Easy Squeezy

We are playing in the Open Pairs at a regional tournament and it feels like we are getting clobbered. But at least this hand looks promising:

AK / AK108 / K3 / AJ742

The vulnerability is favorable and I am in fourth position. I always hate waiting to see if I get pre-empted out of my good cards, but this time everyone else passes. Wtih 22 in high cards plus a five-card suit, I open 2 and rebid 2NT over partner’s 2 response. Partner makes a transfer bid of 3 and I respond 3. Then he bids 3NT. Should I go on to 4? Notrump might be dicey on a diamond lead, but I think most players will pass, so I go with the room. I am happy to see West lead the Q. I am even happier to see the A in dummy as partner lays down:

	J 8 5 4 3 6 5 3 A 10 4 10 5
	A K A K 10 8 K 3 A J 7 4 2

W	N	E	S
P	P	P	2
P	2	P	2NT
P	3	P	3
P	3NT	AP

East plays the 2 on the opening lead (standard signals). I have seven tricks on top. West presumably led from QJ9x(x), so if he continues hearts I’ll get an extra heart trick. I therefore duck the opening lead. West does not cooperate, but he does me a different favor by switching to the 8. That’s convenient as I need to attack clubs and it would be harder to do it myself. East plays the Q on the first club trick. I win the Ace and lead a low club to dummy’s ten, which East wins with the King. On East’s return of the 4 I win the Ace.

When I cash the J West discards the 6. So clubs didn’t break, but I establish my ninth trick by leading the 7. West discards a spade as East wins with the 9. East returns the 6 and I win the Ace. We are down to:

	J 8 6 A 10 4 —
	K K 10 K 3 4

I have taken four tricks and the defense three. I have five more tricks established, so the contract is secure. But can I take an overtrick? There are no more tricks to be easily established, but maybe one can be squeezed out. West presumably still holds the J9; can I make him discard something important?

There’s no harm in trying. In this situation you might as well cash your winners, taking care to preserve the possibility of getting some good luck. I cash the K on the off chance that the Queen will drop, but it doesn’t. Now let’s see if West is squeezed when I cash the 4. Yes, he discards the 9! He must have the QJx and can’t afford to discard a diamond. I take the last four tricks with the AK and the K10.

Sure enough, when I led the 4 West was down to: – / J9 / QJ6 / – . If he had discarded a diamond I would have had three diamond tricks. He was squeezed.

We get 18 matchpoints out of 21. The overtrick only gained 3.5, but a squeeze is worth extra pride points, even when it’s as easy as leading out your winners and seeing what happens. I did have to take care not to discard a diamond from dummy.

And then it turns out that not only were we not getting clobbered, we were doing rather well! We finish at 55%. I don’t understand this game at all.

The full deal was:

	J 8 5 4 3 6 5 3 A 10 4 10 5
10 9 2 Q J 9 7 Q J 6 2 8 6		Q 7 6 4 2 9 8 7 5 K Q 9 3
	A K A K 10 8 K 3 A J 7 4 2

[Reston Regional, Open Pairs, 7/10/2015]