wildbill@ucbvax.UUCP (William J. Laubenheimer) (04/24/84)
North
S - A J 5 4
H - K 7 3
D - A Q 3
C - K Q 5
West East
S - 10 8 7 3 2 S - 9
H - 8 6 H - Q J 10 4 2
D - 10 6 D - K J 7 2
C - J 8 7 3 C - A 10 4
South
S - K Q 6
H - A 9 5
D - 9 8 5 4
C - 9 6 2
Contract: 3 notrump. Opening lead: heart 8. Who gets the odd trick?
Both replies caught the key point, which was to win the first trick
and play spades, squeezing East. The complete analysis of the situation is:
We will first assume that East will save at least 0-2-2-1 in order to
avoid immediate concession of the contract. East must save at least 3
clubs; if not, the king of clubs establishes the eighth trick. East
may exit with his remaining club (if he has one) or a heart, but South
wins the heart, cashes the club, and throws East in with a heart to
make the diamond queen for his contract.
[This is where one of the analyses was slightly off-base. If East saves
0-4-2-2 and both heart winners have been cashed, East can cash his heart
winners, exit with his last club, and the defense must come to another
trick.]
East must also save at least 3 diamonds; if not, South discards a club
on the last spade and plays ace and queen of diamonds for 4 spades,
2 hearts, and 3 diamonds without needing the clubs.
Therefore, East must come down to S-void H-QJ D-KJx C-ATx, whether
his original shape was 1-5-4-3 or 1-5-3-4. South can make his contract
against either distribution if he won the first heart in dummy, by
crossing to his hand to lead the 9 of diamonds, playing the queen if
West inserts the 10. If East ducks, the club king produces the contract.
If East wins, he may cash his heart now or later without affecting
anything, but must exit with a small club (because of dummy's queen
if West did not cover, or South's 8 if West covered). South now plays
the diamond ace; East cannot unblock without establishing another
diamond trick, and the last diamond endplays East for another lead up
to dummy's high club card. South makes 4+2+1+2=9 tricks.
This problem was from real life. It occured in a Swiss match, both
tables reaching 3NT from South. At our teammates' table, the diamond
10 was led; Q, K, small, and a small diamond return(!). Nine easy
tricks. I got the heart lead; East stiffed the club ace, so I ran
the first variation for no swing. The interesting points about this
problem are that it is a triple squeeze which only gains one trick
(many triples gain two), and the variety of things that East is
squeezed out of: a winner in hearts, an exit in clubs, and a
stopper in diamonds.
One more true tale from the Bridge Wars, then I have to go work on
my dissertation:
North
S- 5 3
H- 10
D- K 8 7 5 4 2
C- K Q 8 5
West East
S- J S- Q 10 8 7
H- A Q 7 5 4 H- K 3
D- J 10 6 3 D- A Q 9
C- A 3 2 C- J 9 7 6
South
S- A K 9 6 4 2
H- J 9 8 6 2
D- void
C- 10 4
East South West North
1NT(1) 2D(2) 2NT(3) pass
3C(4) 3H dbl(5) all pass
(1) 12-14 HCP
(2) Astro - spades and another suit
(3) Lebensohl, intending to invite in hearts
(4) Forced response
(5) Turn out the lights, the party's over...
This was a couple of years ago. NS were vulnerable at matchpoints. I sat
West. The jack of diamonds was led - low, nine, ruff. Declarer now went
for a spade ruff by leading ace and king of spades, but I ruffed the
second round. Since, from the point count, partner must have the king of
hearts, I led a small heart. Partner won, cashed two high spades as I shed
two clubs, and then led his heart. I won, cashed the queen of hearts,
and led a small diamond to partner's queen. Declarer accepted the tap
with his last trump, and then topped off his incredible bidding and
inaccurate play with the most incredible play of all:
S- void
H- void
D- K 8
C- K Q
S- void S- void
H- 7 H- void
D- 10 8 D- A
C- A C- J 9 7
S- 9 6
H- void
D- void
C- 10 4
In the above 4-card ending, South led a spade, catching his own dummy in a
criss-cross squeeze! I ruffed, and dummy had to pitch. If a club is pitched,
I cash the ace of clubs, and partner's hand is good. If a diamond is pitched
(this is what occurred at the table), I "criss" to partner's diamond ace,
and he crosses back to my good hand with a club. Declarer would up with
three tricks, and we wound up with a top (surprise, surprise :-)).
Just call it hara-kiri.
Bill Laubenheimer
----------------------------------------UC-Berkeley Computer Science
...Killjoy WAS here! ucbvax!wildbill