Jeff Lehman

Would have been more interesting …

East sort of made this hand easy for me to be +490 in 3NT, but a little better defense at Trick 2 would still have allowed me to make twelve tricks. 

 
17
None
North
N
North
♠
AQ85
♥
A52
♦
A2
♣
AQ76
 
W
West
♠
10432
♥
J10
♦
KJ943
♣
32
♣J
E
East
♠
J96
♥
K986
♦
10875
♣
J5
 
S
South
♠
K7
♥
Q743
♦
Q6
♣
K10984
 

I opened 2NT and partner looked for a heart fit before settling in 3NT.

Fortunately for me, East did not find a diamond lead, but instead led the ♣J.

I won the ♣J in hand and led a small heart from the ace.  East rose with the ♥K and returned a diamond.  Well, if hearts split I already have twelve tricks.  More importantly, if hearts do not split, I have eleven tricks on top, the count rectified, and threats in all three non-club suits.

Reading West for the ♦K, I played a small diamond from dummy, winning the ♦A in hand.  East was discovered to own four hearts, but no matter:  with so many threat suits, a double squeeze (with spades as the pivot suit) had to work.  When I ran all my rounded suit winners (last club shown below in parentheses, my discarding a heart on the last club), East did not pitch her winning heart and West did not pitch the ♦K and so the spades must be, and were, good for the twelfth trick (see below).  Rewarding, but not really special.

 
17
None
North
N
North
♠
AQ85
♥
5
♦
 
♣
—
 
W
West
♠
10432
♥
—
♦
K
♣
—
♣J
E
East
♠
J96
♥
9
♦
10
♣
—
 
S
South
♠
K7
♥
7
♦
Q
♣
(K)
 

 

 

Let’s go back and assume that East tested me by ducking the ♥K, allowing me to win the ♥Q at Trick 2.  How might the play go from there?

Well, if I divine the heart position, I can catch West in a strip squeeze (“squeeze without the count”).  After four clubs and two hearts, everyone is down to seven cards before I play the last club winner (shown in parentheses). 

 
17
None
North
N
North
♠
AQ85
♥
5
♦
A2
♣
—
 
W
West
♠
10432
♥
—
♦
K94
♣
—
♣J
E
East
♠
J96
♥
9
♦
1087
♣
—
 
S
South
♠
K7
♥
74
♦
Q6
♣
(K)
 

When I lead the last club from dummy, West can discard one of his diamonds, and I can discard my last heart.  No problem.

But then I can continue four rounds of spades, throwing West into the lead while I discard dummy’s two hearts.  He must lead away from the ♦K and I earn my twelfth trick that way.

Much better blog material, but then I can write about that line as conjecture, anyway!

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