SQUEEZE DEFENCE

by Aleksander Wagner

 Some squeezes are quite automatic, others aren't that easy, but defending against a squeeze requires not only considerable level of knowledge and experience, but a touch of imagination and very fast thinking, otherwise an experienced declarer will immediately realize that something fishy is going on.
 There were five of us playing rubber bridge, I was out and watching the others play. This is what's happened as seen from the corner.

               A1083                              S          N
               K5                                --------------
               K983                               1H         1S
               AJ4                                3H         4NT
  Q5                         K9762                5H         6H
  6432           N           7                    p
  Q10764       W   E         J52
  75             S           K1032

               J4
               AQJ1098
               A
               Q986
 The opening lead was a heart. The declarer counted two possible losers, a club and a spade. The losing spade could be discarded on the diamond King, and if the clubs split, which was against the odds, the slam would be made. But if the clubs did not split, he could lose two club tricks and he might have to rely on a squeeze.
 The play proceeded as follows: declarer won four heart tricks, discarding two spades from the dummy. He then played the diamond Ace and followed this with the club 6 finessing the Jack to East's King. East's return was crucial. East counted declarer as having six heart tricks, three aces in the other suits, the club Queen and the diamond King. If West held the diamond Queen, the defence had seemingly adequate protection in all suits. A squeeze by South seemed almost imminent.
East decided that the best defence against a squeeze was a smoke screen. He led the spade King, which gave declarer the impression that East had the spade Queen as well. South won, in order, the spade Ace, the diamond King, and the ruff of a diamond, reaching this end position: 
               10
               -
               8
               A4
  Q                          9
  -              N           -
  Q10          W   E         -
  7              S           1032

               -
               9
               -
               Q98
South played his last heart on which West discarded a diamond, North a diamond and East a spade. Now it was easy: East surely had the spade Queen, so he couldn't have more than two clubs, and if West had the diamond Queen, the outstanding clubs would automatically fall to the Ace and Queen. So he played his high clubs, but to his consternation and defeat, East had a winning club trick. The brilliant play of the spade King prevented him from even considering a club finesse.