Nov 09 2008
Birthday Squeeze
My partner for the evening is Malcolm, and today is his 60th birthday. Our opponents for this hand are Lance & John, and Ms. Morgie is kibbitzing. There is a lot of general banter and teasing, and helluva lot of sexual innuendo. Everyone at the table is laughing.
On this hand, the auction goes as follows:
| John | Malcolm | Lance | Audrey |
| 1NT | Pass | 2C | Pass |
| 2H | 3C | All Pass |
I hold AK83 J952 A86 T7. It’s a decent hand, but we likely only have a partscore available when the opponents have opened the bidding. I wonder why partner did not bid 3C immediately. Oh well. He’s declaring, so we’ll transport ourselves to his seat for the play.
 AK83
|
 |
| J9
|
J952
A86
T7Lance keys off with the heart 4. John wins the King and returns a low heart to Lance’s Queen, who continues the suit. Malcolm plays the 9 to John’s T, and then ruffs with a low club.
Malcolm continues by playing three rounds of trump (LHO pitches a diamond on the 3rd round), then the AK spades and ruffing a 3rd spade. Both follow to three spades, RHO playing the Q on the 3rd round. Malcolm now lead his last trump. Here is the position as Malcolm is about to lead the last club from hand:
| 8
|
||
| T
|
|
-
|
| -
|
On the lead of the club 9, Lance (LHO) had a difficult choice. He cannot pitch the spade, because then Malcolm will throw the heart J and get a spade, a club and two diamonds. So Lance pitches a diamond. Malcolm now knows the spade is useless, so he throws it away, and John feels the pinch. Throwing the heart Ace feels like giving up, so he ends up pitching a diamond as well. Now, Malcolm plays A and K of diamonds, and the 9 grows up.
And Malcolm got a double squeeze for his birthday!