Squeeze technique

In the Life Master Pairs at the ACBL Summer Championships, today’s North-South reached five clubs, but that contract was “normal”: Many other pairs would get there. For a good score, declarer, Dan Boye of Farmington, N.Y., needed an overtrick.

When West led the jack of diamonds, East overtook and tried to cash a second diamond. Boye ruffed, led a trump to dummy and ruffed another diamond to “isolate a menace”: East was left with the defenders’ only diamonds. TRUMPS

Declarer then ran his trumps and took the A-K of hearts. With three tricks left, dummy had a diamond and the K-6 of spades, and South had the A-10-9 of spades. East couldn’t both save a diamond and guard his Q-J-2 of spades, so South took the rest for plus 420.

If West wins the first diamond and shifts to a spade, South can still take 12 tricks with a similar squeeze — or with a complex “trump squeeze,” threatening to set up a diamond winner in dummy with a ruff. Only a spade opening lead holds him to his contract. DAILY QUESTION You hold: ♠ Q J2 ♥ Q J 10 5 ♦ AKQ93 ♣ 4. You open one diamond, your partner bids one spade and the player at your right overcalls two clubs. What do you say?

ANSWER: Your hand is too weak to “reverse” with two hearts. Bid two spades. To support your partner is better than rebidding two diamonds. Some pairs would make a “support double,” artificially showing three cards in spades. That was the meaning of South’s double in today’s deal. South dealer E-W vulnerable