Sexy slam bid and made

Have you ever noticed that many published squeeze hands involve poorly bid slams? For example, if overbid grand slams were played at their proper level, not much attention would be given to the play for the overtrick. But ratchet things up a level, and the sphincter muscles tighten as there is no margin for error.

Today’s hand was a case in point. Dave Colbert and I overbid to a poor slam. Plain and simple. Were this hand declared where it properly lies at the four or five level, there would be no story. But your heroes each took a rosy view of their cards in an uncontested auction, and 6 spades became the final contract. Here was the layout, and the auction. (You might want to make sure there are no small children present when you review the auction) 

 

Dealer: South Vul: Both		Ross
		♠	1084
		♥	A63
		♦	A43
		♣	A753
West				East
♠	J7			♠	95
♥	42			♥	KQJ985
♦	Q975			♦	J82
♣	QJ942			♣	86
		Dave
		♠	AKQ632
		♥	107
		♦	K106
		♣	K10

 

Dave opened 1 spade, and I responded 2 clubs. Dave jumped to 3 spades, and I (expecting another spade or so) jumped into Key Card Blackwood. We subsided in 6 spades.

The opening lead was a safe trump. Dave won in his hand, and immediately ducked a heart to East. Back came another heart, and Dave won dummy’s Ace and played some trumps.

No harm seemed to be coming from playing off trumps, so Dave continued doing so.

On the penultimate trump, everyone had to come down to six cards……. 

Dealer: South Vul: Both		dummy
		♠	void
		♥	3
		♦	A4
		♣	A753
West				East
♠	void			♠	void
♥	void			♥	KQ
♦	Q97			♦	J82
♣	QJ94			♣	86
		Dave
		♠	AK
		♥	void
		♦	K106
		♣	K10

 

West felt compelled to discard a diamond, leaving his partner with sole responsibility for guarding the third round of the suit. Dummy pitched a club, perforce, and East had a safe heart pitch.

Now Dave played King, then Ace, then ruffed a club in his hand. East had metaphorical fits looking for a safe discard on the third round of clubs. His last heart would set up the dummy’s three, and his third diamond would create three diamond tricks for declarer. This is how things looked as dummy led it’s last club.

 

Dealer: South Vul: Both		dummy
		♠	void
		♥	3
		♦	A4
		♣	5
West				East
♠	void			♠	void
♥	void			♥	K
♦	Q9			♦	J82
♣	QJ			♣
		Dave
		♠	A
		♥	void
		♦	K106
		♣	void

 

East valiantly pitched his last heart – and to his credit, it was without too much agony. Why roadmap what is going on for declarer? Most declarers would not be able to tell you if the heart 3 in dummy were now good I am afraid to say.

But Dave had played the hand with particular care. Actually I think he was laden with guilt about overbidding, and as a result he was determined to bring this sucker home by any means possible.

He now played a diamond to the Ace and cashed the heart 3. Making 6 and +1430. Woo woo !!!

 

PS        Now, the real title of this blog entry should have been something like ” Slam making on a non simultaneous double trump squeeze” . ( Or something like that – hell if I know what to call it! )

But I understood if I wrote that I might get one, possibly two readers. Be honest now. How many of you opened this blog just to see what a sexy slam looks like??

 

PPS       Notes to Linda Lee ( our blogsite’s resident squeeze groupie)

(1) I think a diamond lead, followed by a diamond continuation will beat the slam.

(2) If you are going to be a mensch declarer, make sure you can count to 13 in four suits at the same time. However it is also true sometimes declarers literally stumble into a winning squeeze, as the cards play themselves.

(3) Ducking the heart here was automatic for a good declarer – it’s ” a just in case it makes a difference play.”

Purists who love terminology will advise you earnestly the heart duck is called “rectifying the count” – no wonder our kids take up poker ! Just tell them to give up a sure loser early when they are declaring a tough hand and they are a trick short – don’t give them techno babble.

(4) When it seems declarer is trying to create an extra trick by a squeeze or end play, do try to plan your pitches far ahead, so that the squirmy ones can be done in tempo. Sometimes it is the bad tempo, and only that, which clues declarer into the winning line.

On this hand, West knew a club pitch at trick 7 could be fatal, as now declarer could ruff out the suit. But declarer does not know anything – he is just playing his cards. If I was West and could foresee the end position, I may well pitch a second club nonchalantly. Declarer may screw up and pitch a club himself from dummy.

In fact he should throw dummy’s heart if I pitch a club. Then he ruffs out the clubs; establishing the long club as his twelvth trick.

 

PPPS       I have to figure out a way to write all this crap down in about 1/3 of the words – I know I lost most of you much further up the page.