[pescetom]

MP

---

You knew from the auction that 6NT was cold, but adrenaline was flowing and you decided that 7♥ would likely have some play.

The lead is ♥T and your heart sinks seeing the dummy.
Your plan to maintain the contract now?

Advanced/Expert please use a spoiler.

[DavidKok]

Spoiler

My first thought is a double squeeze (♦Q, ♠Q, ♣9 - cash 8 hearts and ♦A, pitch ♣J not ♣3) but it actually doesn't work - this type of double squeeze requires the last free winner (♥3) to be held by the hand opposite the both threat (♣9). It still operates as a legitimate single squeeze, but those aren't much better than the finesse. I'd still play on squeeze lines as it allows me to combine chances and get a read of the position.

[pescetom]

DavidKok, on 2026-June-27, 09:03, said:

Spoiler

My first thought is a double squeeze (♦Q, ♠Q, ♣9 - cash 8 hearts and ♦A, pitch ♣J not ♣3) but it actually doesn't work - this type of double squeeze requires the last free winner (♥3) to be held by the hand opposite the both threat (♣9). It still operates as a legitimate single squeeze, but those aren't much better than the finesse. I'd still play on squeeze lines as it allows me to combine chances and get a read of the position.

Spoiler

If you cash 8 hearts then N will play 2 hearts 3 diamonds 3 clubs, S will play 2 hearts 4 spades 1 diamonds 1 clubs.
If you continue ♦A then S will play T and N will play J.
Does that help ?

[DavidKok]

Spoiler

I am fishing for information. I need the order and the exact cards, the signalling agreements, and also where they paused to think. I understand that signals against a grand slam may be phony, but I still need to know.

[WasWinM]

Spoiler

The simplest solution is to assume the guarded cards are split or all three suits are guarded by one player.
I run the hearts ending here:

AQ -----x
-- --
Qx -----A
3 -----AK9

If the guards are split, each hand is reduced to Gx, 10xx or Gx and Qxx. Diamonds Ace forces a club discard. Spade to the ace forces a club discard.
It's an interesting position, almost like a crisscross squeeze but the criss-crossing is to establish the double squeeze.

[Huibertus]

Spoiler

Playing for the double squeeze with ♠ as the central suit as if you have ♠ A87652 in dummy. Or the triple queuze against south which works just as well in the same order of play. Provided south has ♦ King he's squeezed in ♦/♠ (and ♣ if he stops them) and North is squeezed in ♣/♠ (if south doesn't have the ♣ stopped) Just cash ♥s/♦A and ♠ A or ♣ AK depending on south discards, if neither ♣9 nor ♦ K is high after the second ♣ then spade K will drop regardless of who had it. So this depends on ♦ King which is 50 %, choosing this for NOW, if discarding hints at south not having any discarding issues (not holding ♦ K) I might take the ♠ finesse after all. Making it better then 50%, almost but not quite of 76% split Kings as some souths holding ♦ K might trick me.

[Huibertus]

DavidKok, on 2026-June-27, 09:03, said:

Spoiler

My first thought is a double squeeze (♦Q, ♠Q, ♣9 - cash 8 hearts and ♦A, pitch ♣J not ♣3) but it actually doesn't work - this type of double squeeze requires the last free winner (♥3) to be held by the hand opposite the both threat (♣9). It still operates as a legitimate single squeeze, but those aren't much better than the finesse. I'd still play on squeeze lines as it allows me to combine chances and get a read of the position.

Spoiler

You picked the wrong central suit, see my contribution.

[DavidKok]

Huibertus, on 2026-June-27, 14:27, said:

Spoiler

You picked the wrong central suit, see my contribution.

Spoiler

Playing for only North to guard the clubs (otherwise East isn't sitting over any opponent with a threat card) is way worse odds than the simple spade finesse. I rejected this line because of these odds. You can play it as a compound, but not as a double around spades.

[Huibertus]

DavidKok, on 2026-June-27, 14:34, said:

Spoiler

You've not read/understood my contribution. This is NOT only working if north stops ♣.

If south stops ♣ he's caught in a triple squeeze, if south guards ♣ protecting north's stop he must discard the guard a trick early due to the same tripple squeeze, which is the same order of play as the double squeeze. Provided north has ♦ K the double squeeze order of play will work no matter how ♣ split no ♣ jettison or finesse needed, no matter how ♠ split.

Try it!

[DavidKok]

Spoiler

I'm sorry, I still don't understand it. At what trick do you deviate from my line? And how do you not have to read the club position? And does this also operate if South has the ♦K? I don't understand your line. Could you please spell out your order of play? The closest I can get is the compound squeeze I mentioned. You also seem to play along compound squeeze lines, treating clubs and spades both as double and reading when either opponent abandons the club guard.

[jillybean]

Spoiler

The only possible 12th trick I can see is a clubs or a spade but I don't know the best way to go about it. I have ONE entry to dummy so I run 7 hearts, cash the DA. Perhaps the opponents will have revealed something with their carding? If not, cash SA, play SQ, pitching club and hope for the best. (hidden for kicks and giggles)

[mike777]

finesse spade

[mikeh]

The opps, if good, will both know we lack the diamond K since we have 13 top tricks if we hold that card. But only the strongest or, ironically most weak, defenders would not give count in their minor holdings when discarding. So I echo David’s request that you tell us precisely which cards were played to every trick after the first two.

Why you don’t provide that is a mystery. You present a play problem where, in real life, we may very well glean useful inferences from the carding yet you don’t tell us who played what card in what order. Yes, WC opps, playing well, won’t tell us what’s going on, but I’m willing to bet this hand wasn’t played against WC defenders. Weak defenders may not know how to give count when discarding but they make up for it by often evincing pressure as we run our hearts because they don’t plan ahead.

Since I’d not be making a blind guess in real life, I refuse to make one here.

[WasWinM]

mike777, on 2026-June-27, 15:44, said:

finesse spade

I think this is the odd case where the finesse is not really 50-50. There are 4 total cases to consider. K of spades and K of diamonds divided in either hand, (2 cases) and both in one hand (2 cases). If both diamond king and spade king are in the hand over dummy the hand cannot be made. With those cards divided, the squeeze will operate no matter how they are divided. So the spade finesse only succeeds when a simple squeeze would also work but is not played.

[mike777]

I don't disagree with what you are saying.
I just don't understand what you are saying..😎

To be clear I am not claiming my line is the best or right.
However, at the table, under pressure it would have been the line at MP I would have played..

I can't take 5 minutes

[jillybean]

mike777, on 2026-June-27, 22:08, said:

I can't take 5 minutes

Why not?

[mike777]

 jillybean, on 2026-June-27, 23:11, said:

Why not?

At the mp table? Why not?
Why can I?

I play too slow already...

[jillybean]

mike777, on 2026-June-27, 23:23, said:

At the mp table? Why not?
Why can I?

I play too slow already...

On hands like this, you must have time to think. And if anyone interrupts me, the clock starts again.
I play too quickly.

[pescetom]

Mike and David, I'll give you what I recall of the card sequence as soon as I have time.
Not being reticent, just that England - Panama had precedence

[mike777]

 jillybean, on 2026-June-27, 23:36, said:

On hands like this, you must have time to think. And if anyone interrupts me, the clock starts again.
I play too quickly.

You actually bring up an interesting off topic regarding speed.
The Dutch player Brink, I think third ranked in the world, advocates for playing fast. If you already play fast, then play faster. I am pretty slow, so playing fast probably gets me up to average player...

I know the world champion player Sontag famously is a very fast player.