Dubious Logic

Felixstowe: Squeezes 101

You have had two weeks now to come up with an answer to this problem from the Felixstowe Pairs final:

Overtricks are not important for you are in the top spot of seven no-trumps – but you have to make it; how do you play if (a) the lead is the three of clubs (south following with the seven) and (b) the five of diamonds – do you try the queen?

First you note that with six club tricks your top cards bring you up to twelve – only a bad spade break can hurt you. Before you play perhaps you should be wary and leave the lead with dummy's nine even though a lead from five to the ten is unlikely. Your antennae should also detect danger in the awkward blockage in the heart suit.

You must first decide whether you could pick up knave-ten-to-four with south by a finesse. The answer, in no trumps, is no. Though you can play a spade to the ace, finesse once and return to take another by overtaking the heart king, you cannot reach dummy to enjoy the fifth spade. That line would be correct in seven spades but will not work in seven no-trump.

You do not need to know very much about squeezes to play off your winners. In fact, if west has kept his spade support quiet, who knows? Perhaps someone will discard one. So at trick two, cross to a heart and run the clubs. Cash the diamond ace and take a look at this position:

Now a spade to the ace; if both opponents follow (or a spade was discarded earlier) you apologise for the delay and table your cards. But if, as happened, south shows out, take a diamond discard on the heart ace and survey. If the diamond queen or the heart ten is a winner you have squeezed north. If neither is a trick – I'm sorry, you have another bad-luck story.

On to part (b). The five-card position above will hurt either defender so on a diamond lead, should you try the queen? If south has four spades and the diamond king, you have blown the contract (unless they also hold queen-knave of hearts). Given that defenders should lead as safely as possible against a grand slam, conserving the queen looks best.

Without the guarantee of six club tricks, you only have ten in top cards. If either black suit breaks you are up to twelve. The most prudent is to cash a top spade: clubs are more likely to break badly (5-1 or 6-0) than spades are to split 4-0. Also, glancing at the five-card end-game again, if you play a top spade you reduce that to four cards. There will be no place for the heart ten and though that loses a chance it is a small loss to give you play against a bad club break.

If spades do behave, you will again postpone trying the other suit to reach:

Now, if the heart ten or diamond queen is good you will cash it, otherwise you'll finally see how the clubs were breaking. You've become a squeeze expert – simply by delaying a critical suit until the last moment.

Published Saturday 1.Nov.2008