Tuesday, October 29, 2024

Squeezes strike twice in the round of 16

In the round of 16 in the Open World Bridge Championship, Romania trailed China by 5 going into the last set of 15 boards, but lost by 34. I had a look to see what happened and 2 hands stood out. Note that I am only guessing about how the play went -- I can only see the result and the lead.

First a quiz:

1. You are declarer in 5S looking at:

♠ A K Q 3
 A K Q 6 4
 A 6
♣ Q 3

♠ J 9 7 4 2
 J 7
 Q 9 5 4
♣ J 2

The  defenders cash the AK of clubs and exit with a heart to your J. Plan the play.

2. You hold:

♠ J 9 4
 J 4
 Q 8 6 5 4 3
♣ 8 4

The opposition are in 6S, and you are sure from the auction that declarer has 5 spades to the AK. Do you lead a spade? Which one?