Lead directing double brings home grand slam via a squeeze

Dealer: East Vul: North South		North
		♠	KJ97
		♥	KQJ96
		♦	Q2
		♣	AJ
West				East
♠	32			♠	65
♥	4			♥	7532
♦	J109853			♦	K76
♣	8743			♣	KQ105
		South
		♠	AQ1084
		♥	A108
		♦	A4
		♣	962

The auction was way too spirited, and the villains climbed all the way to 7 spades. Along the way, East doubled a 5 club cue bid, so her partner eschewed the natural diamond lead from J1098xx and instead led a high club from 8743.

Alas for East West, the failure to lead a diamond left declarer with a chance – if he could only read the position – admittedly in what looks like an almost hopeless position.

While cashing winners, East’s discards became somewhat more laborious, and South visibly perked up. Having first played off all the trumps, South then ran dummy’s hearts. On the lead of dummy’s last heart, the position was : 

Dealer: East Vul: North South		North
		♠	void
		♥	K
		♦	Q2
		♣	void
West				East
♠	void			♠	void
♥	void			♥	void
♦	J10			♦	K2
♣	8			♣	10
		South
		♠	void
		♥	void
		♦	A2
		♣	9

East dumped a small diamond, and South pitched the nine of clubs, noting it wasn’t good yet, so why hang on to it? A resigned diamond to her Ace felled the gloriously now stiff king on her right, and dummy’s diamond queen was trick 13.

+2210 if you please !!

East could not forgive herself for doubling for the club lead. Especially when her team mates also had a less than stellar auction to 7 spades at the other table.

There, with no noises from partner to mess with the opening lead, the villain West led his god given Jack of diamonds – unwittingly breaking up the diamond club squeeze at trick one !

Minus 100 here, coupled with -2210 at the other table, was a 20 imp loss our heroes could not overcome.