Mystery #5

Squeeze to Unblock a Suit

The question in Mystery #5 was posed by the late Norm Roshel more than 30 years ago. To the best of our knowledge, no one has ever produced a satisfactory answer.

Question 5: Is there a deal in which South, the declarer, can execute a squeeze against an opponent whose guards include a card preventing the run of a blocked suit?

Here is an example of a blocked suit:

	NORTH ♠ A K J 3 2
WEST ♠ 10 9 8		EAST ♠ Q
	SOUTH ♠ 7 6 5 4

At notrump, South, declarer, can take only four spade tricks if the North hand has no side entry. However, if West were to discard a spade, declarer could take five spade tricks.

From N. Scott Cardell, Pullman, WA:

Solution 1 (using the spade suit from the question):

South to make six notrump against any opening lead and defense.

	NORTH ♠ A K J 3 2 ♥ 10 8 7 2 ♦ 3 2 ♣ 3 2
WEST ♠ 10 9 8 ♥ Q J 5 4 ♦ Q 8 7 5 ♣ 5 4		EAST ♠ Q ♥ 9 6 3 ♦ J 10 4 ♣ J 10 9 8 7 6
	SOUTH ♠ 7 6 5 4 ♥ A K ♦ A K 9 6 ♣ A K Q

Against any non-diamond lead declarer can cash the aces of spades, hearts and clubs, then lead two more rounds of clubs. As shown, declarer must play avoidance against East if West sluffs a diamond, but a nonpositonal variant is possible. A low-diamond lead produces basically the same ending. On the silly lead of the diamond queen, declarer ducks and claims the rest.

Solution 2:

South to make seven notrump against any opening lead and defense.

	NORTH ♠ A K 8 7 4 ♥ J 9 6 ♦ 7 5 4 ♣ 7 2
WEST ♠ 9 6 3 ♥ Q 10 8 5 ♦ J 9 6 3 ♣ 10 8		EAST ♠ Q J ♥ 7 4 3 2 ♦ 10 8 ♣ 9 6 5 4 3
	SOUTH ♠ 10 3 2 ♥ A K ♦ A K Q 2 ♣ A K Q J

Against any opening lead, declarer cashes spade ace, heart ace-king, diamond ace and finishes the clubs, discarding a diamond and a spade from dummy.

From Pete Filandro, Smyrna, DE

As stated, though apparently not as intended, the conditions can be satisfied by well-known endings such as the one shown below, in which South leads and takes the last three tricks at notrump:

	NORTH ♠ A ♥ — ♦ — ♣ K Q
WEST ♠ Q 10 ♥ — ♦ — ♣ A		EAST ♠ Immaterial ♥ ♦ ♣
	SOUTH ♠ K J ♥ — ♦ A ♣ —

The mystery statement could be rephrased to specify an internally blocked suit.

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