Saturday, February 1, 2014

Squeezed without the count

The weakest declarer in the room is declaring 3NT. This is not meant to be disparaging. It's simply that he is here to have fun. He likes the crowd. It's a friendly club game.  So why bother counting side-suits?

Somehow though, the play has me caught in a vice. This is the end-position as declarer plays the 10 of hearts.  What should I play?
.
Board: 16
Vul: N-S
Dlr: North
N
Dummy
K7
A10
.
W
Poor Me
J4
K7
Lead: 4
E
Immaterial
4
3
85
.
S
Declarer
10

QJx
.

What should I throw?  At one level, it doesn't matter. If I bare the king of clubs, declarer can throw a diamond and when the king of clubs shows up, he can claim.  If I throw a diamond, he can throw a club, lead to the Ace and both diamonds are good. In other words, I am squeezed.

But I have a chance. Declarer has certainly not been counting.  He's going to throw the same card regardless of what I throw.  Knowing this, what do I throw? Hmm ... 10 of clubs and 7 of diamonds ... I decide that he will be throwing a diamond, so I throw one too.

Declarer throws a ... club.  I still don't know why, because he then proceeds to face his cards and claim two tricks, saying "I get two tricks and you get one."

"No, we don't," I tell him, "You get all three."

"The king of clubs is not gone" he insists, turning to my partner, "you have the king of clubs, right?".

"It doesn't matter," I tell him, "because whatever you lead now, you will be in dummy and are not getting back to your hand. The 7 of diamonds is good. You will get all three tricks."

"Really?," he asked puzzled.

"Yes, you get all the remaining tricks."

So, what is this play called? Not "squeeze without the count" ...

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