 

You explained it correct. Must not discard ♣ from dummy and must cache his A♣ before playing last round of ♠.

 

I don't know you, but you must be a World Class bridge player :)

Lol.... well.. world class player doesn't study it for a while and miss the implication of a diamond lead. I am middling at best, but I have studied everything ever written on squeeze plays.. now if they just show me all four hands at the table... :-)

[Guest Jlall]

Not that this comment has any relation to Ben (don't want you to take this the wrong way) but just to address your assumption...

 

There are world class analysts who are just average or above average players. Do not confuse a double dummy expert with a great player. That being said a double dummy expert CAN be a great player obviously.

[han]

Very true Justin, but are there any world class players who are bad doule dummy solvers? I expect not.

[Fluffy]

I wouldn't call this double dummy, but bizarre problem. Kinda differnt.