First I'll pose this as a single dummy problem, since it's quite interesting as well. A bit further down I'll show it as double dummy, but I suggest you try to solve it single dummy first.
You hold:
♠ KQJ762
♥ 6
♦ QT6
♣ QT4
Nobody vulnerable, you open 2♠ and the auction continues:
2♠ - pass - pass - 4♥
pass - 5♥ - pass - 6♥
all pass
You obviously start with ♠K and you get the following in dummy:
♠ AT854
♥ JT5
♦ A54
♣ J9
Declarer ducks, your partner and declarer both following. Now it's up to you: how will you try to defeat this contract? (you can count on declarer's playing skills)
Hint: your first thought should be WHY declarer ducked the first trick.
I won't give you the solution just yet, but I'll point you into the right direction. Declarer is probably rectifying the count for a squeeze. Having done this, he's now on schedule to perform a squeeze if there is one. This leaves out a ♠ or a ♥ switch.
Another option may also be that both you and declarer are quite smart, so he's trying to fool you into a minor suit switch. This is not the case here however.
Ok, so you know you have to switch to a minor. Which one?
If you think you know it, have a look at the entire hand:
| Dealer: | West | | Vul: | Both | | Scoring: | imps | |
| | |
| | |
| | |
Are you still sure about what you have to play at trick 2?
I asked on the Bridgebase Forums what people would play, and most said they think a
♦ is necessary. Lets consider all options:
- we continue with ♠Q:
declarer will ruff, draw trumps (unblocking), ruff a
♠ if necessary and come to the following ending:
| Dealer: | West | | Vul: | Both | | Scoring: | imps | |
| | |
| | |
| | |
On the play of the last 2
♥s West will have to abandon a minor suit while dummy discards a
♦ and a
♣. Now
♦A is played and West has to leave with his other minor, while on the play of
♠A East is squeezed in both minors.
- we continue with a ♥ or a ♦:
The same ending can be reached as above.
- we continue with ♣Q:
This will get us to a double squeeze: West has to guard
♠, East has to guard
♣, and both opponents need to guard
♦s:
| Dealer: | West | | Vul: | Both | | Scoring: | imps | |
| | |
| | |
| | |
:
This is the only way to defeat the slam! There is no way declarer can make West discard something he doesn't want to. East just needs to keep his
♦s:
| Dealer: | West | | Vul: | Both | | Scoring: | imps | |
| | |
| | |
| | |
The funny part of this hand is that if you swap
♦9 and
♦8, the squeeze will function again, because you'll be able to finesse
♦ on the way back to your hand. In that case, you better lead a minor instead of
♠K, otherwise you gave away the slam...
