An eccentric progressive squeeze
Larry Hammick
larry@hammick.com
2002.02.07

The following deal is only slightly modified from a hand I played
recently in an online game.
      Jx
      xx
      AT9x
      AQxxx
x           xxxx
J9xx        KQ
Qxx         8xxx
Kxxxx       JTx
      AKQTxx
      ATxxx
      KJ
      --
Against 6S West led a diamond up to my J. I took HA and led another.
East switched to a trump. I won in hand, cashed DK, ruffed a heart
with the J, and was lucky enough to discard my two remaining hearts
on dummy's aces.

Now suppose the opening lead is a heart. Declarer holds up. Say East
switches to a trump (for on a diamond declarer wins with the K and the
play is similar). Declarer wins in hand, cashes HA, and ruffs a heart.
Declarer gets back to hand with a club ruff and pulls trumps,
producing:
       --
       --
       AT9x
       AQ
--          x
J           --
Qxx         xxx
Kx          Jx
       Tx
       Tx
       KJ
       --
West is squeezed on the _second-last_ trump.

In fact, thanks to the two-trick menaces in diamonds and hearts, 6S
can be made even on a trump lead. Declarer wins in hand and ducks a
heart. As we have seen, East must lead a second trump. Declarer wins
in hand, or wins with dummy's J and ruffs a club back, then pulls
trumps. We get:
      --
      x
      AT9x
      AQ
--          --
J9          K
Qxx         8xxx
Kx          Jx
      T
      ATxx
      KJ
      --
Declarer has five of the last seven on top. On the last trump West
can surrender two more by throwing a heart or diamond. If he throws a
club then dummy throws a diamond, and declarer takes DKA followed by
CAQ, squeezing West a second time.

So, when my opponent made the opening lead of a diamond, it cost a
trick but ruined a two-trick squeeze!