MIT/DL Session Note, January 30 Jan 97 ------------------- Paul Wendt DOUBLE DOUBLE SQUEEZE? NEARLY PSEUDO SO Two deals at the MIT/DL Bridge Club, 21 Jan, provided double squeeze chances from declarer's perspective. When played by South, long club suits in dummy provided warnings to East-West, so there may have been a "squeeze workout" all around the table. South declared both deals at my table, so I use actual orientation here. My footnotes and "by the ways" (BTW) are indented this month; read them if you want the long version. 1. KQ KTx xx AJ98xx xx Axxxxx QJxx xx QTxxxx J9 K Txx 6xx A9xx AK7 Qxx After the uncontested auction 1C-2C-2N-3N, West led a low diamond to the jack and king. On a low club from South (best), West played the king. Thus clubs run; one spade trick makes 11 with 1 loser; there might be a squeeze for the last trick. So South led a spade at trick three. East considered for a while, won the ace (wrong), and returned d9. Now there was actually a simple squeeze against West. Declarer can run clubs and cash sQ to reach this three card ending in the red suits KTx -- h QJx xx d Q -- A9 7 where poor East holds an irrelevant spade and West must discard once more. East should have ducked the spade, which relieves any red squeeze against partner, at no cost. From the auction --or the spade switch-- clubs run. Against dKQT, nothing matters; against dKQx or worse, declarer would run clubs and hearts; so East should presume dAK(x). The danger of losing 13 tricks is nil (even if East hold three hearts), since xxx/ AQxx/ AKx/ Qxx would not rebid 2N. So duck the ace. QED. Or do matchpoint winners take an extra trick by playing spades when diamonds can be run from the right (original dKQx)? sA might be on the left, probably less than 50% on the auction, or righty might duck, by that QED reasoning. BTW, 5233 East can win the spade and relieve the squeeze by returning x from original dJ9x; the standard 9 sets up the squeeze. BTW, Only East can relieve the squeeze by ducking. If West holds Ax/ QJxx/ QTxxxx/ K (not on this auction), ducking loses all 13 tricks on a progressive squeeze, three suits in one hand. "What about the double squeeze", I hear you ask. There was a double squeeze in the postmortem, but it needs West to hold 12 cards (2361), another club (2362), another diamond (2371), or South to hold a better spade spot (xxx-361 West). After trick four, d9 return from East, the most likely was 2362 West. BTW, If declarer leads a low club with a 5-3 fit including the same high cards, West must pop the king to win a trick: AJ98x KT xxx Qxx But the king gains nothing against 6-3 or 6-2. On the 2362 version of this deal, there is a positional double squeeze after East wins the spade. The lie of the heart honors is irrelevant because neither defender can keep three hearts. In the 4-card ending, dummy plays the last club with the other three suits thus: -- KTx -- s -- ? h ??? ??? d Q -- 6 A9 7 Declarer must judge "the position" --s6-2 and d2-6, or vice versa-- and pitch righty's suit, here spades, when righty pitches a heart. For a "pianola" double squeeze, which needs no judgment of position, only counting, the ace and king must be together in the hand opposite the long suit, clubs. Here, with clubs running in dummy, imagine South with --/ AKx/ -- and North with one low card in each suit. P.S. Yours truly butchered this one as South. 2. Jx 9x xx AKQJxxx K8 QT97x ATxxxx K Jx KTxxx xxx xx A6xx QJxx AQ9x x After the unusual auction 1D 2H 3C P 3N West led the unusual king of spades and continued spades to the queen, ducked again (no danger if that "weak" jump bidding style implies a stiff honor East). East played a third spade (wrong), which provided South a pseudo-double squeeze opportunity. South won the third spade, pitching dummy's low heart, and ran the clubs to this 4-card ending in the other three suits when dummy played the last club. -- 9 xx s -- 9 h AT -- d Jx Kxx 6 -- AQ9 Here we pitched diamond, spade, heart. With doubt about the dKing (on a different auction), South could exit with a heart and win two more tricks. Actually, South finessed and won three diamonds. East should have switched at trick three. With the known ace, long clubs in dummy, and most of an opening bid in the red suits, South clearly threatened a squeeze, with East clearly vulnerable. Opposite hA, East can cash the king. Opposite the two red queens, however, East must lead a diamond to relieve a genuine double squeeze. That is, South will win a heart switch, cash the spade (pitching a diamond), and run clubs to this three-suit ending, where we must must all discard on dummy's last club. -- 9 x s -- 9 h Q -- d Qx Kx 6 -- AJ This one is "pianola": South pitches the spade unless it is good. Against A,AQ in the red suits, there is no hope with the diamond finesse marked (declarer should have won the second spade, to ensure 11 tricks and play for 12). Against AQ,AJ, the heart switch concedes pronto, but declarer will certainly achieve the same after a diamond. A club switch relieves only a squeeze against partner when declarer is singleton; it will not help East against the simple squeeze on the actual deal or many similar ones. Back to declarer on the actual deal. When East plays the third spade (or a diamond, finesse winning), South sees a pseudo-double squeeze to set up the third diamond. Evidently hearts are 6-1 with a stiff honor. If that is ATxxxx:K, defenders might not see that East can hold the stopper. (West should hold the ace until South pitches QJxx, which must be the last of South's hearts on the auction. East might pitch the King before then.) If so, declarer might squeeze West out of the third-round diamond stop. Here is a one variant, after three rounds of spades, from that class where West does hold a diamond stop (minors 3-4, 2-3 rather than 2-5, 3-2). The double squeeze is "pseudo" because East holds both Majors. -- 9 7x AKQJxxx -- 9x Axxxx K Jxx KTxx xx xxx 6 QJxx AQ9x x How should the defense save the day on this and other deals with diamonds 3-4 (or 3-5 with diamond opener 4432)? First, holding dA, East should reduce to the three winners by pitching dT, attitude, and hK quickly; then West must bare the maybe dQ and hold hQx. Second, without dA, East must hold the heart stop, even if that is only the 10 (see dummy's nine); then West must pitch xxxxA --or xxxKA-- behind xxJQ from declarer. Behind TJQK pitched by declarer, West will prepare a postmortem lecture to partner, swear off weak jumps with a king and ace, or both. Third, if East is alert and South a trustworthy declarer, all is clear when South runs clubs without cashing hA: partner holds hA, South holds good diamonds, and dKTxx is *useless*. Then East should pitch xKTx, attitude first, in diamonds -- or xKJx, xKJT-- to send partner the clear S.O.S. there. If West pitches early from d8xx or better, East will prepare the postmortem lecture! ----Paul Wendt, 30 Jan 97