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Squeeze

Progressive, without the count, with steppingstone

by Malcolm Mitchell, Shrewsbury, UK

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West bids 1D, after which North-South reach 3NT at both tables.

Teams
All vulnerable
Dealer North		 S 76
H KT
D A9
C KQ96532
S AQJ4
H QJ75
D KQ83
C T		 [ ] S T852
H 8643
D 764
C J8
S K93
H A92
D JT52
C A74		 Lead H5
Declarer
South

Taking stock.
After the HT holds, there are eleven tricks: unblock the HK, cross to the CA, cash the HA, run the Clubs and concede the last two. On this line there are no squeeze chances as South has no entries after the run of the Clubs. What if you simply run Clubs before playing Hearts? The Hearts are blocked, sure; but West must come under unbearable pressure and something must give. OK, let's try it. And so it proved: the six-card ending was as follows [with East immaterial]:-

S 76
H K
D A9
C 2
S AQ
H QJ
D KQ
C -		 [ ] S T8
H 86
D 76
C -
S K9
H A9
D JT
C -

The ending.
On the last Club South discards the DT and West has a choice of three damaging discards.

A Spade
Now you can unblock the HK and play a small spade from each hand. The Ace beats the air, and the King is both established and an entry to the other Heart.
A Heart
Now you play the King, overtake and cash the 9. This squeezes West again: if he bares the SA you play a small Spade as before and establish the King, and if he discards a Diamond the A9 are both good. He did bare the SA in the event.
A Diamond
Now you play the DA and 9, discarding a Spade from hand [baring the K]. West must find another discard. If a Heart, you play the King and overtake and the 9 is your twelfth trick. If a Spade [baring his A] you cash the HK and play a Spade. West's bare SA is now the stepping stone: his last card is a Heart to your Ace.

Aftermath
In the other room the routine eleven tricks were taken, so the squeeze gained one IMP. A poor return compared with the return if we had been playing pairs? Yes; except that the match finished level! That was the good news - but we lost on the extra boards - to the eventual winners, in the Silver Plate [an EBU National knockout event].

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