[kgr]

From Hugh Kelsey's excellent book "Kelsey on Squeeze play" (Hope this is sufficient compensation for using this hand):

---

Contract 6♣.
Lead is small ♣ which you take in hand and you play the ♦J now.
Book says that if ♥ comes back you should win with the K.
Is it not better to win in dummy with the A to leave an automatic squeeze as opposed to a positional?

[TheoKole]

If you take the A of hearts where is the entry to the 10 of diamond menace if the opps throw their high diamonds?

The position you are looking for is

Dummy

Ax ♥
10 ♦

Your hand

10x ♥
x♣

when you lead the club then LHO with the diamond honor outstanding hopefuly has Kx ♥

if you take the A of hearts then there is no entry to the 10 ♦ and he can easily throw the diamond honor and keep his hearts.

Hope this explanation helps

Theo

[ArtK78]

If you win the ♥A in dummy at trick 3 you take out the only entry to dummy.

You have to cash all of the black tricks to effectuate the squeeze. If you win the HK the squeeze will not operate.

[kgr]

Theo,
I was thinking to use ♠Q as the squeeze card:
♠Q
♥x
♦T
♣
vs
♠x
♥KT
♦
♣

[Fluffy]

I think koen is right, but I would be eager to try to kill a heart honnor to be sure I have a menace in that suit.

[nick_s]

I think kgr is suggesting that you use Q♠ as the squeeze card instead of a club in this end position:

Dummy

Q ♠
x ♥
10 ♦

Declarer

J ♠
K10 ♥

[TheoKole]

Copied:

Theo,
I was thinking to use ♠Q as the squeeze card:
♠Q
♥x
♦T
♣
vs
♠x
♥KT
♦
♣


In this position you are playing for RHO to have both QJ heart honors and the outstanding diamond honor

If left LHO has both then your 10 ♥ will win the heart return which is why LHO would not return a low heart.

If they are split then the opp with the outstanding diamond honor, would bare his heart honor and you would have to lose 1 of the last tricks (assuming good defense, mind you).

If RHO of has both hearts and the Diamond honor then your ending will win when mine would fail, but your ending would also be a positional squeeze also but against RHO instead of LHO.

If RHO has both hearts and LHO has the outstanding Diamond honor then both endings will fail.

It just seems to me from the play so far that it is logical to play LHO for 1 or perhaps both heart honors, (although I very much doubt both QJ in his hand).

Cheers,

Theo

[kgr]

TheoKole, on Dec 24 2007, 05:31 PM, said:

If they are split then the opp with the outstanding diamond honor, would bare his heart honor and you would have to lose 1 of the last tricks (assuming good defense, mind you).

If RHO has
♥Qxxx
♦AKxxx
and wins the first ♦ and returns a small ♥ then it wins to let it go the ♥A.

[TheoKole]

Sure, I can see your ending because the heart 9 will drop doubleton, but I believe that it is better percentagewise to play LHO for 1 card (a heart honor) than a specific combination of cards.

But in any case, if LHO has this combination of cards then you will still reach the ending that I described in the beginning which means that the positional squeeze will work.

Dummy has

Ax ♥
10 ♦

LHO has

Qx ♥
A or K ♦

You have

10x ♥
x ♣

you lead the club and if the A of ♦ or K ♦ (if LHO has been tricky and dumped the A beforehand) does not appear, then you dump the 10 ♦,
play to the A ♥ droping LHO bare Q ♥ and low heart to your 10 for the contract.

Theo

[dburn]

TheoKole, on Dec 24 2007, 10:31 AM, said:

Copied:

Theo,
I was thinking to use ♠Q as the squeeze card:
♠Q
♥x
♦T
♣
vs
♠x
♥KT
♦
♣


In this position you are playing for RHO to have both QJ heart honors and the outstanding diamond honor

Actually, he isn't. If the hearts are divided 4-2, then regardless of the location of the honours, the hand with four hearts will be squeezed if it also has to guard diamonds (which will be the case if it began with five or more of them). The same is true of a defender who began with all of ♥QJ and ♦AKQ, regardless of how many cards he holds in the suits.

The improvement (and it is an improvement) suggested by kgr means that the squeeze will work against either opponent. Kelsey's line will squeeze only West.

[TheoKole]

You are correct, I was thinking of specific honor cards, when distribution could also play a role as you stated.

Theo