A Missed Opportunity
Tuesday night at the local pairs game. I hold T96 AK72 Q3 QJ76. My partner and i conducted the following auction to get to 3NT.
| Pard | RHO | me | LHO |
| 1D | Pass | 1H | Pass |
| 1S | Pass | 3NT | All Pass |
LHO leads the deuce of clubs, and the dummy tables with:
 KJ84
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 |
| T96
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Q8
KT752
A3I can count two clubs, three hearts and one diamond for sure, along with two or three spades. I go up with the club Ace as RHO plays the 8. I’d like to get to my hand to take the spade finesse, but the only way to do that now is to play hearts, which would either block the suit or remove my communication. I decide to try a diamond to the Q. That will get me to my hand if RHO has the Ace, and LHO may also duck.
LHO wins the diamond Ace and seems reluctant to lead anything. She finally settles on the spade 7. Phat, that’s what i was trying to do, so i duck. RHO wins the spade Ace and returns the club T. I cover with the Q and LHO wins her King. She plays another spade, finessing herself again, and i win in hand with the spade T.
Time to take stock. I have three spades, three hearts, one diamond and two clubs in the bank. I’ve lost three tricks, so the timing is right for a squeeze. LHO guards clubs, and if she also guards Jxx of diamonds or four hearts, she will be squeezed. If not, then RHO holds the guard in both of those suits, and he will be squeezed. So this is a simple squeeze that will work against either opponent, and plays like a double squeeze.
The correct play is the cash the club Jack and then my two spades, pitching a diamond and watch one of them squirm. Something has to get unguarded.
In actuality, i forgot to cash the club Jack, which means RHO had an idle club to throw on the fourth spade. However, all’s well that ends well as he threw a heart anyway, and i raked in ten tricks.
This is the position where i should have cashed the club Jack and then the two spades. You can move the defensive cards around however you want and will see that someone gets squeezed on the last spade.
| KJ
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| Q
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3
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| 9
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