A Squeeze-Trim-Endplay (Real Hand)
April 5, 2005, matchpoint club game on Long Island. I am playing 3C. Lefty had opened a 15-17 HCP 1NT. Righty had transfered to spades. For better or worse, I balanced in with 3C.
Q10x
A9xx
K10x
98x
xx
Q8x
xxx
AJ10xx
The opening lead was the ace of spades. Lefty continued to trick 2 with a small spade. This strongly suggests that Lefty does not have the king of spades, so I played the 10 of spades. To my surprise, this forced out the king of spades. Righty continued spades, allowing me to throw a diamond loser. Lefty followed with the jack of spades.
I still cannot place the HCP -- Righty has 3-5 of the remaining 16 HCP. Anyway, I am on the board and I want to draw trump. It would be very nice if Righty had a club honor. I ran the 9 of clubs to Lefty's queen, and he returned a club. The third round of clubs collected the king from Righty and a heart from Lefty. This left my position as
--
A9xx
K10x
--
--
Q8x
xx
10x
With no opposing bidding, the hand would be a simple matter of taking the two red suit finesses. However, I can now place Righty with 0-2 of the remaining HCP. So the diamond finesse is working (ace onside) and the heart finesse is failing (king offside). The king of hearts is unlikely to be doubleton at this point. So it looks like down two.
However, I have a squeeze-trim-endplay. Counting my king of diamonds as a winner, I have a loser count of 3. That's too high, but I will rectify the count when I lose a trick to the ace of diamonds. The heart situation is classic for squeeze-trim-endplay. Lefty gives up a trick by leading hearts or pitching down to Kx while I still have control in diamonds.
The classic squeeze-trim-endplay does not let me trim spades out of Lefty's hand. Because Lefty has no more spades, this is not an issue.
Normally it is a little disconcerting to play out all of my trump when there are good spades out, but I can tell that only Lefty is going to get in, and Lefty has no spades. So I play out my last two trumps. Then it is mostly a matter of guessing what Lefty has saved. (Though that guess is not easy, and in fact I guessed wrong.) If the situation is:
--
A9x
K10
--
--
KJx
AQ
--
--
Q8x
xx
--
I play a diamond towards my king. If Lefty ducks, I play a second round of diamonds, endplaying Lefty in hearts. But my squeeze-trim-endplay is prepared for Lefty playing the ace of diamonds and leading a diamond. Now I execute my endplay in hearts leading from the board. I lead a small card. If Righty plays small, I play the 8 of hearts and my endplay is guaranteed. If Righty happens to play a heart honor (jack or ten), I cover and hope that Lefty now has to lead away from the other honor.
If Lefty has saved 3 diamonds and two hearts:
--
A9x
K10
--
--
KJ
AQx
--
--
Q8x
xx
--
I simply duck a heart while I still have a diamond control.
No one at my club jettisons the ace of diamonds. But if Lefty jettisons the ace of diamonds and keeps the queen, the endplay still works. Lefty still has to save three hearts, so we have
--
A9x
K10
--
--
KJx
Qx
--
--
Q8x
xx
--
I lead a diamond to the board. If Lefty plays the queen, I let it win (as if Lefty had played the ace) and the endplay works as before. If Lefty doesn't play the queen, I win my king and endplay Lefty as before.
What if Lefty also jettisons the queen of diamonds, or Righty has the queen? Now the squeeze-trim-endplay doesn't work.
--
A9x
K10
--
--
KJx
xx
--
--
Q8x
xx
--
The reason it doesn't work is that the loser count is wrong. Losing a diamond to Lefty corrected my loser count to two. Now I cannot lose a diamond to Righty, so the loser count is wrong.
BACK TO:
Squeeze-Trim-Endplay Hands
Variations (secondary control)
BRIDGE HOME
|