The Squeeze-Trim-Endplay: Hand
You opened 1S, LHO overcalls 2D, and you end up in 6S. Opening lead is the ace of diamonds, which helps. In actual play, declarer ruffed the opening lead, crossed to the ace of clubs, led a trump to dummy, ruffed a club, and led another trump to dummy, both opponents following. He then cashed the ace of hearts, discovering a 4-0 break offside. That left this position:
There is no problem unless hearts are 4-0 offside. It might be tempting to cash a heart while you are on dummy, just to see if the hand is worth thinking about. If hearts are 4-0 offside, the logical play is to try to eliminate diamonds and clubs. If RHO has 2-4-3-4 distribution, the ending will be this:
--
KJx
--
--
-- --
-- Q10x
QJ10 --
-- --
--
xxx
--
--
You can exit with a heart and win the last two heart tricks.
The problem is if RHO is not 2-4-3-4 and can come down to Q10 of hearts and an outside winner. Decision time. Can RHO have 5 clubs? That would give LHO 8 diamonds. You might have heard more from him. It is probably more likely that RHO could have 4 diamonds. In that case, you just come down to an ending position with a diamond control: Either
--
KJxx
--
--
--
xxx
K
--
or
Q
KJx
--
--
--
xxx
x
--
Then if Righty has saved two diamonds and pitched a heart, the hearts can be established; if Righty has save 1 diamond, it can be eliminated to the all-heart position.
Because declarer cashed a heart winner, you cannot get to the second position. But the first is still possible. You ruff a club, ruff a diamond, and on the dummy in this position.
--
KJxx
--
Q
-- --
-- Q10x
QJ10x xx
K --
J
xxx
K
--
On the lead of the queen of clubs, RHO is squeezed. (And if RHO started with the 2-4-3-4 distribution, this lead would simply eliminate his last club.)
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KQJ2
AKJxx
--
Q8xx