A Shut-up Squeeze
A J 3
9 2
J 10 9 8 5
K Q 7
K 8 7 6
A Q 10 7 5 3
7
6 2
10 4 2
J 8
6 4 3 2
9 8 5 4
Q 9 5
K 6 4
A K Q
A J 10 3
| West |
North |
East |
South |
| Pass |
Pass |
Pass |
2 NT |
| Pass |
4 ♣ |
Pass |
4 ♠ |
| Pass |
6 NT |
Pass |
Pass |
| Dbl |
All Pass |
|
West leads his stiff diamond.
Declarer unblocks the diamonds, then plays a spade to the jack, which
wins. Declarer finishes off the diamonds, pitching two hearts from hand,
then runs the clubs. On the last club, West is squeezed in spades and hearts:
If West pitches the
♥ Q, South leads the
♥ K
and West must lead away from the
♠ K. If West pitches
a spade, declarer gets two spade tricks.
Of course, declarer has to read the end position properly, but at least
he has a sporting chance.
This contract is much harder to make without the double, so East might
be inclined to call it a "shut-up squeeze."