ACES ON BRIDGE
It is really quite impossible to say anything with absolute precision, unless that thing is so abstracted from the real world as to not represent any real thing.
— Richard Feynman
Today’s hand is from the 2014 Brighton Swiss Teams, and it features a squeeze that is hard to imagine when dummy comes down at trick one, but inasmuch as any squeeze can be said to play itself, this one develops along very straightforward lines. A few partnerships did find their way to the small heart slam, which rolls home on any lead except a trump, since you can arrange to ruff two spades in dummy. But it is a completely different story on a trump lead, plus a trump continuation when the defense regains the lead in spades. There will now be just one trump left in dummy to deal with declarer’s two spade losers. After winning the trump lead, play the ace and another spade. Back comes another heart, but don’t give up. Simply ruff your third spade with dummy’s last trump. Then play the ace and king of clubs, followed by a club ruff. Now you have two threats, one in each of the black suits, and you know clubs are guarded on your left. So you next run your trumps, keeping close count of the clubs. When the last heart is played, everyone will be reduced to two cards. West needs to keep his club, so he must reduce to just one diamond. Having done its duty, the club nine can now be jettisoned from dummy. Over to East, who cannot part with the spade queen, so he also releases a diamond. Dummy’s diamond nine will win trick 13, and you will have executed a perfect double squeeze!
ANSWER: I have never been a big fan of upgrading a 19-count into a two-notrump opening bid. This hand feels rather suit-oriented, so opening one club, planning a two-no-trump rebid, seems like the normal action. Sometimes the opponents will help us steer clear of three no-trump when it is right to do so.