Can you squeeze in extra winner?

In “Through the Looking Glass”, Lewis Carroll wrote a song for the White Knight that includes the couplet, “Or madly squeeze a right-hand foot / Into a left-hand shoe.”

Many bridge players feel that way about squeeze plays; that they work only when in an expert's hand. But sometimes one will occur inexorably, without declarer having to do anything more than cash winners and watch the one specific card.

How does that apply in this seven-heart deal after West leads the diamond king?

South's two-heart rebid promised a six-card or longer suit. So North jumped straight into Roman Key Card Blackwood to learn that his partner had the club ace and heart king-queen. With many chances for a 13th winner, North plunged into seven hearts.

When the dummy came down, South saw that he had only 12 tricks: two spades, six hearts, one diamond and three clubs. But maybe clubs were 3-3; or if West had at least four clubs, he would be the victim of a madly squeeze!

South won with dummy's diamond ace, drew trumps, played off the top spades, crossed to his hand with a club and cashed the rest of his trumps, just keeping an eye open for the diamond queen.

With five cards left, dummy had the diamond jack and four clubs. South held one heart, one diamond and three clubs. West retained the diamond queen and four clubs. He was squeezed. When he threw a club, declarer discarded dummy's diamond jack, then ran the clubs.

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