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Be careful where you tread, you may leave footprints. - Bob Hamman My Real Name

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All articles by chip

Which Squeeze, Which Grand?

Bidding and play puzzle from the Spingold KO.

By chip

Featured Noozer
Published: 21 December 2007 12:19 am

I recently wrote up a hand where it was important to bid 7N instead of

to get the higher score at Board-a-Match. Last summer I had a different kind of choice of grand slam decision in the Spingold KO teams (so playing IMP scoring).

I held the nice South hand. Partner's

bid showed some suit with the AKQ but no jack.

said I knew his suit was spades, 5S showed extra length, 5N asked and 6D showed 6. I had 13 tricks if the spades ran, so it was clear to bid a grand slam. However, it wasn't clear whether

or 7NT would be safer. In

an opposing ruff was possible but unlikely. Thus the main issue was which might make against a bad spade split. In

there was the chance of a trump coup if the spades were onside, but in 7N partner might have side honors to produce 13 tricks using only 3 spade winners. I now think

is percentage since South needs 3 extra winners if there are only 3 spade tricks. Still, its close. At the table I bid 7NT.

I got the

lead, won it and tried the

. RHO threw a heart! At least they were onside, so I had 12 tricks and excellent squeeze prospects. I cashed my heart winners throwing a spade and a diamond from dummy. LHO had 4 hearts, RHO threw two low clubs. Now cash the

and

: LHO plays the

and

, RHO the

and a low diamond.
I was now at the crossroads. LHO is 5-4-?-?. If he is 2-2 in the minors, RHO will be squeezed in the minors on the run of the spades.If LHO is 1-3 in the minors I have to now cash the

of his singleton to force a discard in the other minor, then run the spades to squeeze RHO in the minors. So I had to decide: was LHO 5-4-3-1 (so LHO, a passed hand was 03-3-7), or was he 5-4-1-3, giving RHO 0-3-5-5. I went for 0-3-5-5, cashing the

next. Sadly the hand was:

The 0-3-5-5 hand was more likely (and this looks like a normal

opening). Still, I probably should have gone for this layout (cashing the

in this position)

LHO throws a diamond (esle the spades run) and now 3 spades squeeze RHO.
I should have done right from RHO's two club discards. I was playing him to have QJTxx of diamonds. Hard to see anyone pitching two clubs from say QTxxx and no diamonds.

At the other table they did open

and NS stopped in 6, so we lost a large swing instead of winning one. Also, what about that bidding problem at the start. How would

fare against the bad break? Likely, quite well.

Suppose a heart is led. Declarer wins and cashes a high spade, crosses to

to finesse the

8, then cashes heart winners throwing two diamonds. This leaves:

Now ruff a diamond (so North and West each have 3 spades left), cross to the

, and lead the

to throw dummy's last club, then a club completes the trump coup.

If instead the

is led at trick one, declarer might go down (trying to cross back to his hand with the

as an entry).

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