29th January 2020


The final deal of interest from the Middlesex Congress Swiss Teams in December.




Dealer East
S
KJ42
   
Both Vul
H
86543
   
    D A95
   
    C K
   
S
10985
    S
AQ73
H
J9
    H
AQ1072
D
8432
    D
QJ7
C
1092
    C
5
    S
6
   
    H
K
   
    D
K106
   
    C
AQJ87643
   

South
West
North
East


Pass 1S
4C Pass 5C Pass
Pass Pass



South arrived in five clubs on the above auction and received the jack of hearts lead to the ace with a heart returned.
Reluctant to go off quickly if the hearts were six-one South ruffed high and crossed to the king of clubs.  Then he returned to hand with a diamond to the king on which East split his honours.  South now drew trumps and thought his best chance was to find the spade queen onside to force a spade winner to discard the losing diamond.  However, it costs nothing to draw a few extra rounds of trumps.  As South was doing this he suddenly realised that if East had the queen of diamonds which was likely from the play of the diamond suit and the ace of spades, again likely from the auction, the contract was cold on a strip squeeze.

The end position is below with East to discard on the last trump.


Dealer East
S
K
   
Both Vul
H

   
    D A9
   
    C
   
S
10
    S
AQ
H

    H

D
84
    D
Q7
C

    C

    S
6
   
    H

   
    D
106
   
    C

   

If East discards the queen of spades then he is thrown in with the spade ace to lead away from his diamond queen and if he discards a diamond South gets two diamond tricks.