Thursday Morning Double Squeeze

Board 27
South Deals
None Vul
♠ K 7
J 9 4
9 3 2
♣ Q J 10 9 3
♠ 8 6 3
A 5 2
K 5 4
♣ A K 4 2
N
WE
S
♠ Q 10 9 5 4 2
K 10 7 3
10
♣ 7 6
♠ A J
Q 8 6
A Q J 8 7 6
♣ 8 5
WestNorthEastSouth
1
DblPass4 ♠All pass
TrickLead2nd3rd4th
1. S♣ 8A36
2. W♠ 3710J
3. S♣ 5K97
4. W♠ 6K2A
5. S A4210
6. S QK3 3
7. W♠ 8♣ 10Q 6
8. E♠ 9 7♣ 2♣ J
9. E♠ 5 8 2 9

On this deal, the defenders must play carefully, or they both will end up being squeezed.

Declarer loses two trumps and the A during the course of play, and discards one heart loser on the K when it becomes established. Declarer then runs the spades, and everyone must come down to four cards:


♠ —
J 9 4

♣ Q
♠ —
A 5
5
♣ 4
N
WE
S
♠ 4
K 10 7

♣ —
♠ —
Q 8 6
J
♣ —

When declarer leads the ♠4, South is squeezed: he must retain the J (else dummy's five will become a winner) and so he throws a heart. The 5 is now discarded from dummy, and North is squeezed: he must retain the ♣Q (else dummy's four will become a winner) and so he also throws a heart. Declarer then plays a low heart to the ace, a heart back to the king and the 10 is good for his tenth trick.

As the cards lie, South can break up the squeeze by leading a small heart earlier in the play; this destroys declarer's transportation. However, if East has the J rather than North, the heart lead would make life easy for declarer.

North can keep South from being squeezed by saving the 9 (discarding a heart instead); South can then safely play the J instead of a heart on the ♠4.

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