X-Clubs 48

When partner opens the bidding with 1S and a vulnerable right hand opponent leaps to 4H, do you, as North, lick your lips and double for penalties or do you think you have a better option? Those who doubled scored +800 which in the greater scheme of things scored well enough, but surely bidding a slam must score better, given North’s hand. Just take a look at today’s deal.

Board 22 from Tuesday 14/02/23
Dealer East EW Vul

	J7 AK8 AQ86 AK64
4 QJT975432 J T5		86532 T974 QJ32
	AKQT9 6 K532 987

The moment North sees South opening 1S, North should be thinking ‘slam’. West’s leap to 4H should make no difference to that aspiration. North’s only consideration should be which slam, and clearly it must be in No Trumps because a heart lead from West against a spade slam could end up badly after a first round ruff. This is where playing an asking system that is more informative than just basic Blackwood will help, because 4NT from North should elicit the information that South has ‘two key cards plus the queen of trumps’. Then, 5NT should pinpoint the king of diamonds, but even just a bid of 6NT should be adequate in a standard match point session, and a 990 or 1020 chalked up.

Sadly, I noted that one pair did bid to 7NT but failed when declarer succumbed to the bad break in diamonds and gave up the ghost and conceded one down. That was not necessary because this hand provides us with an example of a very easily identified squeeze, where only some attention to detail is required even without an understanding of how squeezes work.

East leads the ten of diamonds. Declarer is just about to claim when the second diamond reveals the bad news. However declarer may as well take the twelve available tricks. It really does not matter in which order they are taken because at the end, when East has kept all his diamonds, declarer has no option but the lead the clubs out, knowing the last diamond won’t take a trick. That is all that is required and thanks to West having so many hearts and only two clubs, the squeeze has worked, with poor East having to hold on to the diamonds and let go the clubs.

This is a very easy squeeze that requires little learning, but it could have been really interesting had West held something like three clubs to the queen or jack.