Congratulations to Cora … she did it (and one for the teacher too)

Cora played in a tournament with a new partner and was very excited.  She had come in first in B and C and second in A.  But the most exciting part was that she executed a squeeze to make 7 while in 6NT and she was aware of what she was doing.  Here is the deal.

North ♠ Q5 ♥ AK1063 ♦ Q842 ♣ Q4

Cora ♠ AK8 ♥ J8 ♦ A5 ♣ AK9753

Cora and her partner did well to get to the slam in notrump the highest scoring slam 6NT.  She didn’t tell me what the lead was but assume you get a spade lead.  You test clubs and they break.   You have 12 tricks but what about 13.  It can’t really cost to cash the ♥ A (discarding the ♥ J from hand) and play off your club winners pitching two hearts and two diamonds from dummy.  During this time the defense may give you some hints with their discards and even with their tempo.  You could just take the heart finesse now.  The squeeze only works when the finesse is onside anyway because dummy has to pitch before West.  But this type of squeeze is called a show-in squeeze.  You are playing for West to have the ♦ K and then you don’t care where the ♥Q is.  On the last high spade suppose West throws a heart then you throw your ♦ Q.

West has to come down to one heart and the ♦ K.  When you lead a heart in the two card ending if the queen doesn’t “show up” then East must have it so you play the high heart and hope it is doubleton.    I am not going to try an analyze if this is the best line for seven but I will say that seeing the ending, playing for it and then making it (the ♦ K and ♥ Q were both onside) is an expert play.  Well done Cora.

I also had a nice hand in practice today against the fierce robots.  I admit they didn’t give me the best defense but the ending is cute.

Dealer: Vul:	North ♠ 432 ♥ 9 ♦ 9732 ♣ A9765
West ♠ KQJ9 ♥ 7642 ♦ A10 ♣ 832		East ♠ 85 ♥ AQ83 ♦ KJ65 ♣ J104
	Linda ♠ A1076 ♥ KJ105 ♦ Q84 ♣ KQ

The auction was simple I opened 1NT vulnerable in second and it was passed out.  The opening lead was the ♠ K which I ducked.  West decided to switch to a heart when East discouraged and East won the HA.  East returned a spade and West won the ♠ 9.  I won the third round of spades with the ♠ A (East discarding a diamond) and cashed the top two clubs.  I then exited a spade, East discarding a club.  West continued hearts and now East made the mistake I needed he rose on the ♥ Q.  I won and cashed my heart winners.   There are a couple of endings that work now but the simplest and the one I played for is for West to have Ax or Kx of diamonds. I exited with a diamond and the defense has to give me a minor suit trick.  This is the type of judo hand (where you let the defense do the work) that my friend Andy Altay specialized in.  He loves 1NT contracts.

So Cora made 7NT and I made 1NT.  She had a squeeze and I had a strip and endplay  It was a good week.