The Squeeze-Trim-Endplay: Hand

Pottage, one of the current masters of the interesting complex hand, presents this in Masterpieces of Declarer Play:

62
AK8653
75
AK10

AQ8
74
AKQJ104
72

The contract is 6 diamonds. Your partner opened 1H, you bid 3D, and Lefty stuck in a 3S bid. Just so you would know that the spade finesse is not going to work.

Speaking of things going wrong, West opens the 8, depriving you of an entry to dummy for your hearts. There is the old duck-a-round of hearts, but if the opps then return a club you are back to needing a 3-2 heart break.

So, of course play to make if hearts are 3-2, but what if they are 4-1? What are you going to do when Lefty shows out on the second round of hearts.

The answer is complex; Pottage has this problem near the end of his book and lists it as one of his favorite problems. So there is a simpler question -- what do you do if the 8 is changed into the 9.

62
AK8653
75
AK10

AQ8
74
AKQJ104
72

Discussion/Answer

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4. Squeeze-Trim-Endplay Hands
3. Squeeze-Trim-Endplay: Complex

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