A Great Responsibility

We received an email today from someone who really cared about the original Love book, Bridge Squeezes Complete.  Once again it made me realize what a great responsibility it is to update this book.  I hope we have not lost Love’s special writing style and humor.  In many cases we have enhanced the analysis.  Love had a way of presenting a hand, throwing in a line or two about how you could make it on a complex squeeze and then moving on.  Sometimes, he didn’t see the best line or missed alternatives.  Most of the time this isn’t a problem but some times deals go back and forth between Ray, Julian and I as we discuss the merits of various lines. 

We have also added a fair bit of content.  For example we added the clash squeeze.  First there is the discussion about whether this particular squeeze is common enough or interesting enough to add.  Then we have to decide where to place it and how much to describe the mechanisms that allow you to spot it and operate it.  That was one of the things that made Love so special.  He described the how of things and sometimes the why of them.  So many squeeze books just show you a definition and an example of a squeeze type and move on.

A clash squeeze is related to a simple guard squeeze.  Simple guard squeezes are fairly uncommon.  One defender is squeezed in two suits but generally something is wrong so the squeeze will not work.  But the same defender has to help guard a third suit which creates a kind of triple squeeze.  The defender has to hold enough stuff in the suit to prevent declarer from finessing his partner in the “guard” suit.  The simple clash squeeze is very uncommon.  Again the defender is guarding two suits and again the simple squeeze won’t work.  Again declarer has a threat in a third suit which is partially guarded by the defender’s partner.  But this time the defender has to keep his high card to force declarer to play two potential winners on the same trick.  It prevents declarer from cashing the two winners separately.  A typical example, declarer has Ax  opposite the queen alone.  You hold the king.  If you discard the king declarer can cash both winner.  If not declarer will have to play the queen under the ace.   Now partner’s guard in the suit will prevent declarer from making the little one.

I did once see a clash squeeze, well not at the table.  I was at a Nationals and David Lindop came by quite excited about having just performed a clash squeeze.  So while it does happen,  it is not exactly a common occurrence.  It does have a great name but should it be in the book?  We decided to include it but keep the section on it short.  It seemed to us that it fit in with guard squeezes and by looking at a clash squeeze, along with the guard squeeze and also a third type of squeeze a mole squeeze that it enhanced the readers understanding of the concept of a 21/2 suit squeeze.  The 1/2 suit refers to the idea that the victim is partially protecting a suit.

I am so grateful that Julian Pottage is participating in the project too.  From my emails from Julian and his comments I can tell that all of us care about making this book as good, correct and complete as we can.  I only hope that we have done justice to the original.