PERPETUUM MOBILE
by Aleksander Wagner
This corner is dedicated to all these auctions that just won't stop before going too high. They are quite common. We all have been there quite frequently. We look at our dummy, don't like it at all and then our paths split. Usually the contract is impossible to make and we all simply go down. But sometimes some of us make the contract, and when it happens it's quite often a gem. A friendly distribution is not enough, you'd better be not just a regular top player but one with a very vivid imagination, otherwise you won't see your chance even if it pops up in front of your eyes. Some of the cases are relatively simple like the first example, some of them devilishly complicated. Let's take a look at few such cases.
Deal no. 1:
The bidding in the following deal was completely natural and uneventful, the only decision to make was whether to play 4H or 4S but spades were simply much stronger than hearts. How can you stop in 3S? You could argue that South didn't have to open the bidding but I think he did. Well, I was South so I should know whether I had an opening or not... And then there was simply no quitting before a game.
QJ98
A9542
J7 S W N E
K5 ------------------------------
1S p 2H p
N 3H p 3S p
W E 4S p p p
S
AK642
J63
863
A8
What are your chances of making ten tricks after a club lead? Obviously enough you must lose only one heart. It would be nice if trumps were 2-2 and West had something like Qx or Kx in hearts, East having K10x or Q10x, then nobody can open this suit but me. If West has Kxx or Qxx and East Q10 or K10, it's just as well. If West has Kx in hearts with a spade singleton it should do too. All I had to do is to play a diamond and pray. They took the trick and were friendly enough to draw another diamond, then played a club again. I ruffed the last diamond, drew the Ace of heart hoping that if hearts were not exactly as they should have been they wouldn't unblock them at this stage, then drew two rounds of trumps and played a heart. Fate was merciful with me, West was end-played with Kx, had to play a minor suit which I ruffed in dummy discarding my last heart. 4S made, but I wonder how angry I would have been with myself had one of them King or Queen singleton in hearts...
Deal no. 2:
Many years ago, when I was very young and very cocky, I used to see a squeeze in every other hand. Some of the successful ones appeared in weekly bridge columns, someone even called me a "squeeze specialist", the unsuccessful ones were quickly and mercifully forgotten.
Years went by, and I discovered that one could get by without even knowing what a squeeze was, and I tried for a squeeze less and less frequently. But there are squeezes and there are squeezes, and the one I recently found in my old clip book is a real beauty. Luckily I didn't play this hand because I could have missed it, as did the declarer, a member of our national team.
The following story appeared in "The Jerusalem Post" several years ago.
"Some squeezes are among the wonder plays of bridge. An unusually beautiful squeeze, missed by the declarer, was observed by Alex Wagner while kibitzing and is presented here - as it might have been made.
84 N E S W
642 ---------------------------
A652 p p 1S x
KJ104 xx p p 2C
653 QJ10 x 2H 2NT p
K95 N Q1087 3NT p p p
K74 W E J83
AQ96 S 853
AK972
AJ3
Q109
72
As the club 6 was led, the declarer counted only 22 points, and perhaps he could win four spade tricks, one heart, two diamonds and two clubs. But winning these tricks was hardly automatic.
Declarer won the first trick with the club 10. He played a spade was to the King and another club. West played the nine which was covered by the Jack.
This was a mistake by West for the club Ace and a heart continuation would have given declarer trouble, probably resulting in setting the contract. Now declarer won a top spade and established his spades by giving up a spade trick to the defense.
The heart 10 was led by East and allowed to hold the trick. The heart 7 was played and won by the Ace on which West played the King to avoid being end-played. A spade was won leaving this end position, with declarer having won six tricks:
-
-
A65
K4
- -
9 N Q8
K7 W E J8
AQ S 8
9
J
Q109
-
Now the play of the spade 9 squeezes both opponents. If West discards a heart, declarer can win the diamond Ace, give up a diamond to the King and subsequently make another club trick. If West discards a diamond, declarer can run the diamond suit. So the club Queen was discarded.
East could not save the situation either. If he discards his club, the play of a heart by declarer will give him two diamonds tricks in the end play. If East discards a diamond, declarer's play of the diamond Queen gives him winning tricks in diamonds. If East discards a heart, the defence wins only the heart Queen and the club Ace."
