Squeeze-Trim-Endplay: Variations

Controls in Both Exit Suits

        A
        xxx
        A
        --

?? 
KJx
??
--
         x
         AQ9
         x
         --

Suppose you have just finished running clubs and you are now in this position. This is exactly your typical squeeze-trim-endplay, except that you have controls in both of the side suits. Lefty has to save three hearts, or else you can set up your long heart just by leading the suit. If Lefty has three hearts, Lefty has only two cards in spades and diamonds.

What are they? If Lefty has one spade and one diamond, you have completed the squeeze portion of the hand. You cash the two aces, in any order, to complete the trim portion of the hand.

If Lefty has saved two diamonds and no spades, you cash the ace of spades. That squeezes the excess diamond out of Lefty's hand. Now the ace of diamonds trims the last diamond.

So the order of cashing the aces is important. If Lefty had saved two spades, you would have to cash the ace of diamonds first.

Guessing Lefty's holding is made easier by the fact that you have a margin of error. Again, if Lefty has a spade and a diamond, then you can cash your aces in any order. So you just have to discriminate Lefty saving two spades and no diamonds from Lefty saving two diamonds and no spades (assuming you know how many hearts Lefty has).

Squeeze-Trim-Finesse

Consider this hand:

432
76
8542
AK42

AKQJ10
K54
AKQJ
6

You are in 6NT. The opening lead is a spade or diamond. You know from the bidding that the ace of hearts is onside.

Your basic plan is to cash your winners in spades and diamonds, go to the board in clubs, pitch one losing heart on the king of clubs, then take the heart finesse.

The flaw this plan is that Lefty's last two cards might be the ace of hearts and a club.

Ideally, you want Lefty to have the same distribution as you at the end -- just two hearts. This is a signal that you need a squeeze-trim. All of the other signs are there too. Righty has a control (first round control) in the suit you want to win a trick in. You on the other hand have first round control in Righty's exit suit, clubs. (For that matter, if Righty has an exit in diamonds, you have control in that too.)

In this hand (and in all the squeeze-trim-finesses that I know of), the squeeze-trim practically plays itself. You just have to be alert for the possibility of the defender baring the honor in the finesse suit. On this hand, cash all of your spades and then all of your diamonds, coming down to:

If Lefty saves two (or fewer) clubs, you simply cash your good clubs and lead towards your king of hearts. That was your plan anyway. But if Lefty saves three clubs, the ace of hearts is blank and you have to lead a heart from your hand to set up your king.

I know, this isn't a squeeze-trim-endplay, it is a squeeze-trim-finesse. But it is so similiar, I list it as a variation. (My main interest is in squeeze-trim as a method of eliminating side suits.)

Two Losers in the Threat suit

Consider this situation.

--             --
AQ10           xx
xxx            QJ10x
--             --
         --
         KJ9
         AK
         x

You lead your good club. If Lefty pitches a diamond, you trim the diamonds and endplay Lefty in hearts. If Lefty pitches a heart, you attack hearts and set up your long heart.

This is a squeeze-trim-endplay, differing from the others we have seen in that Lefty was destined to win two tricks in the endplay suit. This has two implications. First, the loser count is increased by one, from two to three. Second, you must have a double control in the side suit. If the situation was this:

--             --
AQ10           xx
xx            QJ10
--             --
         --
         KJ9
         A
         x

Lefty could pitch a heart and have the tempo on you -- you can attack hearts, but Lefty will set up the diamond before you set up your heart.

I think the best way to think about loser count is this. Your plan is to throw Lefty in in spades, so that Lefty gets two heart tricks and you get one. So, best case scenario is that you lose 3 tricks. It is pointless to do this if your loser count is already three. Instead, because you are gaining a trick in the endplay, your loser count is four. If you had a loser count of 5, you could not squeeze out the exit card.

Secondary Control in the Exit Suit

In all of my examples, declarer has had first round control in the throw-in suit. Second round control is fine (though of course that adds to the loser count).

For example, this is a two-threat squeeze-trim-emdplay.

         xx
         xx
         A
         x
QJ            --
AQ            xx
xx            KQJx
--            --
         Kx
         Kx
         x
         x

This works just fine if the ace of diamonds is changed to the Kx, as long as the defender you are squeezing has the ace and you are in a position to leads towards the king. So let's change this to

         xx
         xx
         Kx
         x
QJ            --
AQ            xxx
Axx           KQJx
--            --
         Kx
         Kx
         xx
         x

Again, you led your club. If Lefty pitches a heart, you set up a trick in hearts. You still have control in diamonds, so Lefty cannot make his third diamond good. If Lefty pitches a spade, your spades are good. Finally, if Lefty pitches a diamond, you lead towards the king of diamonds. Lefty can play the ace and lead a diamond, but then you execute your endplay. If Lefty ducks, you win your king of diamonds, win your king of spades, the endplay Lefty in either spades or diamonds.

Double Squeeze-Trim-Endplay

I don't know if this ever comes up in actual play. But as Kersey noted, if you can come down to this combination at the end

     A102

K87       J96
     Q43

you can lead a small spade and endplay whichever opponent wins the trick. This leads to the possibility of a double squeeze-trim-endplay. For example:

      A102
      x
      --
      --
K87         J96
Q10         J8
--          --
--          --
      Q43
      A
      --
      A

On the lead of the good club, both Lefty and Righty are squeezed out of their exit cards in hearts.

Similarly, the double squeeze works just as easily for the two-threat squeeze-trim-exit:

      A10
      x
      xx
      --
K8          J9
Q10         J8
KJ          Q10
--          --
      Q4
      A
      Ax
      A

Squeeze-Trim with Trump as an Additional Burden

Lord knows if this ever comes up in real play, but I have seen it in three books now (including Kelsey's Bridge Logic, p. 54), so I will count it as a variation. The following hand is from Test Your Bridge Play by Kantar.

AQ32
K65
Q3
K872

54
AQJ43
J8
A943

Your contract is 4. The opponents first cash two diamonds. Then Lefty leads a club, and Righty accidentally drops his club suit, revealing QJ106. You might as well see all of Righty's hand:

J8
1092
A962
QJ106

There are some key features to notice about this hand. First, it would be a "simple" squeeze-trim-endplay if you had a control in diamonds. Just a small diamond in dummy would do. But you don't. So, on the last free winner, Righty will pitch a club and save a diamond.

On the other hand, the diamond situation is perfect for a classic endplay. Suppose trumps broke 2-2. Then you would need to eliminate spades, which is easy enough. If Righty saves a diamond to lead, you get a ruff-and-sluff.

Of course, trumps won't break 2-2, because there are 5 trumps out. Fortunately for you, Righty is the defender with the extra trump. Righty has to hang on to this trump, or else you have the classic endplay situation. However, if you schedule things right, Righty cannot hand onto the trump and the diamond exit. Essentially, you squeeze the diamonds out of Righty's hand, then trim the last trump.

How does this work? Leading trumps won't do, because you have to save a trump in dummy. But trumping spades works perfectly. You would probably draw two rounds of trumps, though this isn't necessary. The important thing is that you take the spade finesse, cash the ace of spades, ruff a spade, get back to the board in trumps (say the second round of trumps), then lead a spade to ruff in your hand. This is the situation before leading that spade:

3
6
--
K87
       --
       10
       9
       QJ6
--
QJ
--
943

Righty is squeezed. You still have a trump control, so if Righty pitches a club, you can simply lose a club trick and then claim. The ending might be intricate, but you always make four.

Righty could ruff this trick. This is what I meant by "disarding" a trump. You are going to play a higher trump than Righty, no matter whether Righty ruffs or not. So Righty is essentially discarding his trump. Once Righty pitches his trump, you duck a club to run an endplay, with the diamond return giving you a ruff-and-sluff.

That leaves pitching a diamond. Alas for poor Righty, that was his untrimmable exit card. Right still has an exit card -- the trump. But that is trimmable. So you lead a heart then run your endplay in clubs.

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Squeeze-Trim-Endplay Hands