posted August 2010

Money Bridge Tourney

Make 3NT

Bd: 12 Dlr: West Vul: N/S Vul North S Q7 H AK743 D K876 C 53 South S AK94 H 96 D AJ32 C K76 West North East South GIB W GIB N GIB E newmoon Pass 1H 2H* 3NT *Michaels Pass Pass Pass Trick 1: C2 C3 CT CK Trick 2: D2 D9 DK DT

East has shown 5 spades and 5 in a minor for his Michaels bid. To confirm which is his minor, you play a diamond to the king at trick 2. Once West follows, you can be certain East has spades and clubs.

QUIZ: How do you continue?

Solution:

You have 8 top tricks and have to find 1 more. You know that the hearts are not breaking 3-3 and you suspect strongly that the DQ is wrong. How can we exert pressure on West?

To have any chance of squeezing West, we need to remove his idle cards. This can easily be done by conceding a club to East now!   East is entitled to his four clubs, for sure, and that will suit our purpose of removing West's idle cards.

East gleefully cashes his four clubs, then exits with a spade. We win the SQ, come to hand with the DA (no queen appears) then cash SA-SK, and West gives up. Here is the ending -

North S - H AK7 D 8 C - West East S - S 108 H QJ5 H 108 D Q D - C - C - South S K H 96 D J C -

We play the SK, discarding the D8 from dummy. The suicide squeeze assisted us here.

The full hands were:

North S Q7 H AK743 D K876 C 53 West East S J6 S 108532 H QJ52 H 108 D Q954 D 10 C 982 C AQJ104 South S AK94 H 96 D AJ32 C K76