[pilowsky]

♣I think there is a nice squeeze available if played properly at the end of this but I got nowhere near it. Be grateful for advice.
Here's the link
Here's the hand: from a BBO daylong - I'm south EW vul East dealer -
The consensus bid for South was, I think, 2♣. with all kinds of different contracts. I went for something a bit more agricultural, but my skills were not up to it: 5.36%. Double-dummy has a nice result.

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[apollo1201]

I believe you manage your way to 6NT when S shows some kind of balanced 23 (or 24)+ hand. 25-27 is a bit exaggerated even with 4 aces when you don’t have a source of tricks (5 or 6-cd suit).

Actually after guessing SQ, if you guess to tackle the intra finesse in C, you’re home double dummy on a very elegant manner (I guess you need the D finesse in all cases).

I believe I would land in an unambitious 6S in IMPs and 6NT in MPs.

[Cyberyeti]

Firstly, win the first trick with a big heart so you have another dummy entry, now you only go 1 off via the diamond finesse.

Secondly you have 23-24 not 25-27 you should be in 6 not 7.

Thirdly it's better played in spades as if you find the Q you may well make an overtrick that you don't make in NT without a second finesse, and also if you don't the ruff is one less trick you have to make.

[johnu]

There is no squeeze. Besides guessing ♠Q, you have to run ♣J through East. If covered, you have to finesse West for ♣10. And take the diamond finesse for 13 tricks.

[Cyberyeti]

johnu, on 2020-May-10, 16:20, said:

There is no squeeze. Besides guessing ♠Q, you have to run ♣J through East. If covered, you have to finesse West for ♣10. And take the diamond finesse for 13 tricks.

You also need to carefully guard your entries and get your timing right

[johnu]

Cyberyeti, on 2020-May-10, 16:28, said:

You also need to carefully guard your entries and get your timing right

If you are going to play double dummy, you have plenty of entries

[nige1]

IMO...
You should open 2♣ although, playing with Gib, that probably won't save you.
To make 7N, against reasonable defence, you probably need to play double-dummy (e.g. backward finesse ♣J).

I like Pilowski's line. An alternative (losing) line is:

Finesse RHO for ♠Q (because you can pick up ♠Qxxx). Cash some major winners. Cash ♣AK (in case ♣QT drop); then fall back on two ♦ finesses: first advancing ♦Q covered by ♦K and ♦A; and then finessing ♦9. Unlucky.

Bridge is a Kibitzer's game.

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This post has been edited by nige1: 2020-May-11, 01:54

[pilowsky]

So, when I followed the GIB double-dummy from the original link down the rabbit hole, I came to this position which looked rather good to me. Now EW has no way to prevent 7NT. As you say - anything is possible - afterwards.

[Cyberyeti]

pilowsky, on 2020-May-11, 03:25, said:

So, when I followed the GIB double-dummy from the original link down the rabbit hole, I came to this position which looked rather good to me. Now EW has no way to prevent 7NT. As you say - anything is possible - afterwards.

To reach that position demands a wrong discard from the defence, they should keep the 9♠, which means you have to keep the 4th spade and give up a card you don't want to in the minors, which is why you don't start by cashing the hearts (which also butchers your entries).

Practically you're only going to make this if W has Q♣, but if E drops both black Qs face up on the floor during the auction ...

Trick 1 - Win A♥
2 - J♠ overtake with the K
3 - spade towards the A10
4-5 cash the remaining spades finishing in dummy
6 - J♣ running it if E plays low (and now the reason for keeping the heart entry to dummy becomes clear, as you will need it to be able to cash ♣K)

You now have 13 tricks with the aid of the diamond finesse

[ahydra]

I'm not sure I understand the comments about the auction - even if you open 3NT, the correct bid from North with a nothing-special 10-count is 5NT, asking South to choose between 6NT and 7NT, and South obviously picks the former. No doubt blasting 7NT is just GIB being GIB.

There might be a squeeze on this hand. Say you read that W has DK, then you can play him for both the ♣Q10. Come down to ♦AJ9 ♣A5 opposite ♦Q ♣KJ9x and cash CA. West can't have held on to ♦Kx ♣Q10xx so if he hasn't bared his DK the club finesse will produce three tricks. You can do something similar if you read that East has the DK, you run the Q, K, A and then try to squeeze West from ♦10x ♣Q10x. It seems whatever line you pick will involve a lot of guesswork though.

ahydra