Puzzle #5

A Simple Squeeze

by Harold Guiver

   This double-dummy deal (where all players are presumed to be able to make the best play as though they saw all four hands) meets our requirements of including an interesting, perhaps practical, point of play, presented in a crisp manner.

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

   Can South make seven notrump against best defense?

Solutions

   Good defense can defeat the contract. West leads the king of clubs to South's ace. Declarer's only chance is a simple squeeze against East in spades and hearts. Since South has only one entry to dummy, he must cash his two top spades and run the diamonds. For his last five cards, East keeps the jack of spades and all four hearts. This establishes an extra spade winner in dummy, but the contract fails because the last spade, if cashed, squeezes declarer's hand in one suit, the simplest squeeze of all.

(Adapted from The Bridge Journal.)

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