DAILY BRIDGE CLUB

Cy the Cynic says it’s no use going back to look for a lost opportunity. Somebody else already found it.

In a team match, both Souths played at six spades after West overcalled in diamonds. West led the king of diamonds, and both declarers had their opportunity.

At one table, declarer took dummy’s ace, drew trumps, cashed four more trumps for amusement and took his A- K of hearts. West saved the K- 9- 8 of clubs and queen of diamonds, and when South led a club to dummy’s ace and a club to his queen at the end, West took two clubs.

The second declarer made the most of his opportunity at Trick One. He placed West with the king of clubs for his two- level overcall, hence aminor- suit squeeze was possible. But for the squeeze to work, South had to “rectify the count”: lose one trick to have a chance for 12. So South let the king of diamonds win.

West shifted to a trump, and South took the queen, discarded a club on the ace of diamonds and cashed six more trumps. When he took his A- K of hearts next, West had room for two cards. He had to keep the queen of diamonds, so he bared his king of clubs. South discarded dummy’s jack of diamonds and won the last two tricks with the ace and queen of clubs.

To be fair, the first South had a chance even after he won the first trick: He could lead dummy’s jack of diamonds next and pitch a club. If West shifted to a trump, South could win in dummy and ruff a diamond so that only West could guard diamonds. Then the squeeze would still operate.