Double Dummy, Puzzle 1 - Solution

Author

Paulo Brum

 Let us recap the problem.

Any attempt to establish clubs and run them after drawing trumps (ending in the board) is destined for defeat. You cannot ruff a club in your hand, lose a club, and later get to dummy to draw all trumps and run clubs. There are not enough entries. In some variations that 5 of spades in West is sufficient to block your intentions.

The alternative is a squeeze against East. He is in sole control of clubs and diamonds. If you could get your trick count to 11, that might do the trick. But there is no way to do that and maintain communication.

Finally, there is a rare squeeze that might save the day for you. You need East to protect 3 suits rather than 2. If you have an extended menace , one in which the opponent yields all the tricks you need if he unguards it, that will work. And clubs are such a menace in this hand. The fun part of this rare squeeze is that it gives you 2 (or more) tricks, rather than only one! And so you need to up your trick count only to 10, if you can get to the right ending.

So, the plan is to transfer control of the heart suit to East and then squeeze him in three suits. If you win the spade in hand, play the Queen of hearts (covered) to ruff it on the board, come back to your hand with a diamond, and play the Ten of hearts (covered) to ruff it on the board, you have successfully transferred the protection in the heart suit to East. But at this point you have a singleton spade honor in dummy, and cannot leave it without giving a club ruff to West.

We are getting close to the solution. At trick one, play the Jack (or Queen) from dummy and win the trick with your King. This unblocking maneuver means that after your transfer the heart guard (ruffing with honors in dummy), your last trump will be the 4. You can now play it to your hand. West will win and allow you to get to your hand, by any card he plays. And the squeeze will be ready to go.

Summarizing: T1 is a spade honor from dummy, covered by the King in the hand. Then the heart Queen, covered and ruffed with an honor. Diamond to hand. Heart Ten, covered and ruffed with an honor. Spade 4 to hand. West wins and can't do anything better than another trump. Count your winners: You have 3 trumps in your hand (you will lose one to West's Ten), 2 ruffs in dummy, 1 heart, 2 diamonds, 2 clubs. That's ten tricks. The repeatable squeeze can give you two more tricks in this ending:

When you cash the last trump, West is crushed. If he gives up a club, dummy is good. If he discards any red suit, the new winner in that suit squeezes him again.